Toshido MMA is making their presence known.
Toshido MMA sent competitors into both the headlining and co-headlining matchups at XFFC 21 in Grande Prairie, Alta., and those athletes returned to Kelowna, B.C. clutching additional championship belts for their gym.
The main event featured Steven Mac Donald (now 3-0) earning a unanimous decision over William Carriere (now 4-3), capturing the XFFC light heavyweight title in what could only be called an absolute brawl spanning 25 minutes.
"That was the most fun f***ing fight I've ever had in my entire life," said Mac Donald.
"I barely had a camp for this fight and still went five rounds. I was away working on the rigs last week."
The five-round scrap saw both men exchange heavy leather, with Mac Donald emerging as the more effective fighter, leaving Carriere thoroughly battered after the final bell. Mac Donald didn't just survive the distance — he did so nursing a broken ankle sustained in the opening round.
All the pain was justified for Mac Donald, who emerged with a new championship belt draped around his waist. He also had words for whoever comes next.
"It feels amazing. I can't wait to beat the next guy for it," said Mac Donald.
"Anyone that wants to get it can come and get it."
Underdog Victory
In a result that caught several fans off guard, Blake Sigvaldason (now 3-1) stopped Michael Imperato (now 7-4) via TKO doctor's stoppage in round two to claim the XFFC bantamweight championship.
Sigvaldason weathered Imperato's early submission attempts in the opening stanza, then turned things around late in round one and into round two. Once back in top position during the second, Sigvaldason unloaded punishing elbows that carved open a severe laceration on Imperato's face, prompting the physician to wave it off.
"I didn't expect to be able to control him the way I did once I got on top," said Sigvaldason.
"I'm super impressed with my performance and I'm really proud of it. I'm glad I could showcase my high-level grappling."
Reaching 135 pounds represented a weight-class debut for Sigvaldason, having competed exclusively at featherweight across all three of his prior professional outings.
Sigvaldason noted that 145 pounds remains his preferred fighting weight, though he expressed willingness to defend the championship belt at bantamweight.
"I had a pretty hard cut to get down to 135 pounds, but we'll see. I know I can make the weight again," said Sigvaldason.
"145 is the weight I want to fight at, but to really be a champion you have to defend your belt."
Shintani Dominant
In a featherweight number-one-contender matchup, Craig Shintani (now 8-2) earned a unanimous decision over Chris Day (now 5-6), solidifying himself as the top threat to Tom O'Connor's featherweight championship.
Shintani threw everything at finishing the contest — precise striking, vicious ground-and-pound — but ultimately accepted a commanding unanimous decision.
"I knew he was going to be durable and tough coming in. I knew he'd been training all the time, so I expected him to last the full 15 minutes," said Shintani.
"He's a very tough, scrappy guy that we weren't in a rush to try and finish. We just wanted to go in there and dominate."
The bout originally carried interim featherweight title implications, but because both Shintani and Day missed weight, officials downgraded it to a number-one-contender bout.
Shintani has already been slated to challenge O'Connor for the featherweight championship on two prior occasions, including this same card, and he insists a title unification must take place.
Shintani additionally holds the Unified MMA featherweight title and expressed enthusiasm about defending that strap while pursuing the XFFC featherweight championship.
"I'm up for anything. I want to definitely stay as busy as possible. It's been a long wait," said Shintani.
"Now I feel like I'm back at it, I can be more active, and hopefully I can fight for the XFFC belt and defend my Unified belt."
Lorenzo Celis also walked away with silverware, defeating Jordan Noseworthy to capture the amateur middleweight title. Tom Theocharis, Dave Pogson, Grady Behrens, and Ramil Kamilov all earned victories on the undercard as well.
