American Top Team's Yves Edwards will make his Maximum Fighting Championships debut against fellow UFC veteran Derrick Noble in the MFC 24 "HeatXC" main event on Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, Canada.
Edwards will carry a two-fight winning streak into the matchup. The 33-year-old Bahamian-born Texan last appeared at Raging Wolf 5 in October, when he stopped Kyle Jensen on first-round strikes in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Having competed under the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting and EliteXC banners, the well-traveled Edwards has secured 29 of his 36 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Wins against former two-division Deep champion Dokonjonosuke Mishima, one-time Strikeforce lightweight titleholder Josh Thomson and the recently retired Hermes Franca highlight his resume.
Anchored at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, Noble has rattled off two consecutive victories since his five-round, unanimous decision defeat to Antonio McKee at MFC 20 last year. The 31-year-old submitted Joe Benoit with a rear-naked choke at a Hoosier Fight Club show in January. Noble's list of victims includes 2009 UFC signee Jake Ellenberger, World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Carlo Prater and the world-ranked Thiago Alves.
In the co-main event, late replacement Ryan McClain will collide with the surging Dwayne Lewis in a light heavyweight tilt.
McClain replaces UFC veteran David Heath, who suffered a torn biceps in training. Spawned by the Freestyle Cage Fighting, he has won two of his past three fights but submitted to a Doug Sparks triangle choke at FCF 38 last month. Eleven of McClain's 13 career bouts have ended inside one round.
Lewis will ride a six-fight winning streak into the match, punctuated by his first-round knockout of Marvin Eastman at MFC 23 in December. The Canadian has delivered more than half (six) of his 10 career wins by KO or technical knockout.
Bouts pitting Nick Penner against Aron Lofton, Tom Watson against Travis Galbraith and Nathan Gunn against Jesse Juarez will round out the MFC 24 main card menu, as the Canadian-based promotion opens its 2010 schedule.
