"Fight!"

Wednesday is flyer day in Saskatoon, when the Star Phoenix sends out large flyer packages.  Today's "wraparound" flyer, which holds the other flyers together, was a bit of a surprise.  It's an advertisement for Friday's Modern Fighting Championship III, to be held in the Nutana Curling Club, and the local Modern Martial Arts Center.

One thing that stood out to me when I looked at the MFC III section is that none of the fighters have winning records.  That includes the headliners, Saskatoon's Jesse Boldt, and Lethbridge's Randy Mahon, who have records of 2-2 and 4-4 respectively.  4 of the fighters are making their pro debuts. (Yes, there is such a thing as amateur MMA.)  The guys with the most experience are Jose Rodriguez, at 7-7, Drayton Angus, at 7-8, and Justin Schmidt, at 4-9. 

One thing you can be sure of, none of these guys signed up for the money.  I have no idea what a tiny local promotion like this pays, but you can be sure it's not much.  Some these guys are doing it simply because they like it.  Others no doubt have the hope that this is a stepping stone to something bigger, even if they know it's a longshot.  But it's a long way from what is the equivalent of an A baseball team, and the big spotlight of the UFC and Bellator.

The promoters might not be making that much either.  There are a lot of expenses involved, including renting the Nutana Curling Club, paying for advertising, refs and other support staff, and whatever prize money and expenses the fighters might get.  For them it may be as much of a labour of love as it is for some of the fighters.  At least they have the advantage that several of the fighters are from Saskatoon, or within easy driving distance.  Tickets are 65 dollars for general admission, and 85 dollars for ringside seats.

Hopefully none of the fighters will be seriously injured Friday.