This weekend’s Apex event that was scheduled to take place in Gatineau, Quebec, on January 13th has been postponed, the promotion announced earlier this week. In a press release that stated "circumstances that are beyond our control" as the reason for the postponement, Apex also informed fans that full refunds will be available for tickets at the original site of purchase. The announcement did not go into any details as to what the "circumstances" might be as to why the show has been delayed, citing "potential legal implications" as the reason for the non-disclosure.

The card’s main event had been set to feature an Apex Canadian Middleweight Championship bout between Fritz Paul (8-3) and Sean "Pimp Daddy" Pierson (4-3). The Shah Franco fighter was returning to MMA action for the first time since 2003 to take on Paul for the title, who recently defeated Nabil Khatib at Apex’s "Night of Champions" on October 14th. Khatib, whose record stands at 5-1, was also scheduled to fight at "Caged Inferno"; Edmonton’s Daryl Bonar (3-1) was his upcoming opponent for the organization’s number one middleweight contender position.

The press release from Apex also stated that an announcement about the re-scheduled date for the card would be released in the near future.

Valimaki to Meet Kilkenny At MFC "Gridiron"

FCF was informed by Maximum Fighting Championship promoter Mark Pavelich this week, that one of the promotion’s biggest stars, Victor "The Matrix" Valimaki, will take on up and comer Lethbridge fighter Jared Kilkenny at the MFC’s upcoming February 3rd event. Valimaki will be returning to action for the first time since his recent UFC debut, where the Edmonton fighter lost by split decision to David Heath at Ultimate Fight Night 8 on December 13th. The MFC’s Lightheavyweight Champion will bring a record of 8-3 when he meets Kilkenny, who is dropping down to 205 pounds for the fight. The 6’5" tall Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter had previously competed at heavyweight, and has caused a bit of a stir in Western Canada, going 5-1 to begin his professional MMA career. Valimaki, who has fought Vernon White, the aforementioned Heath, and Kilkenny’s teammate Jason Day in his last 3 fights, will continue to face top quality opposition.

"No more babysitting," says MFC Promoter and Valimaki’s manager Mark Pavelich in regards to his fighter taking on yet another talented fighter. "You know I could have called up some guy with a losing record to fight Victor, but after his last fight in the UFC I decided he’s made it to the UFC and he’s going to continue fighting guys of that caliber, whether it’s there or in the MFC. We’re done baby sitting."

For Valimaki, not only will Kilkenny be his first title defense since defeating Day for the LHW belt at MFC 10 on September 8th, but the fight could determine if and when the Edmonton fighter competes in the UFC again.

"He could probably not fight and get back into the UFC," Pavelich tells FCF in regards to Valimaki’s return to the MMA titan. "But he’s fighting full time now and he needs to stay busy, Kilkenny’s a dangerous fight for him, but if Victor wins there’s a possibility he might be back in the UFC for April."

Another fight that is scheduled for February 3rd that will likely garner considerable attention in Alberta’s Capital City, is Professional Edmonton Eskimo football player Mike Maurer (1-0-1) taking on LHW Roger Hollet (3-0). Maurer is allowed to pursue his MMA career during the Canadian Football League’s off season, and his previous fights have captured a lot of attention from the country’s mainstream media. Hollet, who hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been touted by some as one of that Province’s best up and coming fighters and will likely be Maurer’s toughest test to date.

"Same thing that goes for Victor, goes for Mike," Pavelich tells FCF. "No more babysitting for him either, I decided that I would put together fights that were best for the fans, Mike’s first fight against Darran Apels was almost comical, do I and the fans want to watch him fight Hollet? You bet."

Some other notable match ups slated for "Gridiron" include the MMA debut of Maurer’s Edmonton Eskimo teammate Adam Braidwood against Ryan Jimmo, Jason Day (11-6) will be taking on TKO veteran Yan Pellerin (8-9), and Ryan McGillivray (2-0) meets Aaron Gallant (1-0) in a welterweight match up.

Macdonald Teams Up With Team Jackson

Brawl at the Mall 5
At the Auburn Supermall – February 10, 2007
Inside the Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center

Plus:
Super fight Champion Caros "The Professional" Fodor, Taurean "The Raven" Washington, and many more!

Tickets available at:

• AMC 425-822-9656
• Vision Quest 253-333-7771

ROSTERS ANNOUNCED FOR INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS DEBUT EVENT IN HOUSTON FEB. 2
Two Original IFL Franchises, Two New Squads To Compete At Reliant Arena; Superfight between World Champion Carlos Newton and Olympic Silver Medalist Matt Lindland

In addition to the compelling team matchups, fans will get to see a special Superfight between MMA world champion Carlos The Ronin Newton and MMA world champion and Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland. The Houston card is the first IFL event in the Southwest and is part of the full 11-event IFL 2007 schedule, the most comprehensive advance schedule in the history of fight sports.

Below are the matchups for the Houston event. Bout order is to be determined by coaches choice, selected prior to the weigh-in on February 1.

Sabres vs. Scorpions (IFL, Overall)
155 lb.: Savant Young (Pasadena, Calif.) (0-0 IFL, 5-4 overall) vs. Ed West (Tucson, Ariz.) (0-1, 8-2)
170 lb.: Antonio McKee (Lakewood, Calif.) (0-0, 17-3-2) vs. Gabe Rivas (Tucson, Ariz.) (0-0, 12-9-1)
185 lb.: Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Tokyo) (0-1, 4-3-1) vs. Shane Johnson (Tucson, Ariz.) (1-0, 8-4)
205 lb.: Vladimir Matyushenko (Los Angeles) (0-0, 15-3) vs. Dwayne Compton (Tucson, Ariz.) (0-0, 2-0)
265 lb.: John Marsh (Hawthorne, Calif.) (0-0, 7-5) vs. Chad Griggs (Tucson, Ariz.) (0-0,. 4-0)

Anacondas vs. Silverbacks
155 lb.: Chris Horodecki (London, Ontario) (3-0, 7-0) vs. Bart Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) (5-0, 25-7)
170 lb.: Jay Hieron (Las Vegas) (2-1, 10-3) vs. Rory Markham (Chicago) (4-1, 10-2)
185 lb.: Benji Radach (Castlerock, Wash.) (0-0, 12-3) vs. Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa) (3-2, 9-3)
205 lb.: Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) (2-2, 10-6) vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) (2-2, 10-2)
265 lb.: Krzysztof Soszynski (Winnipeg, Man.) (2-1, 11-5-1) vs. Ben Rothwell (Kenosha, Wis.) (4-0, 19-5)

Superfight
Carlos Newton (Newmarket, Ont.) (0-1, 13-11) vs. Matt Lindland (Eagle Creek, Ore.) (1-0, 11-6-1)

Tickets are available through www.ifl.tv or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, by telephone or at Ticketmaster outlets.

Each of the nine regular season IFL events will consist of four teams each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing along with a special Superfight, for a minimum of 11 bouts per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.

Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 15, 2007.