Earlier this week, Canada's Maximum Fighting Championships revealed that contract negotiations with their most visible fighter, Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford, had reached a standstill by issuing a press release that most would qualify as very one-sided.

via www.sportsnet.ca

From MaximumFighting.com:

 

"Ryan wants to make more money than any of our champions and the guys with UFC experience, and I’m not willing to do that. It’s totally wrong and against the ethics of this business for him to be paid more than those fighters," added Pavelich.

"I would love to re-sign Ryan because we have some very good plans for him but we can’t afford his ego. This is my business – I don’t do anything else except mixed martial arts and put on sold-out shows. I will not go out of business by paying fighters exorbitant amounts of money. Look what happened to the IFL and Elite XC. They paid fighters ridiculous amounts of money and went broke. Look at the number of shows that tried to make a big splash by signing one or two guys to huge contracts. They did one or two shows and were never heard from again.

"I have always paid fighters what they are worth. Paul Daley, John Alessio, Pat Healy, Antonio McKee, Aron Lofton, David Heath – all of these guys agreed to contracts and were paid exactly what they agreed to. Yes, Ryan Ford sells a number of tickets to the local fans but the MFC is not a local organization. We are one of the biggest organizations in North America and we are not a one-man show."

Pavelich has personally stuck by Ford during a number of legal issues outside of the ring, virtually taking him under his wing to steer him on a better path. That bond has been frayed but is not broken by the latest contract scuffle.

 

 

 

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From MMAFighting.com:

Former number one ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi will return to Shooto's final 20th anniversary event at "Shooto Tradition Final" on May 10 at the JCB Hall.

Gomi (29-5)'s opponent will be Shooto 154-pound champion Takashi Nakakura (10-2).

Both competitors were brought inside the ring during "Shooto Tradition 6" today. 

"I returned to Shooto because I like fighting in Shooto," Gomi said. "This is where I debuted and I want to show my gratitude."

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