From Maximum Fighting Championships webpage
EDMONTON — The MFC is shifting focus away from the one weight class and into a new one. The Edmonton-based organization announced this week the addition of a featherweight division and the retirement of its heavyweight belt.
“There is such an impressive field of 145ers out there that we felt it was very important to add this weight class and this group of exciting fighters,” MFC owner Mark Pavelich said in a news release.
The MFC expects to announce the signing of several featherweights in the very near future and could even have its first meaningful 145-pound bout at MFC 19: Long Time Coming, which takes place on Nov. 28. Pavelich hopes to develop a stable of strong prospects and have its featherweight championship on the line by mid-2009.
“With what we have done with the lightweights in creating a stellar crew of contenders and up-and-comers, we felt it was very possible to do the same with the featherweights,” Pavelich added. “But what we're going to do differently is sign a stable of 16-20 fighters at 145 pounds and they will all be upper echelon guys.”
In a heavyweight class for which many promotions have trouble producing marquee fights on regular basis, Scott Junk was the MFC's reigning champion. But he has been unable to fight for several months after undergoing knee surgery.
The MFC said Junk's injury, as well as the lack of a heavyweight talent pool and the call for a featherweight division were the factors that led to their dropping the one title. The organization still plans to hold heavyweight bouts as one-offs or special attractions.
“There really are only a handful of heavyweights out there that people want to see so why give the fans something they don't want?” added Pavelich. “Fans of all types want to see things happen and they aren't getting that from a pair of 260-pound guys tying each other up in the clinch.
“The 145-pound fighters move around at a lightning-quick pace, they are slick on the ground and they stand and bang. That's the action that gets the fans out of the seats.”
