Edmonton’s Ryan (The Real Deal) Ford will make his debut with relatively young Edmonton-based promotion The Fight Club on May 30 against Alaska’s Dave Mazany.
Last month Ford parted ways with the Maximum Fighting Championship, the organization that helped turn him into a local star, after the two sides could not agree on terms for a new contract. He was also under a management contract with MFC president Mark Pavelich until July, but Ford said that was worked out.
The 27-year-old welterweight will now fight for another Edmonton-based promotion in TFC. The matchup between Ford and Mazany will take place at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton and be part of the seventh event for TFC, which was founded in December 2007. The show is titled Full Throttle.
Ford also told Sportsnet.ca he has signed a two-fight deal with the Montreal-based XMMA, another small organization. His first fight with that organization, which acquired some of the rights from the now-defunct TKO Championship Fighting, will be on July 18.
Ford is coming off a February loss in the main event of MFC 20, where he fell by split decision to welterweight champion Pat Healy. It was a rematch of a July 2008 bout in which Healy submitted Ford to claim the belt and hand the Canadian his first professional defeat.
Mazany (5-2) fought at TFC’s most recent event in March, losing by second-round TKO to Claude Patrick. Up until then he had only fought for a promotion in Alaska.
Ford recently told Sportsnet.ca he hopes to eventually fight for the UFC, and insisted his past legal problems won’t be an issue at this point.
NOTES: TFC signed another Edmonton native and former MFC star last week as Victor (The Matrix) Valimaki agreed to a one-year, four-fight deal. Valimaki (13-5), has not fought for the MFC since he lost his light-heavyweight belt to Roger Hollett to August 2007.
Since then he has reeled off four straight wins — three in KOTC and his last an M-1 Challenge event in Finland in November.
Valimaki, a former UFC fighter, said the deal was exclusive to Edmonton, but he is free to fight in other promotions outside the city.
…
Canadian John (The Natural) Alessio, who recently re-signed with the MFC, will await word on a new opponent for the upcoming show on May 15. He was originally slated to face Jake Ellenberger, but this matchup will have to take place on the organization’s July card instead because of an apparent scheduling conflict.
Following the departure of Ford, the MFC bolstered its welterweight addition with the signing of Alessio (24-13) to a one-fight deal plus an option for a second, which it appears they will exercise.
Alessio, a native of Duncan, B.C., who now lives in Las Vegas, will be looking to redeem himself after a loss by TKO to Paul Daley in his MFC debut in December. He followed that with a second straight defeat at a Dream bout in Japan earlier this month.
The current confirmed fights for MFC 21: Hard Knocks are as follows:
Emanuel Newton vs. Trevor Prangley
Bobby Lashley vs. Mike Cook
Travis Galbraith vs. David Heath
Aron Lofton vs. Marvin Eastman
Bryan Baker vs. Brad Zazulak
