BY JAMES BRYDON
sportsnet.ca
WINDSOR, Ont. -- Two championship fights are officially set to be contested as the Maximum Fighting Championship holds its first show in Ontario Friday at MFC 29: Conquer.
Weigh-ins for the event were held Thursday at the Caesars Windsor casino and all fighters made their targets.
In the main event, welterweight champion Douglas (The Phenom) Lima and his opponent, former UFC fighter (Dangerous) Terry Martin, both weighed in at 170 pounds, though Martin needed to drop his underwear and step on the scale behind a towel.
The 5-foot-7 Martin, who is making his MFC debut, is giving up a good six inches on Lima, 6-foot-1, which was quite noticeable during their amicable but uneventful staredown.
Martin, who recently suffered through a three-fight losing streak, has since won three in a row and considers himself a much different fighter than three years ago when he was dropped by the UFC after a 2-4 record.
"I’ve reground myself, I’ve worked on a lot of my weaknesses and (I’m) just much better, much more disciplined now," said Martin (21-8).
Edmonton’s Ryan (Big Deal) Jimmo stepped on the scale at 204 pounds for his light-heavyweight title defence against late-replacement Zak Cummings, who was also at 204. Jimmo, who defeated fellow Canadian Dwayne Lewis at the last MFC show to capture the belt, then did his patented "robot" dance as he stepped up on the stage for a light-hearted pose with his opponent, who replaced an injured Emanuel Newton.
Jimmo, who was born in New Brunswick, said he didn’t really have to change gears in his training to prepare for the new opponent.
"He’s a wrestling-based guy just like Emanuel is, the only difference is he is a lefty," Jimmo (14-1) said of the American Cummings (13-2). "But I’m good at fighting lefties and I can fight lefty myself so I’ll switch it up and mess him up."
There was a bit of jawing between Brandon, Man.’s Curtis (The Demon) Demarce and UFC veteran Marcus (The Irish Hand Grenade) Davis during their meeting on-stage.
Demarce, who weighed in at 155.5 pounds, said he felt a little disrespected by the experienced Davis (154.5) ahead of their lightweight tilt.
"He said he was going to finish me and that I’ve never fought anybody with hands like him, and I have to disagree with that," Demarce (10-8) said. "I basically just told him I was going to show him what’s up tomorrow."
Davis (17-8) was recently released after a long stint in the UFC after he dropped his second straight to Jeremy Stephens in January.
It is the third fight in the MFC for Lima, and the third straight headlining for the 23-year-old, whom the MFC has been building as one of its poster boys.
"It’s an honour for me, especially now here the first time in Ontario," Lima said. "My name is more known now because of (the MFC), and I’m very thankful."
Lima, who fights out of American Top Team in Atlanta, said Martin is the biggest "name" he’s fought so far, but he isn’t concerned about the matchup.
"He has more experience than me but it’s not going to play a factor in the fight," Lima said. "I train with people like that every day. I’ve got good training partners, good boxers. I know the style. I just have to be careful with the wild punches he throws and that’s it."
His brother Dhiego, who is just 13 months younger, is also fighting on the undercard, taking on local product Josh Taveirne. Two other fighters who call Windsor home will be featured. In another preliminary fight, Chuck Mady takes on David Bo Harris, who was a half-pound over the limit on his first weigh-in attempt for their bantamweight bout but was able to shed another pound in one hour to avoid penalty.
Ali Mokdad, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but has lived in Windsor since he was five, will be the local favourite as he faces Andreas Spang in the first fight of the televised card.
In the opening fight of the night, London, Ont.’s Pete Brown, who lived with UFC lightweight Sam Stout for five years and is best friends with another Adrenaline Training Center teammate Chris Horodecki, meets Matt Spisak of Barrie, Ont.
Douglas Lima 170 vs. Terry Martin 170
Ryan Jimmo 205 vs. Zak Cummings 204
Marcus Davis 154.5 vs. Curtis Demarce 155.5
Hermes Franca 160 vs. Robert Washington 160
Pete Spratt 170 vs. Demi Deeds 170
Ali Mokdad 183.5 vs. Andreas Spang 185
Josh Taveirne 170.5 vs. Dhiego Lima 170
Chuck Mady 135 vs. David Bo Harris 135.5
Matt Spisak 155 vs. Pete Brown 155
NOTES: The festivities were overseen by the Office of the Athletics Commission of Ontario, which was presiding over a sanctioned event for the second time and second straight weekend following last Saturday’s "MMA: The Reckoning" at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ont. The fights will take place in a cage, as required by the commission, a first for the MFC. ... MFC owner/president Pavelich, who is back in his hometown of Windsor for the first time in 20 years, is the match-maker for the event but promotional duties officially belong to partner S.L. Feldman and Associates and Caesars Windsor. "That’s the (way) it works here," Pavelich said. "I just have to take care of the inner circle stuff (but) I’m not out standing on a soapbox saying hey (come watch the show!)" ... Pavelich said he plans to move back to the city and establish the base for his MFC promotion in Ontario within a year. "I love Alberta, but I hate the weather," Pavelich admitted. He said he would continue to hold shows in Edmonton however.
