Maximum Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak has an opponent for MFC 40 on May 9th in Edmonton as he will be challenged by Kevin Croom.
Croom has signed a multi-fight deal with the Canadian mixed martial arts promotion and according to a press release, his title shot against Birchak is subject to him “having a successful outcome” at his Titan FC 27 bout against Bryan Goldsby.
MFC 40 will take place from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta and the card will feature three title fights.
Croom (13-4) is currently on a eight fight winning streak and his last defeat came in 2012 as he was defeated by current UFC fighter Yaotzin Meza by unanimous decision. During his recent winning streak, the last seven wins have come by stoppage in the first round and three of those wins have come in under two minutes.
“I’m just a guy from a lower-middle class family from Missouri so being the MFC champion would mean the world to me,” Croom said. “It would be the coolest thing to ever happen in my life, who expressed no reservation about jumping into MFC fray to face the champ. I feel unbreakable. The biggest thing is I know is that I won’t beat myself. At this level in this sport, everyone is a gifted athlete so it really becomes more of a mental game. Right now, I have my mental game plan at 100%.”
Birchak (11-1) entered MFC last year and defeated Tito Jones by rear-naked choke at MFC 38 to win the inaugural bantamweight title. The win over Jones was his second victory in MFC and is currently on a five fight winning streak, with four of those wins coming by stoppage.
Along with the bantamweight title bout, MFC 40 will feature two other title fights as Tom Gallicchio meets Kurt Southern for the vacant lightweight title and Sam Alvey defends the middleweight title against an opponent still to be determined.
The current Maximum Fighting Championship 40 card is below.
Anthony Birchak (11-1) vs. Kevin Croom (13-4) – Bantamweight Title Bout
Sam Alvey (21-5) vs. TBA – Middleweight Title Bout
Tom Gallicchio (18-8) vs. Kurt Southern (13-5) – Lightweight Title Bout