Hamilton, Alvey & Birchak crowned MFC champs

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Maximum Fighting Championship crowned three new champions at MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines on Friday night, with all three title bouts ending in spectacular fashion.

Anthony Hamilton (11-2) captured the MFC heavyweight title with a Knockout of the Night effort, putting an emphatic stamp on his bout with Smealinho Rama. Hamilton, who fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, brought the sold-out crowd at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, to their feet when he connected with a high kick that thundered Rama (6-1) to the mat at the 12-second mark of the second round.

For Hamilton, the win was his fifth straight, while Rama, the Calgary, Alberta, product who entered the matchup ranked 35th in the world by Fight Matrix, suffered his first career loss having gone behind the first round for the first time.

In the MFC middleweight title fight, "Smilen" Sam Alvey took it right to the wire and came away with a clutch finish, notching a TKO victory over Jason South at 4:56 of the fifth and final round. Alvey (21-5), who fights out of Temecula, California, had come up short in his first attempt at the MFC belt, losing a close decision at MFC 37. He prevented another judges' decision outcome with a stunning late rally. Alvey has now won four his last five, while South (10-1), who fights out of West Jordan, Utah, suffered his first career setback.

And in the third MFC title fight - the main event airing live on AXS TV Fights - Anthony Birchak (11-1) used masterful wrestling and ground-and-pound to capture the inaugural MFC bantamweight title with a second-round submission via rear-naked choke against Tito Jones (10-7). Birchak, a native of Tucson, Arizona, brought an end to the fight at 3:37 of Round 2 to pick up his fifth straight win, the championship belt, and Submission of the Night honors.

Another key bout on the MFC 38 lineup was a lightweight title eliminator, and Kurt "The Hurt" Southern left no doubt as to who the No. 1 contender is now. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, fighter flashed wrestling acumen and powerful strikes as he blasted Jonatas Novaes, ending the matchup at 3:46 of Round 1. The victory was especially meaningful for Southern (13-4) as he desperately wanted to top Novaes (11-5), who had beaten him in come-from-behind fashion at MFC 36.

Opening up the AXS TV Fights card in fiery fashion was Aaron Gallant (6-5) who blitzed Matt Jelly (3-3) and dropped him with an uppercut to set a new record for the MFC's fastest knockout at just seven seconds. It was a gratifying win for Gallant, a native of Calgary, Alberta, who had waited six years to make his return to fight under the MFC banner.

Rounding out the main card, Fort McMurray, Alberta's Teddy Ash (4-0) and Jared McComb (5-3-1) of Edmonton, Alberta, displayed a ton of heart and courage en route to a split-decision verdict that went Ash's way. Ash got the nod on two judges' cards by 29-28 counts, while McComb received a 29-28 count from one judge.

Other results:

Corey Gower (4-2) def. Daniel Mark (3-2) - Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Garret Nybakken (6-6) def. Adam Wayne (0-1) - Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Cody Krahn (12-8) def. Nick Campbell (5-4) - Tapout via triangle choke, 2:18 of Round 1

Paul Gerbinski (1-0) def. Sheldon Adamson (0-1) - Tapout via guillotine choke, 1:38 of Round 1

MFC 39: Outrage will take place at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and live on AXS TV Fights on Friday, January 31, 2014.