ENOCH - Ryan Ford is finally at the front of the line when it comes to the Maximum Fighting Championship's welterweight division.

The local mixed martial arts fighter pushed his record to 6-0 with a rear-naked-choke submission win at 2:32 of the first round over C.J. Fernandes of St. Louis on Friday night in front of a packed house at the River Cree Casino at the MFC 16: Anger Management card.

With the win, Ford will fight for the 170 lb. title on July 25.

Ford made quick work of the 13-7-3 Fernandes as he took him to the ground as fast as possible, then started looking for the choke. He locked it in on the second try. Fernandes tapped immediately.

"I came at him and said, 'I'm going to hit him hard and see what he's got,' " Ford said. "And I got him."

In the night's other main event, Chase Gormley of Los Angeles scored a unanimous decision victory over Eric Pele of Las Vegas in a battle between two heavyweights. Both men were bloodied in the fight, with Gormley getting opened up below his right eye in the first round and Pele taking a bloody nose and a gash under the eye to match Gormley's in the second.

The fans voiced their displeasure with the match, booing much of the last round-and-a-half of the bout as both fighters looked fatigued down the stretch.
In one of the more entertaining bouts of the night, Fort McMurray's Mike Sorensen came out on top of a toe-to-toe brawl with St. John's, N.L., fighter Jeremy Martin. Sorensen won the slugfest then locked in a guillotine choke hold, improving his record to 3-1 as a pro fighter, while Martin went down swinging in his pro debut.

Sorensen controlled the majority of the fight's opening round, getting Martin in a series of what could have been match-ending chokeholds.
Midway through the opening round, Sorensen thought he got a submission out of Martin. He eased off of him, only to have Martin land a quick shot to the face on him.

"For sure, I had him," Sorensen said. "I had (the hold) extended and I look at the ref and he stuck his hand out. I guess I didn't have it, I don't know and we went on."

To his credit, Martin--with his face bright red under Sorensen's grasp--fought through the holds to take the bout into the second round.
As the two fighters met in the middle of the ring to start the second round, they put grappling and technique aside, going punch-for-punch, to the delight of a rowdy crowd.

Martin appeared to be doing well in the standing battle. His shot to Sorensen's nose drew blood, but Sorensen kept swinging until he had the advantage. He quickly got Martin on the mat and with blood trickling out of his nose, locked in the guillotine choke. The crowd responded to the hold faster than the fighter, but Martin tapped out shortly after the hold was applied.

Sorensen said the brawl worked to his advantage.

"That's what (Martin) wanted and that was my game. I wanted to do that, so it worked out for me. That's what I hoped he'd do." With Martin fighting his first pro bout, nerves likely played a factor.

"I know he's got jitters, man," Sorensen said. "A big show like this, this ain't like no backyard brawl or some bar room brawl. This is some serious (crap)."

The following fighters claimed wins in the event's undercard: Evan Sanguin (Red Deer), Troy Sorenson (Edson), Brandon Curts (London, Ont.), Mike Sorensen (Fort McMurray), Gavin Neil (Victoria, B.C.), Aron Lofton (Tulsa, Okla.), Chris Camozzi (Lakewood, Col.), Ben Henderson (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Matt Veach (St. Louis).