MFC 20: 'Destined for Greatness' fight card announced for Feb. 20

The Maximum Fighting Championship, one of the elite mixed martial arts organizations in North America, is excited to announce its full card for MFC 20: Destined for Greatness which will take place on Friday, February 20 at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

MFC 20 will be broadcast live throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico on Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights.

"This is unquestionably the best show we've ever put together," said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. "I wanted to start 2009 with a bang that the whole world would notice and that has been accomplished in a big way."

In the main event MFC welterweight champion Pat "Bam Bam" Healy (24-14) will make the first defense of his belt against the man he beat for the title Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford (8-1). The rematch is certain to be as electrifying as the first encounter at MFC 17 when Healy submitted Ford in the third round despite being battered throughout the first two rounds. The loss was the first and only setback of Ford's blossoming career and he badly wants revenge while Healy is determined to show he is the better man by remaining the champ.

For the first time ever, the MFC will put is lightweight title up for grabs as well when Derrick "The Eraser" Noble (24-11) clashes with well-schooled veteran Antonio "Mandingo" McKee (27-3). Noble made a splash in his MFC debut when he defeated Ariel Sexton at MFC 19 while McKee brings a stellar 11-fight undefeated streak into the matchup.

"Derrick Noble is a terrific fighter who is a complete package," noted Pavelich. "But the new and improved Antonio McKee should be extremely dangerous. If it's possible for a title fight to be a showstealer, this is it."

At Destined for Greatness, the MFC will continue its mission to showcase a superfight of international intrigue. There could be no better way to do that than by bringing back devastating welterweight Paul "Semtex" Daley who made an incredible impact at MFC 19 when he knocked out John Alessio. This time around, Daley (19-7) will go head-to-head against another star 170-pounder as he faces Nick "The Goat" Thompson (36-10) who has won 12 of his last 13 fights.

The remainder of the televised card features some major names in the world of MMA as well. The MFC re-ignites its middleweight division with a pair of top-notch battles. Power-packed Bryan "The Beast" Baker (8-1) joins the MFC ranks as he faces Rory Singer (11-8), a member of Team Ortiz from The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Singer's former Ultimate Fighter rival Solomon Hutcherson (10-5) also steps into the MFC spotlight as he faces undefeated newcomer Dave Mewborn (7-0).

And in a much-anticipated light heavyweight tilt, former MFC champ Roger "The Hulk" Hollett (8-2) looks to get back on track as he squares off against David Heath (9-4). Both fighters are coming off losses to new MFC light heavyweight champion Emanuel "The Hardcore Kid" Newton so it is vital that both return to winning ways to stay in the title picture.

Undercard and prelims set

A strong contingent of up-and-coming fighters will get an opportunity to shine in the early bouts of MFC 20. Amongst those encounters is a meeting between two of the MFC's top young lightweights as Simon Marini (6-1) takes on Ryan Machan (9-2). The winner of the matchup will certainly move into the upper echelon of the MFC's 155-pound division.

Other undercard/prelim bouts include:

Donovan Foley (6-2) vs. Josh Russell (2-0), lightweight
Kyle Dietz (13-0) vs. Evan Sanguin (7-2), featherweight
Richard Symonds (1-0) vs. Brad Zazulak (3-0), light heavyweight
Jason Heit (2-0) vs. TBA