A fantastic match up between two former Elite XC welterweight number one contenders has been announced for the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) 20: "Destined For Greatness" card, which takes place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on February 20.
British striker Paul "Semtex" Daley (19-7-2) will square off against Minnesota Martial Arts Academy trainee Nick "The Goat" Thompson (36-10-1).
Both Daley and Thompson lost division title fights to Jake Shields under the Elite XC banner in 2008. Daley lost in the second round by armbar at Elite XC: "Heat" in October and Thompson was overwhelmed in the first round with a guillotine at Elite XC: "Unfinished Business" back in July of that same year.
Despite the quick loss to Shields, Thompson is sill considered a very dangerous and well rounded opponent. In just less than six years of professional competition, he's had 47 fights with 21 wins by submission and another 10 by (technical) knockout.
He was the last reigning BoDog Fight welterweight champion before the promotion went under last year, winning the title by stopping Philadelphia standout Eddie Alvarez in the second round in April of 2007. "The Goat" also has notable career wins over Josh Neer (submission), Mark Weir (technical knockout), Chris Wilson (submission) and others.
"Semtex" was also the last man to hold a the 170-pound title in a now defunct organization -- he was the division kingpin under the British-based Pro Elite-owned promotion, Cage Rage. During his time there he built a solid reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the welterweight division.
His last three fights on U.S. soil were all Elite XC-promoted events. He dropped Duane Ludwig in the second round in June of 2007 on a co-promoted Strikeforce card and then destroyed Sam Morgan in highlight reel fashion with a standing elbow at a Sho XC: Challenger Series event last January.
Daley also fought on the MFC 19: "Long Time Coming," recording a second round technical knockout victory over journeyman John Alessio.
MFC 20: "Destined For Greatness" will feature a main event rematch between welterweights Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford (8-1) and Pat "Bam Bam" Healy (19-13). Bam Bam handed Ford his only career loss with a third round win by armbar at MFC 17: "Hostile Takeover." Ex-UFC fighters Derrick Noble and Rory Singer are expected to be in action on the card as well.