MFC 21: Hard Knocks promises to be the Maximum Fighting Championship's
best-ever lineup of bouts with a hotly anticipated title fight, a superfight
with worldwide attention, and a strong cast of main card and undercard
encounters.

  And as with every MFC event, each fight poses unique possibilities and each
fight has its own unique set of circumstances - all of which beg some
intriguing questions:

  1.       Can John Alessio rebound? One of the original Canadian-bred MMA
stars, Alessio has dropped two straight fights including a devastating TKO
loss to Paul Daley in the MFC (the first KO/TKO loss of Alessio's storied
career). With 36 career fights under his belt, one hopes Alessio's best days
aren't behind him. He'll get a stern enough test from Andrew Buckland to
determine whether Alessio is still a force.

  2.       Is Ryan Fortin on the path to stardom? He's only just begun his
mixed martial arts run, but there's much expected of the "Vanilla Gorilla"
who has a lot of exceptional tools to work with. A decisive win in his MFC
debut - which follows a debut in the MFC's developmental Heat XC system -
could ignite a whole new heavyweight hopeful.

  3.       How fast will it last? If there was a betting line, the big money
would be less than three minutes. Some may say inside one minute. Whatever
fast-and-furious time frame you want to put on it, the Aron Lofton vs.
Marvin Eastman clash is certainly not one that will drag on. Quite the
opposite - expect some serious fireworks right from the get-go and the first
big shot on the chin should end it.

  4.       Where can Whitford go? Jay Whitford is an immensely talented
grappler with superb jiu-jitsu skills. He also has a cement-hard head to
survive the most violent striking attack. So should Whitford choose to
maintain a commitment to a better physique he has all the talent to go to
the front of the MFC's light heavyweight division. It's decision time - take
it serious and go for it or be satisfied with a casual approach.

  5.       Is "The Gladiator" the next hometown hero? Travis Galbraith returns
to his hometown to fight in the big show. It's been a long time and the
whole world now knows about the MFC, but Galbraith's long absence has left
him as a bit of an unknown commodity. That can all change with a spectacular
performance against David Heath, who too is vying for a shot at the MFC's
205-pound crown. Galbraith has a small pocket of fans but that legion is
waiting to expand.

  6.       By George, does he have it? George Belanger debuts in the MFC as
another prospect from Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald's Pure MMA camp.
MacDonald has already produced some very solid young prospects especially
MFC featherweight/lightweight contender Evan Sanguin and welterweight
hopeful Ryan Machan. Now Belanger will get his turn at joining the MFC ranks
as another in the line of newly produced homegrown talents.

  7.       How Heit can he go? Jason Heit comes to the MFC with a fair bit of
fanfare from Canada's west coast which is fast-becoming a hotbed of
blossoming fighters. After some delays Heit will finally step into the MFC
ring and we'll fast find out whether he's got the makings of becoming a
serious threat.

  8.       Is Lashley the "Next Big Thing"? Bobby Lashley follows in the
footsteps of the man formerly known in wrestling circles as the "Next Big
Thing" - Brock Lesnar. Lashley's progression into MMA is much slower than
Lesnar's although their overpowering physiques and amateur-style wrestling
accomplishments are reasonably close. Lashley will get the stiffest test of
his young career from the Frank Shamrock-trained Mike Cook so this will
definitely be an indicator of how far "The Dominator" can potentially go in
MMA.

  9.       I hear 9, do I hear 10? Ryan Jimmo's win streak could hit
double-digits should he overcome the rugged Mychal Clark in their light
heavyweight battle. The affable Jimmo has struggled at times with making
weight but he seems to have that down now, and he's proven to rise to the
occasion as the tests get more difficult. Should his string of victories
grow at MFC 21, it would clearly put him in line as a serious contender for
the title.

  10.   Can the champ keep his crown? Emanuel Newton wasn't at his best but he
did more than enough to wrestle the MFC's light heavyweight title away from
Roger Hollett at MFC 19. Newton will need to show much more as he makes the
first defense of his title against the very dangerous Trevor Prangley. If
"The Hardcore Kid" frankly isn't more hardcore, Prangley will take his
title. Newton needs to go back to the style he showed in systemically
tearing down David Heath to get the title shot in the first place. If he
doesn't his reign as champ will be a short one.