MMA

Thales Leites.

PRESS RELEASE

The Maximum Fighting Championship will cap its 2009 campaign with the organization's 16th straight sold-out show and an amazing lineup of fights set for MFC 23: Unstoppable.

MFC 23: Unstoppable will take place on Friday, Dec. 4 at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta, and will be aired live throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico on HDNet Fights.

With the MFC's middleweight title awaiting a new champion, there are three 185-pound fights on the card which will ultimately settle the issue of the top two contenders for the title belt. In the night's main event, submission specialists Dean (The Boogeyman) Lister (11-6) and Thales Leites (14-3) will clash with the winner taking the inside track towards a shot at the middleweight crown. Lister, who hails from San Diego, Calif., has targeted a title shot but he will have to overtake the multi-talented Brazilian to get it.

"I was ecstatic to sign both of these fighters to the Maximum Fighting Championship and when they agreed to fight each other right away, I knew this would be a main event the entire world would be watching," said MFC owner/president Mark Pavelich.

In the co-main event, Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald will look to regain his footing in the MFC's middleweight division when he tangles with (King) Solomon Hutcherson. MacDonald (21-13), who will have a home-town crowd behind him, has built a strong reputation of knocking off former reality show standouts, but Hutcherson (11-5), who fights out of Milwaukee, Wis., has designs on ending MacDonald's run towards a much-coveted championship belt.

The other key middleweight bout on the card pits Art (Pachuco) Santore (18-6) against Bryan (The Beast) Baker (10-1). Both California-based fighters are well-known for their knockout power which Baker flashed in his first-round finish of Rory Singer at MFC 20.

Also on the main card, Edmonton's Ryan (The Big Deal) Jimmo (11-1) will look to solidify his case for a shot at the MFC's light-heavyweight title but to do so he will need to get past former MFC light-heavyweight champion Emanuel (The Hardcore Kid) Newton (12-5-1). Jimmo has won 11 straight fights but needs a compelling finish to lock up his title opportunity while Newton, of Norwalk, Calif., beat Roger Hollett for the belt at MFC 19 only to drop it at MFC 21.

Another light-heavyweight bout on the main card will feature Dwayne Lewis (9-4) of Fort McMurray, Alta., facing hard-punching veteran Marvin (The Beastman) Eastman (16-11) of Las Vegas. For Lewis, it is a chance to make a name for himself on the big stage while Eastman will endeavor to show he is still a serious threat.

Rounding out the televised card is a welterweight war between Joe (Jitsu) Christopher (9-2) and Jesse Juarez (11-5). The two have built up a bitter feud with their pre-fight hype so there is certainly going to be fireworks when Christopher, a native of Dallas, Texas, takes on Juarez, who fights out of Torrence, Calif..

There are a total of 10 fights on the MFC 23: Unstoppable card including two top-notch preliminary bouts. In a heavyweight battle, two home-town gladiators collide as Ryan (The Vanilla Gorilla) Fortin (5-1) squares-off against rival Nick (The Quiet Assassin) Penner (8-1). And in what should be a lightning-quick lightweight tussle, Ryan Machan (9-3) of Red Deer, Alta., takes on (Rajin) Kajan Johnson (16-10) of Burns Lake, British Columbia.