There’s no question that the Maximum Fighting Championship is coming off its greatest night.

First things first, a sellout crowd took in MFC 9 – No Excuses. Every seat in the Shaw Conference Centre was occupied as 2,500 fans took in the show. And making it even more impressive is the fact that at least another 500 fans were turned away at the door. Edmonton is known as a last-minute ticket-buying town but with advance sales going so well, it was unfortunate but a walkup crowd couldn’t get in.

What that means is there is a demand for quality shows. If that trend continues, the MFC will have no choice but to add more seats – and perhaps even consider going to a bigger venue (just as long as the good sightlines available at the Shaw are there somewhere else).

The MFC’s first title fight couldn’t have been better. A five-round epic battle - the best MMA fight in Edmonton’s history and arguably the best MMA fight in 2006 so far. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to see a rematch down the road, maybe the second defence for new champion Patrick Cote. Jason MacDonald certainly deserves a second crack at the middleweight crown but it’s an absolute must that he get past Gideon Ray next month in Halifax for that to happen.

And if Cote continues on the same path, he will deserve another look from the UFC.

“Everyone thought I was just a striker but I have really improved on my wrestling and submissions,” said Cote after his dramatic win.

Cote was also a gracious winner, praising the work of MacDonald and saying the Red Deer warrior was the toughest fight of his career. Cote, who need a handful of stitches to close a gash on his left eyebrow, was a pleasure to work with in the days leading up to the fight – a gentleman with the media and courteous to the fans who wanted a picture as he left the ring with the MFC belt.

Now the MFC must build on that win. Obviously Cote needs a good test in his first defence. And on top of that, the MFC must add more deserving champions at a reasonably quick pace. If the MFC has two more shows by the end of 2006, I would personally like to see at least two more champions added to the mix (a double title-fight card would make for a wild night).

There seems to be good contenders in the lightweight and welterweight classes and title fights make for more interesting fight cards.

The MFC also has to build up Mike Maurer.

It’s not the easiest task considering the Edmonton Eskimos running back wants to play in the CFL for at least another three seasons meaning he’ll likely only be able to compete in MMA once a year. But there’s no reason that Maurer couldn’t get those fights in the light heavyweight division and by the time he’s done with football, he could sport a 4-0 record. And as soon as he’s done with football, Maurer should dive right in to MMA and get an MFC title shot.

Staying with the light heavyweights for a minute, I think the MFC and Jason Day is a good match. He’s young enough to build up and experienced enough to get into good fights. Getting Day another five or six wins would definitely earn him a title shot.

Lastly, the MFC’s next key is to bring back its winners.

It’s not always a promoter’s fault that fans can’t see a fighter who won on previous shows on the next cards because they travel around to different promotions making exclusivity all but impossible. But after MFC 9, I would love to see Day, Josh Kyrejto, Tim Tamaki and Jarid Bussemakers all back on the next shows. By the way, if anybody has seen a better bodyslam in ’06 than the one Kyrejto delivered on Cory Knapp, let me know. It was a beauty and yet credit should also go to Knapp for hanging in after getting thundered to the mat.

From past MFCs, I’d like to see the return of Wilf Betz, Blake Fredrickson, Ivan Menjivar, Kultar Gill and a personal favourite, Yan Pellerin.

It’s critical for the development of a promotion to have a bunch of fighters who fans want to see, not just one or two. It’s also a great way to build up rivalries within the promotion and from other promotions like TKO Major League MMA and even international groups from Europe, Asia and Australia. “World champion” means a lot more when fighters from around the globe are in contention for the title belts.

Until next time – survive on your smarts, not just skills.