MFC 21 - Hardknocks Recap & Results
Maximum Fighting Championship 21: Hard Knocks went down on Friday, May 15 at the River Cree Resort & Casino in Edmonton, Alberta. A new MFC champion was crowned when Trevor Prangley used solid striking to defeat former champ – Emanuel Newton.
Fans who tuned in to see a glimpse of former WWE star – Bobby Lashley saw just that - a glimpse. He was only in the cage for 24 seconds, dominating a cocky Mike Cook.
Also – a pleasant surprise was revealed for Canadian MMA fans when it was announced that former UFC ground specialist Jason MacDonald will return to the MFC ring in September. The MFC was where the successful Canadian got his start, going 8-2 with the organization.
Many other solid fights took place Friday night. Here is a look at the televised fights and their results.
Marvin Eastman vs. Aron Lofton (205 lb)
The well-traveled Marvin Eastman got his career back on track with a 2nd round TKO victory over the rock-solid Oklahoman – Aron Lofton.
After finally getting the fight to the ground Lofton, a winner by submission in 5 of his 7 fights, continuously went for the guillotine and kimura. “The Beastman” was able to neutralize the attempts and reverse position so that he had top position. The action slowed from there until referee – Big John McCarthy stood the two fighters back up. The two Light Heavyweights traded strikes until the 1st round ended.
The second round contained more action than the 1st. Eastman immediately was successful on his initial takedown attempt and began his assault on a grounded Lofton. Eastman showed his brutal ground and pound attack with punches and elbows. His elbows proved to be too much – opening a cut on Lofton’s face and ultimately ending the fight.
Eastman stops a two-fight losing streak and improves his record to 16-9-1 with the win. Lofton, who had only been to the 2nd round once in his career, drops his record to 6-2.
Mychal Clark vs. Ryan Jimmo (205 lb)
Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo outclassed Mychal Clark for three rounds earning his 10 th consecutive win.
Two minutes into the fight and not much action forced Jimmo, a karate expert, to take his kickboxing opponent to the mat. Although Clark did manage to reverse position, the majority of the 1st round witnessed Jimmo smothering his opponent then occasionally peppering him with punches.
The 2nd round was similar to the 1st in that, other than a standing guillotine attempt by Jimmo early in the round, the fight managed to stay on the canvas. Jimmo manhandled Clark for ¾ of the round working elbows from side mount. Clark did land a few elbows from the bottom but Jimmo delivered many more strikes during the 2nd.
The 3rd and final round saw “The Big Deal” once again taking his muay-thai opponent to the mat. When on top, Jimmo stayed busy with some heavy elbows and punches. Clark really wasn’t able to get much going, although he did attempt to finish the fight with a half-hearted submission with less than a minute remaining. It didn’t matter – Jimmo overwhelmed Mychal Clark in the standing department, takedowns and ground strikes.
Jimmo now hasn’t lost since February of 2007 and improves his overall record to 10-1. Clark has now dropped two in a row making his record 8-6.
Andrew Buckland vs. John Alessio (170 lb)
John Alessio had one of his most impressive wins of his long career when he submitted up-and-coming fighter, Andrew Buckland at 2:53 of the 1st round.
Alessio, who trains at XTreme Couture in Las Vegas, showed improved striking since his April loss in Japan to Andre Galvao. After Buckland connected on several low and inside leg kicks, Alessio was able to neutralize the kicks with his hands. He delivered a precise left hook stunning Buckland. Alessio immediately jumped on his opponent, mounted him and began his ground attack. Buckland eventually gave up his back which led to the fight ending Rear Naked Choke.
Alessio has put a halt to his 2 fight losing streak and improved his record to 29-13 with his 10th submission win. Andrew Buckland, who has fought 12 times since his June 2007 debut, falls to 8-4 with the loss.
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Travis Galbraith vs. David Heath (205 lb)
In the night’s most confusing decision, Travis Galbraith somehow managed to squeeze out a split decision win over David Heath.
The 1st round showcased both Light Heavyweights utilizing their leg kicks. Heath initiated the kicks but Galbraith answered with some solid low kicks as well. Heath also scored points by connecting on a straight right hand followed by an overhand right that put Galbraith on his heels. The 1st round was fairly even statistically speaking – Heath connecting on 51% of his strikes compared to 41% for Galbraith.
The 2nd seemed to be a lot like the 1st round. Heath hurt Galbraith with some heavy right hand punches that had him moving backwards. Galbraith did fight back with some punches and knees of his own. He closed the 2nd round with several jabs to Heath’s face – flustering him in the process.
The final round saw Travis Galbraith delivering a low blow causing David Heath to take several moments to regain his strength. Heath recovered and seemingly picked up the pace by continuing to move forward on Galbraith. Galbraith didn’t move backwards but didn’t show the aggressiveness that his opponent did. The judges however saw enough of Galbraith to award him with the split decision win. A furious Heath stormed off the stage in disgust.
“The Gladiator” improves his overall record to 17-6 and stays unbeaten in MFC at 4-0 with only his 2nd decision win. David Heath - with the loss - goes to 11-5 and 1-2 since his release from the UFC.
Mike Cook vs. Bobby Lashley (205+ lb)
An irritated Bobby Lashley is a scary Bobby Lashley. Mike Cook came to the ring wearing a mask, similar to those worn by some professional wrestlers as a gimmick, trying to frustrate his opponent. The strategy didn’t work for Cook; instead he was submitted 24 seconds into the fight.
Lashley came out at the bell swinging a hard right that barely connected. The punch did serve a purpose as Cook exposed his neck to Lashley. “The Dominator” grabbed his neck putting him to the ground and squeezed until a thrashing Cook turned to a motionless Cook.
Bobby Lashley, an ATT product, is now 3-0 in his young and budding MMA career. He has stopped 2 of his 3 opponents, one with a TKO and one with a submission. “The Dominator” is set to face another giant – Bob Sapp in June. He will at least be able to go into the fight unscathed. Mike Cook fails in his biggest opportunity and gets embarrassed in the process. His record now stands at 7-4.
Trevor Prangley vs. Emanuel Newton (205 lb championship bout)
Trevor Prangley came out on top of a hard-fought five round unanimous decision over former MFC Light Heavyweight champ, Emanuel Newton.
The 1st round was a back and forth battle that began with enraged exchanges from both fighters. Newton took Prangley to the ground on three different occasions but was unable to stay on top; Prangley was quick to get to his feet each time.
The 2nd round was another entertaining round that included solid stand up and some ground and pound. Newton again scored a takedown but like the 1st round was not able to keep the South African on the ground. Prangley, when back on his feet, took his opponent to the mat and after showing signs of fatigue, rested on top working some ground game. Newton did manage to eventually get back up and finished the round looking fresh compared to Prangley – who finished with his hands on his hips.
The 3rd round figured to be the turning point on the fight. After solid exchanges – Prangley connected with a hard right hand. He wasn’t able to drop Newton but did get his point across that he was still in it. Another important part of the fight happened in the 3rd round when Newton was deducted a point, without warning, for delivering a low blow. After nearly 5 minutes of recovery time, both fighters finished the round with excellent exchanges.
The 4th round continued the momentum switch from the champ to the challenger. After being dropped by a right hand from Newton, Prangley immediately jumped back up, clinching with Newton. He turned the knockdown into energy by dominating the last 2½ minutes with knees, punches, and kicks.
The 5th and final round was dominated by Trevor Prangley, beginning with two big low kicks at the start of the round. Newton countered with an effective overhand right but this round ultimately belonged to the challenger. He checked Newton with a variety of different strikes until the last seconds when he dropped the champ with a high kick to the head.
It was the final three rounds along with the point deduction and the final kick that sealed the win for the Lion’s Den fighter. Prangley claimed the MFC Light Heavyweight belt with scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-46.
The new champion now has a record of 20-5 and a streak of 3 wins. The loss drops the former champion’s record to 11-4-1 and breaks his streak of 9 consecutive wins. It is the first loss in five years for Newton.
MFC 21 Fight Card: Results
- Prangley over Newton via unanimous decision – New LHW Champion
- Lashley over Cook via submission (guillotine) @ 0:24 1st RD
- Galbraith over Heath via split decision
- Alessio over Buckland via submission (rear naked choke) @ 2:53 1st RD
- Jimmo over Clark via unanimous decision
- Eastman over Lofton via TKO @ 0:49 1st RD
- Richey over Fortin via split decision
- Heit over Combrink via submission (punches) @ 4:17 1st RD
- Lewis over Whitford via TKO @ 0:29 1st RD
- Belanger over Clark via TKO @ 3:40 1st RD
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer