It has been far too long since Grayson Wells got to compete in front of supporters from his own community, but come Saturday evening, that moment is finally arriving.
Wells (3-2, Kelowna) steps into the octagon against another rising heavyweight contender Josh Heinz (4-1, Lethbridge) for a heavyweight showdown at XFFC 18 in Penticton, B.C.
Having spent his entire professional record battling out in Red Deer, Alta., the 39-year-old Wells expressed excitement about competing near his native Kelowna and anticipates a strong turnout from supporters.
"I always played the antagonist in Red Deer, so it feels good to step into my hometown crowd," Wells shared during an interview. "People are coming in from everywhere to watch this fight."
"I also chose Penticton for this bout to help generate buzz for the amateur fighters. In B.C., we struggle to find matchups without travelling."
Entering this contest, Wells described one of his finest training camps ever, at Toshido MMA, thanks to several fighters from his gym also appearing on the XFFC 18 card.
According to Wells, this was one of those rare occasions where the entire roster trained simultaneously, producing hard sparring sessions and impressive overall work.
"The card is basically Toshido against everyone else," said Wells.
"The energy in the club was incredible. Everyone was positive, supporting one another, and dialed in on training. It was amazing watching the group operate as a unit."
During his pro career, Wells has earned a reputation for delivering thrilling fights that rarely land on judges' cards.
Three of his four victories have come via knockout, with two landing inside 35 seconds, and every single one of his five professional contests ended before the second round expired.
Wells intends to keep that entertainment factor alive on Saturday to make certain fans walk away satisfied.
"When you're a heavyweight, you always have to prepare for a fast ending. One shot is all it takes, either way," Wells explained.
No Problem Fighting Away From Home
At 30 years old, Heinz is only the second time in his professional career venturing beyond Lethbridge for competition.
Yet stepping into unfamiliar territory for the first time in over three years, Heinz says he is ready to embrace the underdog role.
"I don't mind it. Every amateur fight I've had was away from home and I took the wins," Heinz told reporters.
"Being away from Lethbridge won't impact my game at all."
This outing marks only Heinz's second appearance at heavyweight, having moved up from his previous division in his most recent bout against Jared Henderson at Rumble in the Cage 58.
What began as a one-off experiment at the heavier weight class, Heinz revealed he and his coaching staff plan to evaluate staying at heavyweight on a permanent basis.
"One thing I immediately noticed was that without cutting weight, I felt stronger and my conditioning improved significantly," Heinz remarked.
"I discussed it with my coach, Lee Mein, and he recommended I try out heavyweight."
Just like Wells, Heinz avoids sending fights to the judges' scorecards, having seen all five of his pro fights conclude before the first bell.
Heinz once again predicts a first-round finish and considers this one of the standout matchups of the entire card.
"Either he puts me to sleep or I put him to sleep, I expect this to wrap up in round one," Heinz stated.
"I think Fight of the Night is a lock."
Wells' Shoutouts
"I'd like to thank my team at Toshido and my coach David Lea, and all the people that have come out to support me."
Heinz's Shoutouts
"I always have to give a shoutout to my team, the CMC family. I also want to thank wife and child because I put in a lot of time away from them."
