He looked angry and bloody miserable as he stepped up to the scale on Thursday night, but the 19 lbs. weight cut was worth the price of admission for Andrew Buckland. He’s now an MFC fighter and will take on John Alessio Friday night in the third fight of MFC 21’s HDnet-televised fight card.

“It’s going to be a blood bath [Friday],” Buckland claimed. “You can expect lots and lots of blood.”

Might that imply a dislike for his opponent, Alessio? Not necessarily, but the weigh-in itself was tense enough to suggest that neither man is fond of the other.

“I said ‘good luck’ to him, but that was only after no one could see me do it,” Buckland quipped.

“I don’t hate the guy, really. You know, it’s just going to be one of those fights: a really high-energy, fast-paced war. He’s got to get back in the win column and I’ve got the opportunity to make a name for myself. So, I think we’re both going to leave it out there.”

Buckland (9-3) calls Calgary, Alberta home, where he owns his own construction company that he still spends a considerable amount of time on. He’s a self-described “part-time fighter” and what’s more is that he took the fight against Alessio on two weeks’ notice.

“It’s a pretty big step fighting a guy like John on short notice,” Buckland said. “I was preparing for a different opponent, a lesser opponent in a different show, but then I got the call from Mark [Pavelich].

“I went from being the main event in another local show to on the HDNet portion of a huge promotion’s fight card – so it was a no brainer. [Mark] asked me at 10 o’clock one night, two weeks ago, and within an hour I’d made up my mind. The next day I drove all the way up to Edmonton to sign the contract and I think that impressed him.”

Now all the waiting is over: the contract is signed, the weights are in, and the two men have finally met face to face. What can MFC fight fans expect from Buckland?

“[Alessio] is a well-rounded fighter,” Buckland said with sincerity. “So, I’ve got to push him and control the pace. He’s at his worst when he’s on his heels and that’s where I’ve got to put him – I’ve got to be aggressive.
“If I sit back, I lose the fight. Simple.”

MFC 21: Hard Knocks marks the Maximum Fighting Championship’s 14th straight sell-out and the event will play host to over 2,500 people from the illustrious Venue at The River Cree Resort & Casino on Friday, May 15th. The televised portion of the card will be broadcast, live, across the United States on HDNet at 8pm MT.