I have to admit that I just recently began watching Maximum Fighting Championships on what was HDNet and is now called AXS TV, the channel owned and operated by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. MFC is by far and away Canada’s biggest MMA promotion and just like the UFC they have a figure head that works non-stop in his efforts to bring the fans the best bang for their buck.
Mark Pavelich runs his organization with an iron fist in the same fashion that UFC head honcho Dana White does. You do not want to cross either one of these men because they will hold your feet to the fire. At the end of the day they have to be commended for putting in long hours to insure that we, the fan are entertained.
We recently had Pavelich on Rebellion MMA Radio and he was highly entertaining and extremely intelligent. Never once to mince words, Pavelich has no problem speaking his mind and doesn’t care if you’re offended. I was asked to preview some of the fights for their upcoming card MFC 34 which takes place on Friday August 10. Here is what I came up with…
Adam Lynn vs. Mukai Maromo – MFC Lightweight Title:
Lynn is a former Marine with a record of 17-9 while Maromo is 7-2. They met at MFC 33 this past May and Maromo won a very close split decision which created the need for this rematch. Lynn is far more experienced having spent time in Strikeforce, IFL, Shooto and WEC. He has faced a few top guys along the way in Nick Diaz, Jay Hieron and Josh Thomson coming up short in each fight. He competed mostly at 170 pounds before dropping down to lightweight. He has won six bouts by KO/TKO and four by submission.
Maromo will be competing for MFC for the fourth time and is known as “The African Assassin.” He went to college on a track and academic scholarship and made the transition to MMA in 2005. He has trained mostly in Muay Thai and also has some very good boxing skills. As a younger, more athletic fighter I would give him the edge in the rematch against Lynn. I see another thrilling fight with Maromo winning by unanimous decision with each fighter having their moments.
Joseph Henle vs. Luke Harris - Middleweight:
At 28-years-old Henle has competed in just eight MMA bouts, but he has won every one of them except for one draw. He has won four fights by submission all of them by some type of choke. This will be his debut for MFC and it’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to fighting in front of a larger crowd and on television. That type of pressure can never be discounted. Henle competed on The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 and won a fight to get in the house, but then lost to Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision.
Harris is the older of the two at 34-years-old and has a professional record of 9-1. He is coming off a first round submission victory over UFC veteran Edwin Dewees at MFC 33. He lost his MMA debut and has rolled off nine wins in a row. All of his victories have come by submission and in the first round. I look for Henle to try and take Harris past the first round for the first time to test his cardio, but I believe he will fail and will be submission victory #10 late in the first round.
Mike Hackert vs. Tim Hague - Heavyweights:
These two just met in May with Hackert taking the win via unanimous decision. They fought for Prestige Fighting Championships and now will rematch inside the MFC ring. Hackert has a 5-1 record with all of his victories coming by decision. Hague is 14-6 and has had two tours with the UFC. His record inside the Octagon is just 1-4, but his victory over Pat Barry is still impressive and made for a great debut with the organization.
Hague is a finisher having won eight fights by KO/TKO and four by submission. Having fought Hackert once already I look for the veteran to take a close look at what went wrong in their first fight and make the necessary adjustments. Hague would love to make a big splash in his MFC debut and show fans all over the world that he can compete at a high level. Hackert is still young at just 24-years-old and may have a bright future, but Hague is going to put him on his back looking up at the lights early on in the second round to win by KO.
Nick Hinchliffe vs. Dhiego Lima -Welterweights:
Lima is an up and coming welterweight who has already made noise in his brief career. He is just 22-years old and is the younger brother of Douglas Lima, the 2012 Bellator welterweight tournament finalist. Dhiego is coming off of his first professional loss to Nathan Coy at MFC 33. This will be his fifth fight for MFC and they are counting on big things from him according to Pavelich. He has finished all six of his wins with four coming by way of submission and two by knockout.
Hinchliffe is a solid veteran with a record of 19-6. This will be his first fight with MFC after competing in such organizations as Armageddon Fighting Championships and King of the Cage. He has finished 14 of his opponents half by submission and half by knockout. Lima is in my mind the superior athlete and trains with ATT Atlanta and Ascension MMA. He gets tested every day in practice by his brother and a host of other top fighters. This will be his breakout fight as he will take Hinchliffe out with a spectacular submission victory in the second round.
While you may not recognize many of these names you will be entertained when you watch them fight. Pavelich and crew have done a great job matching these guys up and Pavelich is promising explosive finishes and a lot of blood.
Listen to our interview with Dhiego Lima by clicking here.
PHOTO CREDIT – SPORTFIGHT/UFC
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/07/27/a-look-at-mfc-34/
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