MFC 24: Heat XC Preview & Predictions

MFC 24: Heat XC is set to go down Friday, Febuary 26, 2010, in Alberta, Canada at the River Cree Resort and Casino. The main card is headlined by Yves Edwards and Derrick Noble and will be broadcast live MaximumFighting.com at 8 pm EST. It should be a solid night of fights with more stoppages than decisions and a great main event featuring two of MMA’s best journeymen fighters, Edwards and Noble. Here is a preview of the 5 bouts and 10 fighters.

For the official MFC 24 results & recap of the event, look to ProFighting-fans.com this weekend!

Nathan Gunn vs. Jesse Juarez

Nathan Gunn is a 31-year-old Canadian welterweight fighter with a 7-1 record. He has 3 wins via submission and 2 by decision. He has no notable wins to date, but has a notable KO loss to UFC veteran Pete Spratt in his last fight at MFC 22.

Jesse Juarez is a 28-year-old welterweight fighter with a 12-5 record. He has 4 wins via KO, 4 via submission, and 3 via decision. He is a veteran of Bellator with no notable wins, but is on a six fight win streak.

This is a fight to showcase Jesse Juarez even though Nathan Gunn is the fighter with only one loss. Juarez is comfortable on both his feet and the ground, but Gunn will look to take him to the mat and pound him out. If Juarez can defend the takedown, look for him to go for the KO victory to open up the night.

Travis Galbraith vs Tom Watson

Travis Galbraith is a 28-year-old Canadian middleweight fighter with a 17-6 record. He has 5 wins via KO, 10 via submission, and 2 via decision. Travis fought at PRIDE 32 and holds a notable win in his last fight over David Heath at MFC 21. He holds notable losses to George St. Pierre, Jonathan Goulet, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Rafael Cavalcante. Travis is currently on a two fight win streak.

Tom Watson is a 28-year-old middleweight fighter with a 10-3 record. He has 4 wins via KO, 1 via submission, and 5 via decision. He has no notable wins to date, but has a notable loss to UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam. Tom is currently on a six fight win streak.

This should be a good fight with both fighters showing ability to end the fight standing and on the ground. Watson is on a six fight win streak and if he can avoid Travis’ slick submission, he could have number 7.

Aron Lofton vs Nick Penner

Aron Lofton is a 31-year-old heavyweight fighter with an 8-3 record. He has 7 wins via submission, and 1 via KO. Aron has no notable wins to date, but has a notable loss to UFC veteran Marvin Eastman. He is currently on a one fight win streak.

Nick Penner is a 30-year-old Canadian heavyweight fighter with a 9-1 record. He has 5 wins via submission, 3 via KO, and 1 via decision. He holds a notable win over Eric “Butterbean” Esch in just his second fight. Nick is currently on a six fight win streak.

Nick Penner is the favorite in this one, with a nine wins and only one decision, Penner finishes fights and that’s what MFC wants to see. Lofton is certainly no pushover with 7 submissions himself, but he hasn’t shown he can win on the big stage yet.

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Ryan McClain vs Dwayne Lewis

Ryan McClain is a 26-year-old light heavyweight fighter with a 9-4 record. He has 8 wins via submission and 1 via KO. He has no notable wins or losses and is replacing teammate David Heath on a week notice.

Dwayne Lewis is Canadian light heavyweight fighter with a 10-4 record. He has 6 wins via KO, 3 via submission, and 1 via decision. He holds a notable KO win over Marvin Eastman in his last fight at MFC 23. He has a notable loss to Aron Lofton who will be fighting before him on the main card. Dwayne is on a six fight win streak.

Originally scheduled to face puncher David Heath, Lewis will now face Heath’s training partner Ryan McClain. It’s an easier fight for Lewis, as McClain has now where near the striking of his partner Heath, but he does pose a threat on the mat with his 8 submission victories. Lewis will try and keep the fight standing looking for the KO, if that doesn’t work, he will go for the takedown and look to ground and pound his way to victory. McClain has a chance to catch Lewis with a submission, but with only a week notice, chances are slim.

MFC 24 Main Event: Yves Edwards vs Derrick Noble

Yves Edwards is a 33-year-old UFC and PRIDE veteran lightweight fighter who holds a 36-15-1 record. Fighting out of American Top Team, Yves has 15 wins via submission, 14 via KO, and 7 via decision. He holds notable wins over Josh Thomson, Hermes Franca, Rich Clementi, and Pete Spratt. He has notable losses to KJ Noons, Duane Ludwig, Joe Stevenson, Joachim Hanson, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Caol Uno, and Nate Marquardt. Yves is on a two fight win streak.

Derrick Noble is a 31-year-old lightweight fighter out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy with a 25-12-1 record. He has 10 wins via submission, 9 via KO, and 6 via submission. He holds notable wins over Shonie Carter and Thiago Alves. He has notable losses to Thiago Alves, Jorge Santiago, Chris Lytle, Josh Neer, Eddie Alvarez, and Antonio Mckee. Derrick is on a two fight win streak.

The main event of MFC 24 is set to be a good one. Yves Edwards and Derrick Noble are accomplished mixed martial artists who have beaten quality fighters, but can’t seem to beat the elite. The winner here will be on his way to reestablishing himself as a force in MMA, but first they must beat their battle tested opponent in the MFC ring. With MFC pushing their fighters to finish fights, don’t look for this to go to decision. Both fighters are dangerous on their feet and on the mat, but expect a kickboxing match with both fighters looking for the KO.

By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer