SPORTSNET.CA
Josh Russell, jiu-jitsu phenom and trainer to the UFC’s Jason MacDonald has signed with the Maximum Fighting Championship and will make his professional mixed martial arts debut on Sept. 26 at MFC 18: Famous.
Russell, a native of Calgary who became Canada’s first Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Sr., will be a crowd favourite when finally appears in the ring at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alta., just outside Edmonton. It will be his first of a three-fight deal with the organization as he takes on Mike Gates (5-4-1).
Russell was originally set to face current TKO welterweight champion Jesse Bongfeldt at MFC 9 in March 2006, but a pre-fight CAT scan revealing a growth on his brain ruled him out. He has since been medically cleared.
For more on this story, visit the MFC’s website.
