Henle to face Harris in middleweight showdown at MFC 34: Total Recall
Joseph “Leonidas” Henle is coming to the Maximum Fighting Championship with a message.
He has been waiting for a stiff challenge for some time, and now faced with the biggest step up in competition of his career, Henle is eager to prove himself.
“The last three or four guys I’ve fought, I knew I was the better guy and my opponent knew I was the better guy,” Henle explained.
“That made things hard to get motivated. Now there’s going be this other guy across the ring, and I don’t know if he’s better than me or not. That gets my blood pumping. I can’t wait to put it on him and show him he’s not at my level.”
The man that Henle (6-0-1) will make that self-discovery against will be Luke Harris (9-1) when they clash at MFC 34: Total Recall. The fight, which will be a featured bout on the HDNet Fights main card emanating from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, will be Henle’s organizational debut after signing a multi-fight deal with the MFC.
“I’m very excited to be in the MFC. I’m amped to be a part of it,” said Henle, who learned a lot about the organization from frequent training partners Emanuel Newton, the former MFC light-heavyweight champ, and current MFC welterweight contender Jamie Toney.
He ultimately decided it was the place to be after discussions with MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.
“I really like Mark’s attitude,” added Henle. “I follow him on Twitter and I’ve listened to his interviews. I like that he’s aggressive and how he talks about his fighters and his organization. It got me fired up and wanting to work for a guy like that.”
Henle holds three submission wins of his own and has registered three victories inside the opening round including a first-round knockout of Gabriel Lopez. Harris, meanwhile, has racked up all of his victories inside the opening five minutes – all by way of submission including his tidy verdict over Edwin Dewees at MFC 33 back in May.
Henle, who fights out of Thousand Oaks, California, has started his homework for Harris, who rides a nine-fight winning streak into the matchup. The 28-year-old former reality show standout is well aware of Harris’s judo and jiu-jitsu talents, but a game plan is well in the works.
“If I stick to my game plan it’s going to be a long night for him … or a short night, I don’t care which,” said Henle.
“The thing about a jiu-jitsu black belt is that they turn into a brown belt pretty quick after getting hit with a couple punches. And once you hit them with a couple knees, they become a white belt.
“I know Harris is an excellent fighter and he’s a great grappler. What people have seen from me is good grappling but that’s all they’ve seen. I’m fighting a guy with good ground skills and that’s a challenge for me, but I want an exciting challenge. It takes me back to when I first started fighting. I was out to challenge myself and to see if I was the better than the other guy.”
Tickets for MFC 34: Total Recall are on sale now and are available exclusively through the MFC Ticket Hotline at(780) 504-2024.
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