Maximum Fighting Championship president Mark Pavelich wants to begin lining the MFC roster with unsung talent as opposed to mostly veterans and UFC castoffs.
Edmonton native Ryan McGillivray takes on Strikeforce veteran Nathan Coy for the vacant MFC welterweight title in the main event at MFC 33: Collision Course on May 4, and Pavelich believes Coy is one of the most underrated fighters in the 170-pound division.
“When I saw (Coy) fight Tyron Woodley in Strikeforce, I thought he won the fight, so I immediately turned to everyone in the office and said, ‘We’re going to sign that guy,'” Pavelich told (Showdown) Joe Ferraro on Thursday’s edition of The Showdown on Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
“I saw something in him, brought him (to the MFC) and he defeated Dhiego Lima, who was voted by most people as one of the biggest prospects in MMA that’s not in the UFC, and (Coy) basically just tooled him for three rounds.”
Audio: Listen to MFC president Mark Pavelich on Sportsnet 590 The Fan
Former champion Douglas Lima (Dhiego’s brother) vacated the title when he signed with Bellator last May and that left an opportunity for a new fighter — perhaps even a Canadian — to enter the spotlight.
“I believe, and most people believe that are insiders in the sport, that the most coveted belt in this country would be the Maximum Fighting Championship belt,” Pavelich said.
“You look at a guy like Ryan McGillivray that has came through so much adversity in his whole entire life — between having his back broken in lacrosse and all these other things — but he knows there’s never been a Canadian to win the 170-pound championship in the MFC … and the pressure on him right now is immense and I think he’s going to leave all that aside and I think he’s going to do really well in the fight. He’s been at Greg Jackson’s for at least six weeks now getting ready for this fight with some really high-level guys.”
There is pressure on McGillivray to perform because he is fighting in his hometown in the main event, but Pavelich said “The Kid” needs to keep things simple.
“I try to tell him don’t worry about losing, worry about winning.”
Pavelich added that McGillivray (12-5-1) is the type of fighter who has many ways to win and his strength is on the ground, but he often makes things harder on himself by getting into bloody, back-and-forth wars with his opponents.
“He’s got to be very careful not to do that with Nathan Coy because I don’t think he’ll have too many chances to recoup with a guy like Nathan Coy.”
Coy (10-4) is an unsung welterweight who has wins over UFC fighters Rick Story and Mike Pierce, and is the type of fighter Pavelich wants to build around.
Lightweight Mukai Maromo, who takes on Adam Lynn at MFC 33, is also one of these fighters that Pavelich says will make waves in the MFC.
“I will bet a large sum of money, you take anybody in the 155(-pound) division and say, ‘Okay we’re going to put on these nice MFC gloves and we’re going to fight here, but we’re just going to box it out,’ anybody at 155, anywhere, anytime, anyplace, Mukai Maromo wins,” Pavelich said of the 24-year-old Edmonton native. “You hear (about UFC lightweight Anthony) Njokuani and all these other guys, (Maromo) would destroy them standing up. Destroy them.
“This is a world-class kickboxer … His last training camp he went to train with Mark Bocek which is probably a good idea … and that’s basically what he works on 24/7 is his wrestling and jiu-jitsu.”
MFC 33 — which takes place at the Mayfield Inn Trade and Conference Centre in Edmonton — also features a bout between Luke Harris and Edwin Dewees.
Also on the show:
— Showdown and co-host Tyler Mason discuss what went down at UFC 145 last week and what Jon Jones can expect from his next opponent, Dan Henderson.
— Rory MacDonald looked like a savvy veteran in his one-sided beating of Che Mills, but is he a top-10 welterweight?
— Should MMA rankings be results based or based on who you think has the best skills
— What’s next for Mark Hominick, who recently lost his third consecutive fight, and is his chin his biggest weakness?
— What does the nine-month ban Alistair Overeem received mean for the heavyweight division and the sport?
— A look at the downfalls from the Anderson Silva/Chael Sonnen rematch being moved from UFC 147 in Brazil to UFC 148 in Las Vegas.
Plus, check out this trailer for a documentary on Silva called Like Water that features a UFC CENTRAL interview between Showdown Joe and Sonnen.
