Popular welterweight promoted from Heat to MFC

There is a growing sentiment that given the right amount of patience and practice, Paapa Inkumsah could become the very best welterweight to ever enter the MFC ring.

It’s a lot of expectation on the shoulders of a rather unknown fighter but when insiders insist that Inkumsah is further along at this early point in his career compared to current top 170-pounders, the hype becomes much more tangible. After three convincing performances in the MFC’s developmental organization, Heat XC, Inkumsah will get his first crack under the big spotlight when he debuts on the undercard at MFC 22: Payoff on Oct. 2 against Jason Heit.

Inkumsah (4-0) fought on all three Heat XC shows to date, each time facing stiffer competition and each time looking better. He made his Heat debut by taking on reputed tough guy Jake Bluhm, but Inkumsah had no trouble with Bluhm’s bullying tactics before sinking in a rear-naked choke at 4:05 of Round 1.

His next time out, Inkumsah again faced a popular local fighter as he stepped in against another slugger in Jesse Clarke. There was little difference in the outcome as Inkumsah out-maneuvered and out-skilled Clarke to the tune of a TKO only 1:53 into the fight. Inkumsah showcased his ground game in his last Heat showcase, escaping from several strong takedowns by national team wrestler Dave Krawczyk and then finishing the fight with a devastating triangle choke with under a minute to go in the first round.

Heit (2-0) is no cakewalk as he used all of his long and lanky frame en route to a TKO stoppage victory over Jeremy Combrink at MFC 21 back in May.

Though Inkumsah has fought two home-town products in Bluhm and Clarke, he is not without a huge throng of supporters. Chants of “Paapa, Paapa” cry out from ringside seconds into the fight thanks to the legion of fans Inkumsah has not only from Calgary, Alberta, where he trains alongside Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Josh Russell but also from the group of family and friends that have been at his side since he grew up in Edmonton.