‘The Prince’ guarantees success will continue vs. Hackert at MFC 36
It’s been a banner end to a breakout year for Smealinho Rama.
The affable heavyweight from Calgary, Alberta, recently received two sizeable honors that put a nice bow on his season. He was first handed the Maximum Fighting Championship’s 2012 Submission of the Year for his finish of Ryan Fortin at MFC 35, and just two days later, earned the nod as Fight Matrix’s Male Rookie of the Year.
“The Prince” joins a list of past MFC Submission of the Year winner highlighted by Douglas Lima and Drew Fickett, while his Rookie of the Year award from the noted rankings website puts him alongside some lofty company including Jon Jones (2008), BJ Penn (2001), and Randy Couture (1997).
“I’m very happy to have earned such great honors as the MFC Submission of the Year and the Fight Matrix Rookie of the Year,” said Rama, who stands at #74 in Fight Matrix’s world rankings.
“I’m so honored to have been blessed with the talents I have, and I’m grateful for my health and my ability to train and perform. I’m also very grateful for my family, my mentor and coach Vlad, and my team at Independent MMA.”
Rama (Twitter: @SmailRama) now stands at 5-0 following two victories under the Maximum Fighting Championship banner in 2012. Along with his sparkling submission win over Fortin, Rama dispatched of veteran Lee Mein, and boasts all five of his victories coming inside the first round.
The past few days have certainly been quite memorable for Rama, who may start 2013 off with a bang as he meets Mike “The Honey Badger” Hackert (6-1) in an MFC heavyweight title eliminator at MFC 36: Reality Check on Friday, February 15. That matchup is part of a spectacular card live on AXS TV Fights emanating from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
It is sizeable step up in competition for Rama, as Hackert (#36 in Fight Matrix’s poll) is coming off back-to-back wins over former Canadian heavyweight kingpin Tim Hague, but the challenge is one he definitely seems ready for as evidenced by his growing confidence and bravado.
“I’m very excited about my upcoming fight,” said Rama. “I’ll tell you this much … it’s going to be a quick and easy night. We all know what’s going to happen. Look at Mike Hackert’s photos of him in his pajamas all ready for bed. I don’t need to say any more than that because I know what’s going to happen.
“Mark Pavelich knows what’s going to happen. Scott Zerr knows what’s going to happen. The referee knows what’s going to happen. The fans know what’s going to happen. And most important of all, Mike Hackert knows what’s going to happen.
“So buy your tickets for MFC 36 and come enjoy your night because I guarantee you it’s going to be a short evening of fights and a long night of fun.”
Tickets for MFC 36: Reality Check are on sale now and available at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.
