Canadian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Phenom to Make Debut September 26 at MFC 18: Famous

Continuing his organization's trend of impressive free-agent signings, Maximum Fighting Championship president Mark Pavelich announced today that
the promotion has added highly-touted submission specialist Josh "The
Gringo" Russell to its roster.  Canada's first Gracie Barra Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Sr., Russell inked a three-fight deal with the thriving organization.

Russell, who is UFC middleweight contender Jason MacDonald's BJJ coach, was slated to face Jesse Bongfeldt at MFC 9: No Excuses in March 2006 but was forced off the card when a pre-fight CAT scan revealed a growth on his
brain.  Now, more than two years later, Russell has been medically cleared to fight and will make his much anticipated professional MMA debut as a welterweight at MFC 18: Famous, Friday, September 26 against Mike Gates
(5-4-1) at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Following the
bout, he will drop down to compete in the MFC lightweight division for the
remaining two fights of his contract.

Fans aren't the only ones looking forward to finally seeing the Calgary, Alberta native grace the MFC ring. Already an accomplished grappling competitor, Russell who went 3-0 in amateur  MMA bouts in 2000 says he has been chomping at the bit to prove himself in the sport and that the MFC was his natural choice as the outlet to best showcase his skills.

"I wasn't really making a push to fight since the medical issue came up but
recently I've been getting the itch to fight again. I got an MRI done and the doctor told me that it's not a tumour and it isn't a cyst; it's just a benign spot on my cerebellum, so everything is OK [for me to fight]. The bottom line is that I'm a competitor and I always have been. I've been fighting since I was five years old," Russell explains. "Being a competitor and being around Jason, training him and cornering him in the UFC, I really wanted to see what I could do in the sport. If Im going to get noticed, I'll do it fighting for the MFC since their events are [broadcast] on HDNet and a lot of their fighters seem to end up fighting in places like the UFC."

Pavelich, who says he expects big things from "The Gringo" feels that his
155-pound division bests that of the majority of the competition.

"Outside of the UFC, I think we have the best lightweight division in MMA - the depth of it is awesome. Adding Josh to the mix just makes it that much better. Josh is a mean fighter who loves to fight. I always saw that in him which shows he's a high-level fighter and that's one of the things I like about Josh as far as him fighting in MMA," Pavelich says. "He isn't a polite guy and he won't hesitate in finishing a guy if he has to. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him to prove himself but that's the type of situation he thrives in. Right now he's getting himself and two of his students ready for the MFC as well as getting Jason [MacDonald] ready for his UFC fight in three weeks. He's used to pressure."

Russell says he is hopeful his extensive submission grappling tournament
experience will help him shake the rookie-fight jitters and that he plans on taking a run at the yet-to-be contested inaugural MFC lightweight belt in the not too distant future.

"Once I get my confidence and get rid of the ring rust, I'm not going to be afraid to step in the ring with anybody. I walk around close to 180 pounds and I'm six feet tall so I think I'll be a good sized 155-pounder. I'm 30 years old and I figured I should make a run at this," Russell says. "[The MFC lightweight title] is definitely going to be in my sights soon. I need to get past my first fight first. I've been in a lot of big jiu-jitsu tournaments so I've fought in front of big crowds so I think I'll calm down and get to work pretty quick."