The Maximum Fighting Championship has set MFC 24: Heat XC as the right date to debut its new middleweight prospect.
Tom “Kong” Watson (10-3) joins the MFC after making a sizeable name for himself fighting in his native England. The Southampton product, who of late has been training alongside Georges St. Pierre in Montreal, has set a big target for his first fight in the MFC by taking on hometown hero Travis Galbraith (17-6). The pair will face off on Friday, February 26 at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta.
Undaunted by the fact he’s squaring off against Galbraith in front of his own supporters, Watson offered a simple message to his upcoming rival – and future ones as well.
“I’m coming to knock people out,” declared Watson.
“Fans love seeing me fight because they always know they’re going to get a good fight. I like to go for it, keep coming forward, and the fans can expect to be entertained from the word go – from the ring entrance right through the fight.
“I’m there to fight and the fans are going to get their money’s worth out of my fight alone.”
Watson has won six straight fights – three by knockout including a pair within the first round – and three by decision. The 27-year-old looks at the Galbraith fight as a chance to get his foot in the door alongside the rest of the MFC’s impressive middleweight roster.
“I was watching the MFC on HDNet and I became a big fan and decided it was a show I wanted to get on,” he said. “Going to the MFC is ideal for me because they have all the top middleweight guys – (Thales) Leites, (Dean) Lister, (Bryan) Baker. They’re all guys who are very tough.”
Watson initially caught onto the MFC vibe through fellow Englishman Paul Daley when both were training together in Amsterdam. That trip has been part of a nomadic training regimen for Watson who has split time of late between Montreal, New York, and New Mexico.
The impending battle with Watson marks the end of another long layoff for Galbraith as well as his first fight at the 185-pound limit after a lengthy run at light heavyweight. Galbraith has fought just once in the last nine months, that being a controversial split-decision win over David Heath at MFC 21 back in May 2009. The six-foot Edmonton, Alberta, product went nine months without a bout prior to the fight with Heath, and had a 10-month layoff between fights back in 2007.
Galbraith is unbeaten in MFC action, having picked up two wins early in his career, and has faced such notables as St. Pierre, Jonathan Goulet, and Joe Doerksen.