What lies ahead in the MFC for Kuchera, Lofton and others

The scar on his upper lip serves as a reminder.
 
When Jason Kuchera looks in the mirror and sees that mark, he reflects on the first loss of his MMA career - a heartbreaking second-round tapout to Aron Lofton in a punishing light heavyweight brawl at MFC 16.  

But with MFC 17 on the horizon that scar serves another purpose. It is part of a message that Kuchera intends on delivering in person to whoever his
next foe will be.  

"I feel sorry for the next guy that I face. It's bad timing for him," said Kuchera, one of the MFC's most popular fighters.  

"I'm going back to the way I fought my first two fights. I was an unknown and I didn't have respect for anyone I fought. I didn't care how good they were - once we stepped into the ring, I didn't have respect for them."  

Kuchera's message has a second part as well - this one for his solid fan base who have backed him in a big way since his debut at MFC Lucky 13 with a crushing 28-second KO of Steve Dubeck.  

"Everybody's who is going to be watching me on July 25 is in for a treat,"
declared Kuchera. "I can't wait to watch it on TV after it's over."  

Kuchera burst onto the MFC scene with that win over Dubeck which was
followed at MFC 14 with an equally quick outing as he dispatched David Lainof in only 23 seconds. At MFC 15, Kuchera got pushed to a new level as he battled through illness before pounding out Allan Hope in Round 2.  

When MFC 16: Anger Management rolled around, HDNet Fights billed the fight as the "Battle of Poster Boys" with Kuchera, the local power-punching fan favourite, matching up against handsome Oklahoma invader Aron Lofton. The
fight lived up to its advance hype. It wasn't particularly pretty and was far from scientific - just two bruisers slugging it out with heavy hands flying.  

Lofton badly cut Kuchera in the first round but the both fighters continued to battle before a dead-tired Lofton secured a rear-naked choke on a depleted Kuchera with just five seconds left in Round 2.  

It was a lesson learned that won't soon be forgotten . for both foes.  

"I said to my coach after that fight that I was now a pro fighter," said Lofton, who also returns at MFC 17 when he is scheduled to take on Adam Maciejewski. "You can't test yourself when a fight goes 20 or 40 seconds
because you don't know if those were flukes or your opponents were scared.  

"Fighting Jason was my best test to date. I was happy with a lot of things. My only regret was my lack of endurance but I think we both showed a lot of heart - just two guys still going at it and punching it out looking for the win.  

"I fought Jason who was 3-0 and I was very proud of that win and that it was
on live TV. It took about three or four days later when it really sunk in."  

Not long after accepting the step he'd taken, Lofton signed a multi-fight deal with the MFC with his sights set on an eventual title shot - the belt currently being held by injured champion Roger "The Hulk" Hollett. Once hesitant to leave the comfortable surroundings where he'd fought before, Lofton is eager to talk about his future in the MFC where the big names like Jason MacDonald and Patrick Cote have become international stars.

Lofton debuted in the MFC as the bad guy which automatically happens when
you're taking on the local hero. But Lofton endeared himself to the MFC faithful with his outgoing personality and the ability to talk up a fight in the pre-bout hype and then back it up with plenty of excitement in the ring.
 
He will have his fans back home keeping on eye on the happenings of MFC 17:
Hostile Takeover but Lofton can also boast a growing legion of supporters in the MFC's home territory.
 
"I do enjoy the spotlight," said Lofton. "My career's off to a great start and I enjoying being on top. Right now I feel I can't lose. Confidence has a lot to do with how well you do in the ring and my confidence is sky-high right now."  

EDUCATION ARON: Lofton figures to have an easier time making weight for his
July 25 bout in the MFC. His fight against Kuchera was his first moving down
from heavyweight and he's not getting too big in between bouts, hovering
around 220 before cut down starts. Lofton is also going to get in some time at the American Top Team headquarters in Florida before MFC 17. He's scheduled to head to a July training camp featuring Anderson Silva.  

SO WHO'S IT GONNA BE? The MFC welterweight title will be up for grabs for the first time at MFC 17. We know it's going to be Ryan Ford in one corner. Just who the other contender will be is still a bit of a mystery but there's every reason to expect that Ford's opponent could have a pretty fair resume in his pocket. The inside track to the title shot belongs to Drew Fickett. Then there's Edwin DeWees who's in the running. Another name has surfaced lately and that's John Alessio. All three present very good track records and all are excellent challengers. If it's Ford or one of those three potential candidates, the first winner of the MFC 170-pound belt will represent well.  

PAGING MR. ZAZULAK: Just where has Brad Zazulak gone? He beat veteran
showman Shonie Carter and then disappeared off the MFC map. But he has been found and is expected to return to ring duty at MFC 17. Zazulak has the
talent to go a long ways but it's a case of work coming before play for the
powerful iron worker. Interestingly enough, Zazulak who could probably lock
up a fair bit of sponsorship dollars thanks to his ripped physique and abundance of skills, chooses not to seek support. He wears little else besides his union's tag on his shorts out of respect to his brothers in heavy labour. You have to credit him for that but it's just unfortunate that fans may miss out on seeing how far Zazulak could go in the middleweight ranks.
 
KEEP AN EYE ON. Will Mike Sorensen continue his comeback road after dropping
his fight against Ryan Ford? Sorensen struggled a bit against Jeremy Martin
before pulling out the win, but that sets up a virtual must win for him at MFC 17 if he wants to get back in the welterweight hierarchy . Watch for Ben Henderson to make his claim for the MFC lightweight title at Hostile Takeover. Henderson apologized for his lack of quality standup despite cruising to a win over Mike Maestas last time in the MFC ring. If a fully-loaded Henderson comes away with a victory in July he should be the No. 1 contender though that tag has been a curse to a few predecessors - Maetas, Donald Sanchez, Ryan Heck.