The Great Fight North – Horodecki Waits on IFL
The International Fight League announced last week its decision to cancel its show on Friday, Aug. 15 in East Rutherford, N.J., in an effort to keep the promotion afloat. IFL CEO Jay Larkin did little to quash rumors that the company might cease operations.
“We’re going to stick around as long as we possibly can, and that’s the major reason for canceling the August show — to give us the resources to stick around for a few more months and play it through,” Larkin said. “Our cash situation is such that to continue to do an event in August would put the company in jeopardy.”
With the future of the organization in doubt, London, Ontario, fighter Chris Horodecki will take a wait-and-see approach with the promotion. He was booked to compete at the New Jersey show. Horodecki, who had emerged as the unofficial poster boy for the IFL after he made his debut for the league in 2006, prefers to continue fight for the troubled promotion but realizes he needs to prepare for the worst.
“It sucks having a fight canceled and having a lot of time between fights, but it happens,” Horodecki said. “Once we find out what’s happening with the league, I’m going to have to decide what’s the best thing for me to do.”
Until the fate of the IFL is determined, Horodecki will keep busy with his new gig as a trainer at the recently opened Xtreme Couture facility in Toronto. The 20-year-old also plans to open a new gym — tentatively named Adrenaline Mixed Martial Arts: Home of Team Tomkins — in London with longtime training partners Mark Hominick and Sam Stout. The academy will replace Team Tompkins Muay Thai and Submission, which was operated by team founder Shawn Tompkins for more than a decade.
According to Horodecki, investors have come aboard, a location has been picked and the gym should be up and running by mid August.
“It’s going to be incredible — 11,000 square feet and state-of-the-art everything,” Horodecki said. “The old gym was totally old school. We didn’t even have a cage, just a fence and concrete. This gym is going to be different.”
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TOMPKINS SIGNS WITH XFA
The Xtreme Fighting Association announced Wednesday the signing of Team Tompkins founder Shawn Tompkins. The announcement puts an end to speculation that Tompkins would return to fight for the upstart Affliction promotion this fall following a seven-year absence from competition.
Tompkins told The Fight Network last year that he had been contemplating a return to the cage, a desire spurred by his training alongside past and present champions like Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture.
Although the XFA is not solely and MMA promotion, several prominent mixed martial artists — including UFC veterans Mike Whitehead and Vernon White — have fought for the organization. No opponent has been named for Tompkins’ fall debut, but XFA president Chris Reis promises fans will not be disappointed when an adversary for Tompkins is announced. He hopes the signing of the respected Canadian trainer will be just tip of the iceberg for the XFA.
“There’s a lot of speculation already building about who Shawn will be matched up with when he makes his XFA debut this fall,” Reis said. “All we can say for now is it will be a suitable opponent. With Shawn leading the way, we believe additional elite athletes will be joining the XFA.”
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HORNBUCKLE, KHATIB TO VIE FOR RAW COMBAT TITLE
Dan Hornbuckle will collide with Nabil Khatib for the Raw Combat welterweight title in one of the featured bouts at Raw Combat/Legacy Fighting Championship: Resurrection on Friday at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary, Alberta.
Hornbuckle (15-2) has won 13 of his past 14 fights, losing only to EliteXC and International Fight League veteran Mike Pyle in that span. Thirteen of his 15 career victories have come by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Hornbuckle last appeared in May, when he submitted to a triangle choke from Pyle at World Victory Road: Sengoku II.
Khatib (8-2), meanwhile, will enter the match on a two-fight winning streak. He has not competed since he earned a unanimous decision over UFC veteran Gideon Ray at a Hardcore Championship Fighting show in Gatineau, Quebec.
Raw Combat/LFC: Resurrection
Friday, June 20
Max Bell Centre
Calgary, Alberta
Raw Combat Welterweight Championship
Dan Hornbuckle vs. Nabil Khatib
LFC Lightweight Championship
Len Tam vs. Chris Desaultels
Travis Galbraith vs. Martin Desilets
Andrew Buckland vs. David Loiseau
Garett Davis vs. Carlo Prater
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Juan Barrantes
Kajan Johnson vs. Doug Evans
Charlie Zac vs. Kurt Southern
Nathan Gunn vs. Max Dalsin
Adam Farr vs. Dami Egbeyemi
Mike Rowbotham vs. Mike Zvonick
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VALIMAKI EYES RETURN AT KOTC CANADA SHOW
UFC veteran Victor Valimaki will lock horns with Chester Post in one of the featured attractions at King of the Cage Canada: Moment de Verite on Friday at the Pierre Charbonneau Centre in Montreal.
Valimaki (9-5) has not competed he succumbed to strikes from Roger Hollett at a Maximum Fighting Championship event last summer. He will enter his latest bout on a two-fight losing streak. Valimaki owns notable victories against UFC Hall-of-Famer Dan Severn and UFC veterans Vernon White and Jason Day.
Post (6-11-1), meanwhile, has dropped back-to-back fights and four of his last five. He submitted to a Dan Chambers neck crank at Rumble in the Cage 29 but has not appeared since. Post has never gone the distance in 18 professional bouts.
KOTC: Moment de Verite
Friday, June 20
Pierre Charbonneau Centre
Montreal
KOTC Canada Heavyweight Championship
Tim Hague vs. Jeff Lundberg
Victor Valimaki vs. Chester Post
Éric Leclerc vs. Mathieu Boncoeur
Dana Dickson vs. Harry Prevost
Justin Primmer vs. Culler Miller
Brandon Curts vs. Ali Mokdad
Christopher Hulme vs. Carlos Masferrer
John Macdessi vs. David Slater
Mitch Kay vs. Daryle Pinter
Wade Shanley vs. Jeff Walsh
Tim Chessel vs. Chuck Mady
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THIRD MMA EXPO SET TO TOUCH DOWN IN TORONTO
The Mixed Martial Arts Expo III will be held Saturday and Sunday at the International Centre in Toronto. The event will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on Sunday and will feature several exhibitors, demonstrations and training seminars.
Professional fighters who are scheduled to attend include former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson, one-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, one-time UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, former Icon Sport middleweight titleholder Frank Trigg, former UFC welterweight kingpin Carlos Newton, Shonie Carter, Pete Sell, Ben Rothwell, Gary Goodridge and Jonathan Goulet.
For more information, including details on tickets, visit www.mixedmartialartsexpo.com
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CANADIAN CALENDAR
• June 20 – King of the Cage: Moment de Verite, Pierre Charbonneau Centre, Montreal
• June 20 – Legacy Fighting Championship-Raw Combat: Resurrection, Max Bell Centre, Calgary, Alberta
• June 21-22 – Mixed Martial Arts Expo III, International Centre, Toronto
• June 27 – Ultimate Cage Warriors: Heatwave, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• July 19 – King of the Cage: Ex-Calibur, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
• July 25 – Maximum Fighting Championship 17: Hostile Territory, River Cree Resort and Casino, Enoch, Alberta
• July 26 – Freedom Fight: Title Quest, Robert Guertin Arena, Gatineau, Quebec
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