Alvey to defend MFC middleweight gold against Swofford

(PRESS RELEASE) -- "Smilen" Sam Alvey (21-5) will defend his MFC middleweight title against Wes Swofford (9-4) at MFC 40 taking place on Friday, May 9 live on AXS TV Fights from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The Alvey-Swofford matchup is packaged alongside two other title fights on the night as Anthony Birchak defends his bantamweight crown against "The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly" Kevin Croom, and Kurt Southern and Tom Gallicchio go head-to-head in their rematch for the lightweight belt.

"Alvey and Swofford match up so well stylistically that they're going to create an incredible fight. It has all the makings of being the wildest, craziest title fight in MFC history," said Maximum Fighting Championship Owner/President Mark Pavelich.

"Sam has shown great resiliency and the ability to battle through a war. Wes is a very serious threat to Sam's title and he is ready to put everything he's got on the line to take his belt away. When both guys have knockout power and the desire to finish a fight, it can only mean great things for the fans in the seats at the Shaw Conference Centre and those watching live on AXS TV Fights."

Alvey (Twitter: @smilensam) captured the MFC middleweight title at MFC 38 with a dramatic fifth-round knockout over Jason South. The Temecula, California-based fighter is now ranked 53rd in the world by Fight Matrix having won four of his last five fights including a third-round TKO of Jay Silva at MFC 37.

Alvey, who is married to America's Next Top Model cycle 11 winner McKey Sullivan, has earned 13 knockout victories and has been stopped only once during his six-year career.

Swofford (Twitter: @WesSwofford) has jumped to #92 in the Fight Matrix rankings as he has won six of his last eight fights highlighted by a 41-second destruction of Jay Silva at MFC 36. That victory was one of five that Swofford, who fights out of Redding, California, has managed inside the first round.

MFC 40: Crowned Kings Main Card

Wes Swofford vs. Sam Alvey (c) - MFC middleweight title

Kevin Croom vs. Anthony Birchak (c) - MFC bantamweight title

Kurt Southern vs. Tom Gallicchio - MFC lightweight title

Sean O'Connell vs. Victor Valimaki - light-heavyweight

Jonatas Novaes vs. Andrew McInnes - lightweight

Aaron Gallant vs. Marcus Edwards - lightweight

A full lineup of preliminary matchups which will air live on the Maximum Fighting Championship's Facebook page will be unveiled shortly.

Tickets for MFC 40: Crowned Kings are on sale now via www.ticketmaster.ca and by calling the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.

About the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) The Maximum Fighting championship is recognized a worldwide front-runner in the sport of professional mixed martial arts. The MFC is the second-longest running organization in the world and the largest and longest-running, fully-sanctioned show in Canada. The MFC prides itself on bringing our fans the most exciting and charismatic fighters in the world. Visit our website at mfc.tv for all the latest news, and follow the MFC on Twitter @maximumfighting.

About AXS TV Fights AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. ”The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in depth fighter coverage and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events Friday night, at 7PM PT/10PM ET.