Some interesting things came out of MFC 22: Payoff and there’s quite a bit happening in the Maximum Fighting world of late as we head into the close of 2010 and the final show of the year – MFC 23: Unstoppable, a name which proves to be very appropriate as our organization continually hits new heights and achievements.

Top to bottom – televised card and undercard – Payoff was probably the best card in the organization’s history. The level of competitiveness, the fitness of the fighters, and the spark that was shown in nearly every fight demonstrated that the MFC has overtaken so many middling leagues and truly become an upper echelon promotion.

There’s still room to grow and in 2010 that will happen, but the past 9+ years have shown what a ton of elbow grease, late nights, and dedication will do.

Of the questions going into the Payoff card, many were answered, and some remain mysteries. Perhaps the biggest of the questions that did find an answer was whether Pete Spratt had much left in his gas tank. The veteran striker has always struggled defending against submissions but he willed his way past a couple of attempts and then let his lethal hands do the talking the rest of the way before scoring what is sure to be the MFC’s Knockout of the Year.

Another good sign was that John Alessio was not only willing but able to face better competition and still come through with a clutch win. Having skated through a virtual gimme his last time out, Alessio needed to show some life and validity to his claim of being an MFC welterweight title contender. With his stunning KO of Luigi Fioravanti, Alessio is definitely in the picture.

Not so pleasing were two performances by fighters who needed to show much more than they ultimately did. Jason MacDonald put together one of the best rounds of his career with his effort over the final five minutes against Travis Lutter. Unfortunately for the returning hero, he forgot to throw himself into high gear until Round 3 and let a decision slip away. I have seen the vast majority of Jason’s fights and it was a complete disappointment – this was not the same guy who fought his heart and soul out against Patrick Cote, not the same guy who destroyed Ed Herman and Chris Leben, and not the same guy who nearly stole a victory from Demian Maia.

Maybe MacDonald has come to the end of the road or at the very least he has spread himself too thin between fighting, training his own fighters, and running his own gym. On the horizon is a fight with Solomon Hutcherson – a definite test as the former reality show character seems to have more on the ball of late.

The other fighter who left a somewhat murky perspective is Ryan Jimmo who for the second straight outing did little to impress and just enough to keep his winning streak intact. One of the nicest guys in the sport, it is spellbinding that Jimmo has all these weapons in his arsenal but so reluctant to pull the trigger. He has worked his way from top-notch prospect to potential title contender to a guy who may very well find himself falling off the televised portion of the next fight card. Baffling indeed.

UNDER OVER: A salute to the young fighters on the undercard at Payoff who once again stepped to the plate and got the night off to a great start. Particularly standing out was Dwayne Lewis and Jason Heit who pulled out strong victories, and a big thumbs-up to Nick Hrynchyshyn and Jesse MacDougall. An interesting note from that prelim was that newspapers refused to run photos of that fight because of the crimson flowing from both fighters.

NEXT STOP: The MFC set forth a two-fold mission many months ago to reach both an exclusive and far-reaching television deal and as well to expand our locations for shows. The TV deal with HDNet Fights has gone a long way for reaching the brand to millions more. The next wave is locations and while expansion to the U.S. has been back-burnered somewhat due to the economy, the MFC’s recent media swing through Toronto undoubtedly showed that the brand would be an instant hit in that media mecca. Some wondered why the MFC would travel that far and meet with the media with the Payoff card long-sold out by that point. The mission was simple – spread the word, the brand, and the future goals. Once the doors swing open – a slow process but one that seems closer to becoming a reality – the MFC will be full-blast through them. Look for that push early in 2010.