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MFC signs Anthony Birchak to new bantamweight division for May debut | News

Maximum Fighting Championship will launch a new bantamweight division this spring and has its first fighter signed for the new weight class.

Anthony Birchak (9-1) has signed with the Canadian promotion as its first bantamweight, the promotion recently announced, and is expected to debut on May 10 at "MFC 37: True Grit."

MFC 37 will take place at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and is expected to have a main card airing live on AXS TV.

"Anthony is the next generation of MMA fighter," MFC President Mark Pavelich stated. "He is the total package, from his fight game to his personality to his social media skills. It's the direction we are moving in. He can sell the fight, then back it up in the ring. The new 135-pound division needs to take notice because trouble is coming and his name is Anthony Birchak.”

Birchak, an Arizona native, went 3-0 in 2012 with three TKO stoppages. That gives him a three-fight win streak after suffering his first loss, a rear-naked choke in the first round at a show in Brazil in September 2011. He started his pro career 6-0, including five submission wins in his first five fights.

"My opponents feel my wrestling and they go to sleep because of my hands," Birchak stated. "Wrestling has been the driving force behind my competitive streak, but I needed to round out my game and I've been working on my stand-up non-stop. I've really transitioned from being a wrestler to being a striker."