The XFC welterweight division officially launches its championship tournament this Wednesday from Atlanta, Georgia. XFC 43 showcases four welterweight contests, with victors moving forward to the tournament's semifinal round at XFC 44.
Among the evening's most anticipated bouts, Powell River, B.C.'s Michael Hill (11-5-1) steps into the cage against Hamilton, Ont.'s Ryan Dickson (10-5). These two will settle a rematch from their 2014 encounter at WSOF Canada 1, where Hill, then 33, earned a unanimous decision victory over Dickson, 31.
"I'm not skipping ahead to face Dickson," Hill told MMA Empire during an interview.
"At the end of the day, this is really me against myself. I'm pouring every ounce of effort into showing up as my strongest self and my sharpest martial artist. I firmly believe I sit among the world's finest fighters."
Dickson's previous outing ended in a second-round defeat to Nah-shon Burrell back in November 2015. Following that loss, he took time to reflect on his MMA career path and ultimately chose to explore different pursuits.
"I had dropped three consecutive fights; it made me question whether this fighting career (was) stable enough," Dickson shared in an interview with MMA Empire.
"I felt like I needed to pause and look at myself honestly."
That setback against Burrell pushed Dickson toward a career in firefighting. He continues working part-time in the field while maintaining his MMA training regimen, a combination he says has actually sharpened his physical conditioning.
"I never really fell out of shape since I had to stay in shape for (firefighting)," Dickson explained.
"Just before lockdowns hit, I picked up jiu-jitsu training and competed in a submission-only fight. I spent 12 days preparing for that (bout), and it kind of brought my competitive edge back online."
Although Dickson hasn't done much sparring over the last half-decade, he believes the time away served him well mentally and physically. In fact, he considers himself more ready for Wednesday's fight than he has been for any contest throughout his entire career.
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