MFC 40 results: Alvey survives scare, finishes Swofford in fourth

“Smilin” Sam Alvey (22-5) survived an early barrage from a tough Wes Swofford (9-5) and rallied back for a one-punch finish to retain the MFC middleweight title.

The bout served as the headlining contest of Friday’s MFC 40 event, which took place at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and aired in the U.S. on AXS TV.

In a crazy opening round, Swofford looked to certain to end the fight with a big right hand that left Alvey first on the canvas and then on wobbly legs. But as Swofford moved forward to finish, he was dropped by a desperation right that Alvey landed on the button. The action was marred shortly after a restart, as Swofford landed a knee to the groin, but Alvey fought through the pain and continued the fight.

The action understandably slowed in the second, but there was a significant moment with one tick left in the frame, as Swofford landed again to the groin and had a point deducted for the infraction.

As the fight wore on, Swofford seemed to be the fresher fighter, but he was unable to truly capitalize on the advantage. It would cost him early in the fourth, as Alvey landed a counter right to the air that sent Swofford crashing to the canvas. Referee Kyle Cardinal appeared to perhaps step in a bit prematurely, but Swofford didn’t appeal the stoppage.

Gallicchio claims lightweight belt in rematch

In a rematch of their January meeting, Tom Gallicchio (19-8) made it clear the first result was no fluke, tapping out Kurt Southern (13-6) in the opening round to claim the vacant MFC lightweight title.

The two traded strikes to open the co-main event, but Gallicchio used a scramble to jump to his opponent’s back and lock in a body triangle. Southern looked to defend the forthcoming choke, but Gallicchio kept pushing for the hold, and even though he was a little off-center was able to muscle a tapout from his opponent at the 4:11 mark of the first frame.

Valimaki, Gallant pick up quick wins

Fighting for the first time in more than two years, Canadian veteran Victor Valimaki (18-8) looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, submitting an overmatched Bill Widler (8-6) in the opening round. Valimaki was able to briefly stun Widler on the feet, and when the fight moved to the floor, “The Matrix” worked quickly to mount and then the back, locking in the rear-naked choke to win at the 3:36 mark of the first.

In a bantamweight matchup, Jesse Brock (17-8) used a powerful overhand right to carry him to a split-decision win over Kevin Croom (14-5). In a bout expected to determine the next contender for the MFC bantamweight title, the shorter Brock used crisp counter punching to catch Croom coming in, and he successfully wobbled “The Hard Hitting Hillbilly” on a few occasions before drawing blood in the third round. In the end, the winner seemed clear, but Brock was forced to settle for a split-decision result.

Edwards, Campbell victorious to open broadcast

Marcus Edwards (7-2) improved to 7-1 in his past eight fights with a first-round submission of Aaron Gallant (6-6). The two pushed the pace at the opening bell, but the speed of the fight forced Gallant to slow as the frame wore on, and Edwards worked to his back and eventually snuck in the rear-naked choke, earning a tap with nine seconds left in the first round.

In a 160-pound catchweight fight, Shane Campbell (9-2) scored a second-round TKO over Jerrid Burke (5-4) courtesy of a devastating kick to the liver. The direct blow sent Burke crashing to the floor, and Campbell followed up with punches to earn the stoppage at the 43-second mark of the second frame.

The night’s complete results include:

• Sam Alvey def. Wes Swofford via knockout (punch) – Round 4, 1:02 – to retain MFC middleweight title
• Tom Gallicchio def. Kurt Southern via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:11 – to claim vacant lightweight title
• Victor Valimaki def. Bill Widler via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:36
• Jesse Brock def. Kevin Croom via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
• Marcus Edwards def. Aaron Gallant via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:51
• Shane Campbell def. Jerrid Burke via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:43

For more on MFC 40, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Sam Alvey)