SPORTSNET.CA
Mark Pavelich, president/owner of the Edmonton-based Maximum Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organization, has had an interesting past few weeks. It’s only going to get more exciting from here.
Pavelich spoke to Sportsnet.ca about his recent signing of veteran Joe Jordan who takes on Ryan Ford in the upcoming July 25 show and his virtual battle with original opponent Drew Fickett which included an angry message left on the voicemail of the fighter’s manager. He also discusses the future of his organization and its position with respect to the UFC. And of course, he gives his thoughts on his own fighter Jason MacDonald’s upcoming bout against Demian Maia at UFC 87. This is all in an exclusive candid interview.
Sportsnet.ca: Joe Jordan replaces Drew Fickett to face Ryan Ford for the vacant welterweight title. Why Joe Jordan?
Mark Pavelich: After the Drew Fickett situation, I first tried to get Joe Riggs. And they shouted out some ridiculous number, and I said I’d pay it. And I think they thought I wasn’t going to pay it. His manager came back with some more excuses why he didn’t want to fight Ryan Ford. And then it was a lot of guys like that. There were a lot of UFC guys — not active UFC guys, just guys who have fought in the UFC – and I offered them the fights and they all kind of got amnesia real quick. I tried Jake Ellenberger. (But) he’s suspended for three months from his last fight. … So, I ended up looking at Joe. He has a record of 42-11. He’s won 19 out of his last 20 fights. He’s fought everybody, from Rich Clementi, to Clay Guida, to Roger Huerta, Jens Pulver. He’s fought everybody. So this is the perfect scenario.
SN.ca: Did you sign him for multiple fights?
MP: Two fights. And it’s funny, because people have the impression that Drew Fickett was the be all and end all, but the truth is nobody here knows who Drew Fickett is. People want to see Ryan Ford fight. People have no idea what level this guy is on.
SN.ca: Have you continued to speak to Drew Fickett at all?
MP: I never spoke to Drew Fickett in my life. He went on a big rampage for four days in a drunken stupor, making all kinds of ridiculous comments about my organization and about Ryan Ford. And I’ve never spoken to him in my life. I’ve spoken to his manager, and that’s where it all stemmed from. He took a fight four weeks prior to my fight. And this is right after, don’t forget, Gary Goodridge taking a fight three weeks before in Korea thinking no one’s going to find out about it. He gets knocked out face forward and now he’s scratched from my card. When is it going to be time when these professional athletes — I’m not saying everybody, but there’s a majority out there that think they can just like — start acting like you’re professional athletes. This would never happen in the NFL or NHL or anywhere else like that. Mixed martial arts, this stuff happens all the time, guys want to be professional athletes but they don’t want to act like professional athletes.
Maximum Fighting Championship is not a circus show. It’s an organization that everybody’s starting to realize is by the far the most advertised one in the country. Pretty soon we’re going to be on the grand scheme of things in North America. Because with the TV deals with HDNet, The Fight Network, and I’m working on some other ones abroad now in Dubai as well as Japan. … It’s a shame that Canadians in general don’t see the light. Even WEC, they’re like the subsidiary to the UFC, right. But they’re not a big organization, right. I mean, they’re not drawing gigantic numbers and stuff like that. No one knows what the WEC is. They know because of the UFC. But on the grand scheme of the things, their organization is … it’s not bigger than the MFC. I mean, it is because the UFC says so? It’s not true.
SN.ca: Talk more about your plans overseas.
MP: That’s my gameplan. You know, I’m not going to be that band that goes ‘I’m leaving Canada because I’m not getting the support (here)’ and they go become this huge rock star somewhere else. I’m going to be big in Canada, I’m going to be big in the United States. I’m going to be big abroad. And nothing’s going to stop the Maximum Fighting Championship.
I thought the response after this last internet fight (was indicative). You know what, if we were some little schmuck organization, no one would have cared. Cared? I can’t even tell you the amount of emails, phone calls, not bashing our organization, supporting our organization, including people in the professional sports world that owned professional sports teams, calling us saying, ‘You know how many times I’ve left messages like that on athlete’s phones?’ No one would even pay attention to you if your show wasn’t growing.
SN.ca: Do you still have plans to hold shows south of the border?
MP: 100 per cent I do. Amarillo, Texas, because I like Texas. We’re going to move into Florida, Colorado. It’s just a matter of inking the right deal to start off. I’m not going into the United States and go ‘I’m going into an 18,000-feet venue’ and sell 2,000 tickets. I mean, that’s what everybody’s doing and they’re embarrassing themselves. I’m not going to do that. I’ll go to a venue that holds five-six thousand, sell it out, right, and then I’ll work from there.
SN.ca: So not in 2008?
MP: Maybe in the back end of 2008. We’re still working on some stuff. Don’t forget too, I have to incorporate my business in the U.S., which I’ve done, and trademarked everything in the U.S. and gotten the proper licensing, and talked to the right commissions there. And I’m going to make that jump. I’m telling you, fans they see the UFC. And the UFC does a great job in doing what they do. But I really don’t believe there’s a second place to the UFC. I really don’t.
I see some of these (other) shows and I see their weigh-ins and I see how they do that stuff, and it’s Mickey Mouse man. Our stuff is ten-fold what they’re doing, you know what I mean. As far as weigh-ins go, hype for events. It’s not even close. EliteXC … their fight cards are mediocre at best. The quality of their production is mediocre at best. Just like the IFL. Everyone jumped on that bandwagon. Where is it now? It’s in the ditch. I’ve been here since 1999. And I’m not stopping.
SN.ca: Are you excited about the Joe Jordan vs. Ryan Ford matchup?
MP: Of course I am, because Joe Jordan is a brawler. He’s coming to fight. He’s not going to lay down. He’s not looking for a payday. For a guy like Joe Jordan, he went three rounds with Hermes Franca. … You’re talking about a guy that’s for real. It’s not like I went and got some Joe tomato-can guy and went, ‘Here.’ I had no choice, I had to put a very good guy against Ryan Ford.
SN.ca: What about the rest of the card?
MP: I’ve got Ron Faircloth, he’s fought before in the UFC. I hate to talk about all the UFC guys, because that’s not the premise of my business. My premise is guys like Ryan Ford that have been training less than one year and smashed C.J. Fernandes and smashed Pete Spratt. I’m talking about Brad Zazulak, who’s 3-0 that destroyed Shonie Carter. Destroyed him. People have got to start going, ‘Wait a second, what’s he doing there?’ I’m talking about Roger Hollett. Basically, I’ve got the two most exciting fighters on the planet in 205 division and 170 division. On the planet. Ryan Ford is by far the most exciting fighter. Is he the best fighter? Probably not yet, right, but he will be. And then you got guys like Roger Hollett, 205, and you watch a fight and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat going, ‘Oh my God, he’s going to kill somebody.’
SN.ca: When will Roger Hollett be back?
MP: Hopefully in September to fight David Heath in MFC 18. I have a tentative deal with David Heath right now. And I’m just waiting to make sure on Roger Hollett’s knee to see if he’s going to be okay. He says he never felt better right now.
SN.ca: Final thoughts?
MP: My next show will be the third with HDNet Fights and Mark Cuban will be at the show and we’ll be looking to do an extension. I love HDNet and I love doing business with Mark Cuban. And I’ll be in Minnesota (in August when Jason MacDonald fights at UFC 87). I’m excited about that fight. Because MacDonald is just getting meaner and meaner every day. You look at him when he fought Joe Doerksen in Montreal. Then he’s going to fight Demian Maia, and Maia is very delusional on the mixed martial arts game. He’s fought guys in the UFC who were ready made (for him). Guys that couldn’t knock him out. Guys that couldn’t outwrestle him. Guys that couldn’t really hang with him on the ground. But Jason MacDonald can destroy him and outwrestle him and, not beat him on the ground, but MMA-wise on the ground, can hang with him.
