With Montreal Fight League standing as the sole active promotion in Canada, Ramil Kamilov and Duncan Henry were both keen to be part of the action.
Calgary, Alta.'s Kamilov (5-3) aims to keep building momentum inside the Canadian amateur welterweight rankings as he faces off against Six Nations, Ont.'s Henry (6-6) at MFL 18 this Saturday night.
At 23 years old, Kamilov is the lone fighter travelling from Western Canada to appear on the card, and he described the choice to make the journey as straightforward.
Kamilov's most recent outing came in November 2019 at the IMMAF World Championships, where he dropped a first-round decision to Islam Bagomedov (11-0), a defeat that left him with plenty of motivation to bounce back.
"I'm a fighter, and I want to fight. My last loss, I was so unhappy with it and so fired up after it," Kamilov told MMA Empire.
"You can't imagine how upsetting and embarrassing it was. I went in debt $3,500 to go there, get matched up with that guy, and lose one minute in after all the hype. That's a f**ked up feeling."
For Henry, now 30, this marks his return to MMA competition following a first-round submission victory over Maxime Fournier back in October 2016.
Even though close to four years have passed since his last bout, Henry reckons the extended break could work in his favour.
"The layoff will be good, considering I'll be going in there with no injuries, and just more hungry to fight," Henry told MMA Empire.
Kamilov improved after IMMAF
While the outcome at the IMMAF World Championships wasn't what he was hoping for, Kamilov called it a genuine wake-up call.
He said the experience taught him valuable lessons and showed him what it will take to thrive in the sport moving forward.
"There's a boom in MMA happening around the world right now. It's not so much seen in Canada, but when I was sitting on the bus with all the flag carriers, I had the worst record out of all of them. Just seeing how deep the level is and how it's going to be in 10 years," Kamilov explained.
"Technique-wise and physically, the biggest thing I learned from other teams was about mixing up the strikes and the grappling. I have a lot of new ways to do that now."
Training at one of Calgary's premier gyms, Champions Creed, Kamilov gets the chance to spar regularly with UFC featherweight Hakeem Dawodu.
Kamilov noted that while most of their rounds aren't full-out exchanges, he still extracts plenty of value from training alongside Dawodu.
"I give him good rounds sometimes, but that's because we're used to each others styles, so it's not the same as if I was sparring him for the first time," Kamilov said.
"Overall, it makes me sharper and I do learn some things."
Kamilov and Henry were initially set to clash last month at MFL 17, but the bout was scrapped when mandatory quarantine rules blocked out-of-province travellers.
The Calgary native said he's pleased to be matched up with Henry once more, noting this is a fight he's wanted since before his amateur career began.
"The reason I wanted this fight is because I watched him fight Mike Parsons back before I even had my debut. When I watched that fight, I wanted to fight the both of them before I even had an MMA fight because I knew I could beat both of them," Kamilov shared.
"I see this fight playing out very well for me."
Henry believes he has the edge everywhere
With four of his six amateur victories coming by rear-naked choke, Henry has demonstrated serious grappling prowess.
Yet regardless of whether the fight hits the canvas or remains standing, Henry feels confident he holds the advantage in every area.
"To be honest, I feel everywhere will be an advantage for me," Henry stated.
"It doesn't really matter where the fight takes place, on the ground, standing up, in the clinch, against the cage, I feel like I'll be better than him in every aspect of the fight."
After consecutive losses to Parsons and Todd Elvrum, Henry got back on the right side of the scorecard with his victory over Fournier in his last appearance.
Henry said that bout taught him the value of patience, taking his time, and choosing his moments wisely — skills he intends to bring into Saturday night's showdown.
"I need to stand up more and get more comfortable on the feet instead of rushing it to the floor or rushing the knockout," Henry said.
"Hopefully I can carry that over into this fight as well."
Like many MMA events globally at the moment, MFL 18 will be held without spectators in attendance.
For Henry, this is his first time competing under these conditions, and he believes it will elevate performances across the board.
"The no crowd thing is going to help a lot of people perform at their best. You're going to see a lot of fighters come there and show what they're capable of without having to battle the nerves or jitters that go along with fighting in front of a live crowd," Henry commented.
"Yeah, there's going to be pay-per-view, but those eyes aren't there jeering or screaming, so I think you're going to see a lot of good talent come out without having a crowd there."
Kamilov's Shoutouts
"I just want to let all the 155 amateurs in this country know that I'm going to smash them after this guy." Follow Kamilov on social media: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM
Henry's Shoutouts
"I just really appreciate the whole MFL team, Joel at MMA Empire, and anyone else who's continuing to cover sporting events and giving people something to do on a Saturday night." Follow Henry on social media: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM
