When you hear champ versus champ, you also hear fireworks.
Champion-versus-champion fights are the rarest commodity on the regional circuit — two belts on the line in the same promotion means one of the country's most credible titleholders leaves with two and the other with a claim to being the best fighter in the organization regardless of weight.
Aldergrove’s Craig Maclean (5-2) will defend his Rise FC bantamweight title against current flyweight champion Chad Anheliger (8-5) at Rise FC 3 Saturday night in Chilliwack, B.C.
Rise FC had quickly established itself as one of B.C.'s top regional promotions — the Chilliwack-based outfit ran competitive cards and attracted the province's deeper talent, and a champ-vs-champ main event on only its third card is the kind of ambitious booking that builds a promotion's reputation fast.
Backed up by all five of his professional wins being finishes, Maclean, 31, said he feels he’ll have an advantage over Anheliger wherever the fight goes.
Five finishes in five wins is the kind of record that makes a champion dangerous to everyone — Maclean doesn't do decisions, which means Anheliger knows he's not fighting a man who's comfortable letting judges decide things.
“To be honest, I think I just edge him out a little bit everywhere,” said Maclean.
“I know I have better striking, I think I’ve got better jiu-jitsu, and I think I’m just an overall better version of Chad.”
Although he feels he’s the superior fighter, Maclean said he knows Anheliger will provide a stiff challenge.
He said Anheliger hasn’t won six straight fights for no reason, and he’s expecting to see the most confident version of him Saturday night.
“He’s done really well. He hasn’t lost in a long time, so he’s very confident,” said Maclean.
“He believes in his power and he believes he’s got good submissions. His last fight was at 125, but most of his other fights have been at 135 and 130, so he’s a threat at bantamweight.”
After winning his bantamweight title at Rise FC 2 with a first round knockout of Andrew Bard, Maclean will be making his first title defence Saturday night.
The first title defence is always the most instructive — winning a belt proves you can beat one opponent on one night; defending it against the promotion's other champion is what separates regional champs from fighters who happened to catch a good night.
But while he said defending the title would be nice, the win over Anheliger would mean more to him.
The honesty about what a win actually means is refreshing — at 31, Maclean isn't romanticizing the regional title; he sees the belt as a stepping stone and Anheliger's six-fight win streak as the résumé item that moves him forward.
“More than anything, a win here will further my career. That’s the big thing,” said Maclean.
“My goal is to make it to the next level. When I’m 50, I don’t want to be saying I was the local champ in Chilliwack. I want to be the guy saying I fought with some of the best in the world and fought at the highest level. That’s what I want to be remembered for.”
Anheliger Looking For Tough Fights
While Anheliger, 32, has the opportunity to become a double champ for Rise FC, he shares similar feelings to Maclean.
A two-division champion is the closest thing regional MMA has to a genuine star — Anheliger's willingness to move up and take the bantamweight belt off its current holder rather than defend a lighter division is the kind of ambition that promoters love and opponents have to respect.
Calgary’s Anheliger said while holding two belts simultaneously would be fantastic, he’s more focused on continuing to be involved in tough fights.
“I’m just looking for big fights against tough guys,” said Anheliger.
“There’s not that many guys left out there that want to fight me. I’ve won six in a row with five finishes, and haven’t lost in five years. There’s not a lot of guys knocking on the door to fight me these days.”
The run Anheliger is on — six straight wins, five of them finishes — is the kind of streak that gets regional fighters noticed by Bellator and the Contender Series. Doing it across two weight classes makes it even harder to dismiss.
While Anheliger has shared the cage with the likes of Terrence Chan, Randy Turner, and Noah Ali, Maclean may provide his stiffest challenge to date.
Anheliger said he knows what Maclean brings to the table and knows his seventh straight victory won’t come easy.
The mutual respect between the two champions is the right read — neither is pretending this is easy, and a fight where both men genuinely believe they're the better version of the same fighter tends to produce the kind of main event people remember.
“I’ve seen him put quite a few guys away. I know he’s got some power in his strikes,” said Anheliger.
“But more than anything, I just know he’s a professional, he’s well-trained, and he’s got good skills overall.”
Having won his flyweight title the same evening Maclean claimed the bantamweight title, Anheliger said this matchup was on his mind instantly.
He said Maclean is someone he’s always expected he would fight one day, and decided it was the perfect time to ask for the opportunity.
“I’m not embarrassed to say I asked for this fight,” said Anheliger.
“I just felt like it was a great matchup and it’s an exciting fight. These are the type of fights I want to be in; I want to get people talking.”
Maclean’s Shoutouts
“I just want to thank Revolution Martial Arts, Supplement King Chilliwack, The Power Within Hypnotherapy and Paul Frost Real Estate.”
Anheliger’s Shoutouts
“I just want to give a shoutout to my girlfriend, Jenny. She’s been super supportive. She helps me do all my meal prep and just helps me get through these long, hard camps.”
