London, Ont. is set for a showdown in the downtown.
Prospect Fighting Championship returns with an exciting night of fights with Prospect FC 14 and a huge main event at Budweiser Gardens this Saturday night.
Closing the show, Ontario’s own Kyle Prepolec (15-8) will look to defend home turf when he welcomes Mexico’s Marco Antonio Elpidio (14-6-2) to the Prospect FC cage in a lightweight bout.
Back by popular demand, Prepolec, 33, is fighting in Ontario for the first time in three years. It’s an opportunity for the UFC veteran to perform in front of a hometown crowd and once again catch the attention of some of the bigger promotions.
“I’m so excited. It’s only a two-hour drive and not like a five-hour flight. It makes everything so much easier,” Prepolec said in an interview with MMA Empire.
“It gets me pumped up that it’s nice and close. I’ll have lots of teammates and friends there to watch and a win puts me back on the radar, especially if I get a finish and it’s a highlight reel. They’ll see I’m exciting, I’m healthy and I’m the real deal. It could put me anywhere really. Anything is possible when you get a high-calibre win and it’s exciting. The sky’s the limit.”
With international travel restrictions officially dropped across Canada the regional scene is set to really heat up. Bringing in foreign talent like Elpidio will always help boost ticket sales and increase competition level.
“It’s a huge blessing. There’s only so many Canadians that can keep fighting each other when the borders are closed or have all those stipulations,” Prepolec said.
“Now that things are opening up there’s more opportunities for Canadian athletes and for fighters from other countries to come in and showcase themselves in the North American market.”
Entertaining, as always, in his last outing at Unified MMA 43 back in March, Prepolec fell short on the scorecards to one of Canada’s top lightweights, Shane Campbell.
“All I can take away from it is that I didn’t throw enough to keep more pressure,” Prepolec explained.
“Even though I felt like I dealt more damage and had more hits, it is what it is. Can’t let it go to the judges. Gotta always try to finish. I should have had more urgency in that one.”
The crowd is always in for a treat when Prepolec makes the walk and he’s looking to get back in the win column with style on Saturday night.
“I want to be as entertaining as possible,” Prepolec said.
“Especially being a striker and a bit of a wrestler, the more entertaining you are the more you can increase your market value and revenue. Being explosive and being a dude that isn’t afraid to push forward and engage is always great for the fans.”
With a plethora of exciting fights across Mexico, the active Elpidio appears to be the perfect matchup to keep things entertaining.
Prepolec said he’s excited to welcome the never-quit attitude of Elpidio to Canada for the first time on Saturday night.
“From what I’ve researched, this guy is not afraid to fight. He’s fought at a bunch of different weight classes, and this will be his fifth fight this year, so he likes to bring it,” Prepolec said.
“I hope he’s ready for it because I like to bring it too. I’m always trying to get a finish, so whether it’s a TKO or a submission it doesn’t matter. Perfect scenario would be in the first round, make quick work and get out of there with the least amount of damage possible.”
Prepolec’s shoutouts
“All my sponsors, all my family, friends and coaches.” Follow Prepolec on social media: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM
