EDMONTON – Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford re-established himself as the No. 1 contender for the Maximum Fighting Championship’s welterweight title while Emanuel Newton stepped up to become the top threat to the light heavyweight crown at MFC 18: Famous.

A sold-out crowd – the MFC’s 11th straight – at The Venue at River Cree Resort and Casino witnessed Ford (7-1) bully his way back into the title picture as he stopped veteran LaVerne Clark (30-17) at 2:30 of the second round with a one-arm guillotine choke.

Ford pushed the pace on Clark and delivered some of his patented takedowns and slams in Round 1. Clark tried everything to gain some sort of advantage including sliding out of the ring and holding the ropes. His trickery did land him a rear-naked choke attempt late in the first but Ford dominated from the opening of Round 2 and his steady powerful control and positioning ultimately led to the tapout.

“Pat Healy is holding onto what’s mine and I want it back,” said Ford, who lost the only fight of his career to Healy at MFC 17 in the welterweight title fight. The two will square-off again on December 5 at MFC 19: Long Time Coming.

MFC 19 is appropriately named as it will not only mark the long-awaited return of MFC light heavyweight champ Roger “The Hulk” Hollett but also the first double-title fight night in MFC history as Hollett will put up his belt.

That championship opportunity will go to Newton (10-3) as he bulled his way through David Heath (9-4) finishing the bout at 4:42 of Round 2 with a rear-naked choke. Newton had taken control of the fight in Round 1 and raised his game in the second. Heath had no answer for Newton’s ground and pound and the bloodied native of Tulsa, Oklahoma finally had to tap out.

It was a rough night for fighters from Tulsa as Aron Lofton dropped his first pro fight. Lofton (4-1) was a heavy favorite heading into his bout with jiu-jitsu specialist Jay Whitford and Lofton did all the damage in Round 1 with several punishing strikes coming in the standup as well as ground and pound. But Whitford survived and despite looking gassed went on the attack in the second and Lofton had little answer for his submission attempts. After several narrow escapes Lofton finally could not get free of a slick head-and-arm triangle choke and he was forced to tap out at 3:11 of Round 2. For the victory, Whitford was awarded the Submission of the Night honour.

While the night was not a good one for the Oklahoma fighters, it was a particularly sweet evening for UFC superstar and MFC homegrown talent Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald. MacDonald watched both his star pupils come away with victories as Evan Sanguin (6-2) racked up the Knockout of the Night with a third-round stoppage of Troy Sorenson (4-1) while Ryan Machan (8-2) moved into the upper echelon of the MFC’s stacked lightweight division with a first-round submission by rear-naked choke of Gavin Neil (4-1).

MacDonald also cornered his own jiu-jitsu trainer Josh “The Gringo” Russell to a victory in his professional debut. Despite a vast difference in actual mixed martial arts competition, Russell (1-0) dominated the first two rounds and pulled away to a unanimous decision over Mike Gates (13-6).

Other results from MFC 18:

Simon Marini def. Gerald Lovato – Unanimous decision

Chris Camozzi def. Elliot Duff – Unanimous decision

Jesse Clarke def. Jason Zorthian – 2:44 Round 1, TKO

Sheldon Westcott def. Jeff Kisilowsky – 3:33 Round 1, guillotine choke

The Maximum Fighting Championship returns on Friday, December 5 with MFC 19: Long Time Coming at The Venue at River Cree Resort and Casino. Tickets for MFC 19 are on sale Monday, September 29 and are available through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 and through Ticketmaster at (780) 451-8000, www.ticketmaster.ca, and Ticketmaster outlets.