O’Connell to clash with Valimaki at MFC 39

Degenhardt/Chiappe, Gallant/Boyle matchups added to No Remorse roster

The Maximum Fighting Championship is excited to announce three more main card matchups for the upcoming MFC 39: No Remorse taking place on Friday, January 17 in Edmonton, Alberta, and live on AXS TV Fights.

Former MFC world light-heavyweight champion Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki returns to where his career took off, and now has opponent in the form Sean O’Connell #52 in the World Rankings, who enters the Maximum Fighting Championship riding a five-fight winning streak that includes his most-recent victory over big-name veteran Marvin Eastman.

Also added to the lineup for MFC 39 is a middleweight showdown pitting talented striker Chase Degenhardt against hard-throwing brawler “Ruthless” Ryan Chiappe, plus a battle been two explosive lightweights as Aaron “Gorilla” Gallant meets Derek “The Gargoyle” Boyle. Both of these fights have been agreed to in principle.

“The anticipation level for the return of Victor Valimaki to the MFC is even greater than I thought it could be,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “I think people truly believe in Victor and they want to see him succeed. However, he’s going to have his hands full in Sean O’Connell.”

All three fights will take place on the main card of MFC 39, and are added to a lineup that includes the MFC world lightweight title fight between Kurt “The Hurt” Southern and Tom “Da Tank” Gallicchio along with the welterweight clash of Gilbert Smith against Jason “The Mover” South. A co-headlining title fight will be added shortly. The MFC’s first show of 2014 will be held at the Northlands Expo Centre.

Valimaki (17-8), who will have the home-town advantage of fighting in Edmonton, returns to the MFC ring for the first time since 2007 and a little more than six years since claiming the organization’s 205-pound division crown with a submission win against Jason Day. In O’Connell (14-4), who agreed to a multi-fight deal, Valimaki faces a fighter on a tremendous hot streak and a holder of seven victories by way of knockout. The Salt Lake City, Utah, product, who stands six-foot-two, also has two wins via submission.

Degenhardt (8-3) will look to build on a streak of two straight wins that includes a second-round stoppage at MFC 35. The Edmonton, Alberta, native will have a sizeable height advantage as he stands six-foot-four compared to Chiappe at five-foot-10. But the powerfully built Chiappe (10-8), who fights out of Vancouver, B.C., is a dangerous foe who boasts eight knockouts amongst his 10 victories. Chiappe will be in search of his first victory under the Maximum Fighting Championship after falling short in a spirited tussle at MFC 31.

The AXS TV Fights card will open with a bang as Gallant (6-5), who fights out of Calgary, Alberta, takes on Boyle (10-6) of Lethbridge, Alberta, in a clash of two fighters who have been known to put their opponents away quickly.

Gallant’s current four-fight winning streak is highlighted by a defining moment at MFC 38 when he put together an amazing, record-setting knockout of just seven seconds against Matt Jelly. Meanwhile, Boyle is no stranger to a tidy finish as his last outing under the MFC banner lasted only 20 seconds before he put a stamp on a win over Dan Ring.

Tickets for MFC 39: No Remorse are on sale now via the MFC Ticket Hotline by calling (780) 504-2024 with more tickets available atwww.ticketmaster.ca December 4. 2013 10:00 am

Jay Adams Rounds Out the Commentating Team for Showdown Fights – Burkman vs. Yager

Tampa, FL – August 22, 2012 – Utah’s leading cage fighting event is back! SHOWDOWN Fights presents"Burkman vs. Yager" on Saturday, August 25 at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. Emmy award winning host and MMA personality Jordan “Jay” Adams will round out the commentating team for the upcoming fight event. Adams will join Johnny Ritchie and MMA fighter Tandi Schaeffer to call the action.

“I’m very excited to be commentating for SHOWDOWN Fights - Burkman vs. Yager in Utah. The organization always puts on exciting fight events and this show is no exception! The card has a great main and co-main event, is stacked with compelling match up’s, and also features some very unique eliminator bouts.” stated Adams. 

The main event of this 12 bout pro/am card features UFC veterans Josh "The Peoples Warrior" Burkman (22-9) and Jamie "The Chosyn 1" Yager (6-2). In the co-main event, Sean O'Connell (12-4) battles James "The Sandman" Irvin (15-10) in a light heavyweight contest that has ‘fight of the night’ potential.

The event will also feature several unique eliminator bouts to determine who will face-off in November for the first ever SHOWDOWN Fights Lightweight Championship. Fighters David Castillo, Gordon Bell, Clay Collard and Justin Buchholz will participate in the eliminator bouts. 

SHOWDOWN Fights has quickly become the top fight organization in Utah and throughout the western region. They are known for their impressive fight cards and for having a roster stacked with the region’s top prospects. They are also part of the United Fight Alliance (UFA) Network.  

UFA is a one hour MMA television program that features exclusive fight footage, top-ranked fighters, interviews and more. Fans can tune in to watch recent SHOWDOWN Fight action on UFA’s networks including ROOT Sports, Comcast Sports Net – Chicago, Tuff TV and nationally via Satellite reaching over 88 million households.

Footage from ‘SHOWDOWN Uprising’ airs via UFA this month on the networks listed below. Please check your local listings for additional details. 

ROOT Sports Pittsburgh – 8/23/2012

ROOT Sports Northwest – 8/30/2012 and 8/31/2012

On August 25, fans can tune in to watch SHOWDOWN Fights ‘Burkman vs. Yager’ LIVE on internet pay-per-view exclusively at www.GFL.tv. Fight start airing at 8:30pn EDT. Click here to view the iPPV fight trailer. For more information on SHOWDOWN Fights, please visit www.showdownfights.com. 

For more information on Jay Adams or United Fight Alliance, please visit www.unitedfightalliance.com or inquire via email at info@brawlcall.com. 

Adams is currently a nominee for “Best MMA Personality” at the 2012 FLORIDA MMA Awards. Please click hereto cast your vote!

About Jay Adams:

Adams has over 25 years of hosting and production experience and currently hosts two popular combat sports television shows, United Fight Alliance and “Jay’s Brawl Call.” He is a passionate television pro who has received two Emmy Nominations and an Emmy win.  Throughout his career Adams has worked with some of the top media companies in the world, including FOX Sports Network, ABC-Miami, Disney, DIRECTV Sports Network and CNBC.Jay Adams can also be seen commentating for leading MMA promotions worldwide. Click here for highlights.

About United Fight Alliance:

United Fight Alliance (UFA), a one hour MMA television program, is an affiliation of MMA promotions working together to bring you the best MMA from around the world and to build awareness for the sport.   Watch as some of the biggest names in MMA fight toe to toe in the cage and you’ll see exclusive footage, interviews and fighter profiles.  United Fight Alliance features top ranked fighters, women’s fights, intense action and more. Learn more about UFA at www.UnitedFightAlliance.com.   UFA is now broadcast to over 88 million homes, airing on ROOT Sports, Comcast Sports Net – Chicago, Tuff TV nationally on DIRECTV, Dish Network and ATT U-Verse. You can also find us at your favorite sports bars throughout the nation.