MM-Eh: Newton Plots Return; MacDonald, Grant UFC-Ready

Hollett, Alessio ready for MFC 19

Without a doubt, fans will be treated to one of the most impressive looking cards ever held in Canada, when Edmonton’s Maximum Fighting Championship hosts “Long Time Coming” on Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino.

Headlining the event will be Halifax’s Roger “Hulk” Hollett (8-1), who will defend his MFC world light heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Emanuel Newton (10-3-1). This will be Hollett’s first title defense since he won the belt against Victor Valimaki back in August 2007. Since that time, Hollett underwent surgery for his ACL, MCL, and meniscus, which he blew out in his only career loss to Lew Polley at Extreme Cage Combat 6 in October 2007.

Hollett has just returned home from a few weeks in Red Deer, Alberta, where he and trainer Rob Walker held a mini training camp with UFC middleweight Jason MacDonald at his PURE Fitness and Martial Arts Centre.

“I feel mentally and physically ready,” Hollett said. “Yeah, I’ve got little tweaks here and there, but nothing that will slow me down.”

Hollett said that he’s aware that Newton is the next level of opponent that he’ll have to find success against to raise his stock amongst Canada’s other light heavyweights.

“This fight will be the definite decider if I’m back on track or not,” he said. “This is a good fight for both of us –- he’s on his way to the UFC, and I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. This is going to be a defining fight for both of us.”

As for his game plan, Hollett said that he and Walker didn’t come up with a specific one, merely that they’ll try to keep it standing where Hollett feels comfortable.

“He’s saying that he wants to stand and showcase his hands. I hope he does,” said the heavy-handed Hollett, “but I don’t see it happening.”

After this defense, Hollett has no obligations, but may be on the MFC’s next card in February.

A nice added surprise for Edmonton fans will be the recent addition of Canadian John Alessio to the card. Sherdog.com broke the news early in November that Duncan, British Columbia native Alessio (24-11) would be taking on England’s Paul “Semtex” Daley (18-7-2).

Alessio, 29, already has an improbable ten years of fight experience under his belt. Although his career has had its ups and downs, he’s widely regarded as a very capable fighter who can match up well against most other welterweights.

“I’m super excited and really looking forward to this fight,” said Alessio. “This is very important for my career and it’s important for me to keep winning. Daley is a great opponent who is very athletic with good striking. It’s also great to return to Canada to fight in my home country.”

Alessio had been in negotiations to sign a multi-fight deal with EliteXC, but with the demise of parent company Pro Elite, that avenue has seemingly closed.

Daley told Sherdog.com last week that he had numerous offers to consider following the Oct. 20 announcement of Pro Elite’s collapse. Daley had two fights remaining on his EliteXC contract, and said he was unsure of the “legal jargon” within the agreement. Apparently, Daley is set to move on though.

Alessio scored an impressive 45-second victory over Gideon Ray in Las Vegas last October and trainer Shawn Tompkins is confident that he’ll find a permanent home eventually.

“The good thing with John is that he’s always had a pretty open book with all of the organizations,” Tompkins said. “He’s had over forty fights and is on a huge win streak, so he’ll be placed somewhere else that will work out well for him.”

Also on the MFC 19 Card:

Derrick Noble vs. Ariel Sexton
Joey Gorczynski vs. Kyle Sandford
Mike Bruno vs. Kyle Dietz
Ryan Machan vs. Mike Sorenson
Jason Kuchera vs. Aron Lofton
Josh Russell vs. Colby Snyder
Alain Hernandez vs. Gavin Neil
Jesse Clarke vs. Nolan Clark
Ryan McGillivray vs. Elliot Duff

Phoenix Fight bonus track

One of the perks to working for Sherdog.com is the opportunity we get to cover great MMA events. Over the weekend we covered Phoenix Fight Productions “Wanted” in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and had a great time. Although you’ve probably already read Jordan Breen’s excellent report, I thought I’d pass along an opinionated spin on their western-themed show and share some stuff that didn’t make it into his story.

The Good -- T.J. Grant. Of course everyone is used to a hometown crowd loving their local heroes, and it was no exception when the Dartmouth crowd chanted “UFC” over and over once Grant defeated the resilient Beau Baker. Where Grant differs from many is that he has the skills to back it up, and I have no doubt that he would shock a heck of a lot of current UFC welterweights with his ability. I’ll say it clearly so there is no doubt or ambiguity in my words: T.J. Grant is the best fighter in Canada not signed to a major organization. He’s ready now.

The Bad -- Refereeing is called the toughest job in sports for a reason. When you do it well, nobody notices, but when you mess up -- look out. For the most part the Phoenix refereeing was well done, but on two occasions, referee Brad Jardine missed two overtly obvious fouls, one of which possibly affected the outcome of a fight. Justin Bourgeois’ knee connected with Daryle Pinter’s groin so hard that Pinter was throwing up for a half hour after he crawled out of the cage in agony. I’m not sure if Jardine saw it or not, but everybody else in the arena did, and he was a heck of a lot closer.

The second instance occurred when Ryan Jimmo was on top of Rick Roufus’ back and had him flattened out. Roufus covered the sides of his head, so Jimmo proceeded to throw fist after massive fist that connected directly with the back of his head and neck. After the fight was stopped Roufus complained to Jardine, but all he got for his effort was an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. If referees want to be respected by the fighters, they need to send that respect back the other way.

The Awesome -- Fighter Entrances. Before Tristan Johnson had a chance to make an impression during his dominant win over Eric Leclerc, he did it by getting wheeled out to the cage by his Fit Plus teammates in full Hannibal Lecter regalia of orange jumpsuit, facemask, and strait-jacket. Sure, Lee Murray walked out in the same thing to meet Jorge Rivera at UFC 46, and Jason "Mayhem" Miller has been known to wear something similarly sinister, but until Johnson came along the craziest entrance the local scene had ever seen was Steve Claveau walking out in a rubber demon mask.

While the crowd cheered the spectacle of Johnson’s entrance, they didn’t quite know what to make of Drew Fickett proudly marching out to the melodious sound of former Journey frontman Steve Perry’s “Oh, Sherrie.” Not your typical MMA fare.

When asked afterwards if the song had any special significance for him, Fickett replied simply and with a hint of indignation, feigned or not, “It’s Oh Sherrie man –- Steve Perry!” as if that explained it all. When he said it, Sherdog’s Jordan Breen and I exchanged glances, and afterward agreed that it’s moments like that that make us love our jobs.

Canadian calendar

Dec. 5: MFC 19 "Long Time Coming" – River Cree Resort and Casino - Edmonton, Alberta
Dec. 5: TFC 5 "Armageddon" - Shaw Conference Centre - Edmonton, Alberta
Feb. 20: MFC 20 "Destined for Greatness" - River Cree Resort and Casino - Edmonton, Alberta
Mar. 13: Pure Fighting Championships 2 - Red Deer, Alberta
Mar. 28: Warrior-1 MMA "Inception" - Robert Guertin Arena - Gatineau, Quebec
May 15: MFC 21 "Hard Knocks" - River Cree Resort and Casino - Edmonton, Alberta