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Title fight featured at MFC
26 New-attitude McKee to defend LW belt; three more bouts added
For Immediate Release
 Four
main-card fights including a world title fight have been secured to
heighten the already talent-laden lineup for MFC 26: Retribution.The
event, which will be held in Westman Place at the Keystone Centre in
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, and air live on HDNet Fights, features a
co-main event pitting MFC lightweight champion Antonio “Mandingo”
McKee (24-3-2) against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Luciano
Azevedo (16-8). The savvy veteran McKee has not lost since 2003 but
has garnered a reputation for dragging fights out. With a new
aggressive mindset, McKee has declared he will retire from mixed
martial arts if Azevedo lasts five rounds against him in a quest for
the 155-pound championship belt.
“I’ve said before that I will fight differently but I was still
cautious. Not anymore. I am going to destroy Azevedo … I will mess
him up. If it goes to a decision, I will leave my gloves in the ring
and walk away,” touted McKee, who trains out of Lakewood,
California.
Azevedo, a native of Rio de Janeiro, is an accomplished competitor,
and the only fighter to earn a victory over world-renowned
featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. When the two met in 2005, Azevedo
scored a rear-naked choke victory – a crowning achievement for the
26-year-old who just four months later would go on to defeat reputed
striker Din Thomas. Azevedo, who will be making his debut on North
American soil at MFC 26, has won six of his last eight fights and
holds 12 submission victories in his career.
Two spectacular middleweights will also see action at MFC 26 as
brash British star Tom “Kong” Watson (12-3) clashes with former
reality show standout Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (15-6).
Watson is an extremely gifted striker who flashed his wares in his
organizational debut, scoring a first-round, head-kick knockout over
Travis Galbraith at MFC 24 back in December. The Southampton,
England, native has won eight straight fights and will be
well-prepared for encounter with Taylor as he trains alongside
Georges St. Pierre in Montreal.
Taylor, meanwhile, will be looking to get on a winning streak of his
own, having won two of his last three. The Murrieta, California,
product earned victories over Jason Day and veteran Murilo
Bustamante in recent bouts, but sandwiched in between was a
first-round submission defeat at the hands of Thales Leites in the
main event of MFC 25 this past May.
In a light heavyweight battle, rugged sluggers Dwayne Lewis and
Wilson Gouveia will meet in a pivotal matchup to see who remains in
the mix of the MFC’s 205-pound division. Lewis (11-5) had a
seven-fight win streak snapped at MFC 25 when he dropped a
three-round decision to former MFC light heavyweight champ Emanuel
Newton. But the Fort McMurray, Alberta, product has shown plenty of
resiliency throughout his career, and knockout power as well, having
finished off five opponents during that winning streak including
rival heavy-hitter Marvin Eastman.
Gouveia (12-8), the American Top Team representative from Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, also is in dire need of win as he too was
beaten at MFC 25, dropping a one-sided decision to Ryan Jimmo. The
native Brazilian does have an impressive list of beaten foes on his
resume including Jon Fitch, Jason MacDonald, Jason Lambert, and Seth
Petruzelli.
The live televised card on HDNet will kick off with a showdown
between two tough-minded rivals as “King” Solomon Hutcherson takes
on David Heath. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hutcherson (11-6)
is another reality show standout who is looking to squarely solidify
his position in the MFC’s middleweight ranks. Heath (15-6), who will
be making his debut at 185 pounds, has collided with numerous big
names in the light heavyweight ranks, and the Tulsa, Oklahoma,
resident was part of the MFC’s 2009 Fight of the Year.
Two more main-card bouts including the other half of the co-main
event for MFC 26 will be announced shortly.
Tickets for MFC 26: Retribution are on sale now and available via
Ticketmaster charge-by-phone (204) 726-3555 and MailScanner has
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be www.ticketmaster.ca. All the latest news of the MFC can be found
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