Recently signed Canadian standout Kurt Southern (10-3) will make his first foray under the MFC banner against American Dave Castillo (16-5, 1 NC), who has agreed to a new multi-fight contract. Their clash will kick off the main card airing live on AXS TV Fights from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday, February 15.
Castillo, who fights out of Salt Lake City, Utah, comes to the MFC with wins in six of his last eight fights including notable verdicts over John Gunderson, Mario Espinoza, and Gordon Bell. The 30-year-old has set his sights the MFC lightweight belt, and he’ll get a good look at his main competition at MFC 36. Not only is Southern a big challenge for him but so too are Graham Spencer and Mukai Maromo who will battle for the belt in the co-main event that night.
“I’m going to be biting at their heels,” said Castillo of the title-fight foes. “I know that if I get a couple wins starting with Southern and I’m impressive doing it I’m going to get my shot at the title.
“I’m very excited about coming to the MFC. When I was starting out and I wanted to move up, I wanted to come to the MFC to face better opposition and to win a belt that would mean something. Now I’m here and I’m going to win it.”
Castillo has proven to be a finisher throughout his career. He opened his career with a seven-fight winning streak, and the first 11 victories on his resume were all stoppages. In total, Castillo has finished 14 of his 16 opponents, winning six by knockout and eight via submission, and he has captured seven wins inside the first round.
“I do have those eight wins by submission but most of those have really been from strikes that set up the submission,” noted Castillo. “I consider myself a striker who has good submissions.
“I want to stand and trade with Southern. I know he’s an experienced wrestler so I’m working on my takedown defense. But even if he does get me down, I’ve got my submissions, and I still strike from the bottom. I never stop striking.”
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Southern (Twitter: @kurtsouthern) rides a three-fight win streak into the matchup – a run highlighted by a first-round submission victory over Maromo. Southern’s current streak – the third three-fight win streaking of his career – includes wins over Jorge Britto and Brad Cardinal, and he has picked up notable career victories over Martin Grandmont, Evan Sanguin, and Kevin Manderson.
Tickets for MFC 36: Reality Check are on sale now and available via www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.
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