A pair of headliner bouts have been signed and added to the stacked lineup for MFC 25: Vindication.

MFC 25: Vindication will take place Friday, May 7 at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and will also air live on HDNet Fights throughout North America.

Dwayne Lewis, who is riding a seven-fight winning streak, will take another step up in competition, and possibly another step towards an MFC light heavyweight title shot, when he takes on Mike Nickels. Lewis (11-4) of Fort McMurray, Alberta, is coming off a TKO victory over Ryan McClain at MFC 24 – a victory that not only extended his winning streak but also was Lewis’ fifth consecutive win by knockout or technical knockout. Along the way during his impressive run, Lewis has raised his game each time out including a devastating knockout of veteran Marvin Eastman at MFC 23.

Nickels (8-3), though, jumped at the opportunity to face Lewis and he is hoping to carry forward from his last outing in the MFC. Back at MFC 22, Nickels, who fights out of Denver, Colorado, engaged in an all-out war with David Heath, eventually earning a third-round submission in a battle that was voted the MFC’s Fight of the Year for 2009.

“No one has given Dwayne Lewis an ounce of respect – he’s had to earn each little morsel of it every step he’s taken,” noted MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “He has earned this key fight and I expect he will be up to the task but by no means is he going to get an easy time of it from Mike Nickels.

“Mike Nickels was an absolute warrior in his last fight in the MFC and he knows he’ll have to bring that same kind of effort and performance to beat Dwayne Lewis.”

The other just-signed bout pits David Heath (14-6) against “King” Solomon Hutcherson (11-6) in a middleweight showdown. The matchup, Heath’s first at the 185-pound plateau, was originally conceived by Heath as he discussed potential future fights with Scott Zerr, the MFC’s Director of Media and Fighter Relations.

Heath had been slated to fight Dwayne Lewis at MFC 24 but suffered a bicep injury during final preparations for that bout. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, product is in dire need of a big win at Vindication, having fallen to Mike Nickels and Travis Galbraith in his last two MFC outings. Heath was tapped out by former MFC light heavyweight Emanuel Newton in his organization debut but rebounded by submitting Roger Hollett – another ex-MFC 205-pound belt-holder – in his next outing.

Hutcherson has proven to be one of the fan favorites in the MFC. The Racine, Wisconsin, product, who is trained by the legendary Duke Roufus, made a name for himself in his organizational debut with a rock-solid decision win over Dave Mewborn at MFC 20. Following some much-needed time off to heal a shoulder problem, Hutcherson returned and further endeared himself to the MFC fans when he went the distance in an all-out tussle with Jason MacDonald at MFC 23, eventually dropping a razor-thin split-decision verdict.

“I love the way both David and Solomon fight. They don’t want to roll around, lay on top of a guy, and hope for the best. They want to win at all costs, stand in there, and let the best man win,” noted Pavelich.

“This is going to be a great test for both guys. Heath has a new lease on life at middleweight and Hutcherson can jump right into the mix. Cross-roads fights make both guys even hungrier for success.”

These two bouts join a lineup already featuring two explosive battles. In a hotly anticipated light heavyweight encounter, top-ranked Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo takes on Brazilian standout Wilson Gouveia, and in a highly volatile welterweight clash, Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti meets fellow striker Pete “The Secret Weapon” Spratt.

Tickets for MFC 25: Vindication are on sale now via the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca and charge-by-phone (780) 451-8000.