The Fight Club ready for "High Octane"

Edmonton, Alberta (Canada): The Fight Club (TFC), one of the top fight promotions in Canada, is proud to bring MMA fans "HIGH OCTANE" on Friday, March 19th, live from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  The event will feature several top MMA superstars, including TFC World Welterweight Champion Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford, former TUF finalist Tommy "Farmboy" Speer, TFC World Light Heavyweight Champion Victor Valimaki,

and UFC veteran Tim "Thrashing Machine" Hague. Tickets are available through http://www.thefightclub.ca/, or (780) 991-5670.

“HIGH OCTANE" will be the first Canadian MMA event to be shown live on pay per view. The PPV will be available across Canada on Shaw, Shaw Direct, Bell TV, and Viewer's Choice. The event will also be broadcasted at many commercial establishments, bars, pubs, lounges, and casinos across Canada. In addition, through a distribution agreement with Ringside Boxing & MMA, the event will be televised to a potential worldwide audience of over 130 million viewers on a delayed basis. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 17th at 2 PM at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton.

In the main event, Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford (11-2) will defend his title against TUF season six finalist Tommy "Farmboy" Speer (13-4). "The Real Deal" is a native of Edmonton, and has defeated UFC veterans Pete Spratt and CJ Fernandez. Many consider Ford to be the top contender for the next breakout Canadian welterweight, following in the footsteps of current UFC World Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. Speer, who has beaten War Machine (a.k.a. Jon Koppenhaver), Ben Saunders, and George Sotiropoulos while appearing on The Ultimate Fighter season 6. He has gone 4-1 since his exit from the UFC.

The co-main event will feature Edmonton, Alberta native Victor "The Matrix" Valimaki (16-5), who holds the TFC Light Heavyweight Championship, as he puts his title on the line against Martin "Stress" Desilets (9-2), who hails from Victoriaville, Quebec. Former UFC fighter Valimaki is riding a seven-fight winning streak, and is hoping that a win over Desilets will vault him back into the UFC. He holds victories over MMA legend Dan "The Beast" Severn and UFC veterans Vernon "Tiger" White, and Jason Day. Desilet is the XMMA Light Heavyweight title-holder, and trains with the likes of Kenny Florian and George St. Pierre. He is the number-one contender to the belt held by "The Matrix."

Also featured at "HIGH OCTANE" will be recent UFC heavyweight Tim Hague (10-3) taking up-and-comer Tyler East (5-3) in an anticipated bout. The massive Hague has defeated UFC veterans Sherman "The Tank" Pendergarst and Pat Barry. The man he'll be facing, Tyler East, is a 6'5" 230 lb. youngster who has fought for Bellator and King of the Cage. In addition, Edmonton native Victor "The Professor" Bachman (6-2), a former TFC Canadian Welterweight Champion will compete in a match in which the winner will get a shot at the Canadian title in June.

The full fight card includes:

Ryan Ford (11-2) vs. Tommy Speer (13-4)

Victor Valimaki (16-5) vs. Martin Desilets (9-2)

Tim Hague (10-3) vs. Tyler East (5-3)

Victor Bachmann (6-2) vs. Markhaile Wedderburn (8-5)

Sheldon Westcott (2-1) vs. Tim Smith (10-4)

Cody Krahn (6-2) vs. Elliot Duff (2-2)

Mitch Clarke (5-0) vs. Brandon MacArthur (5-14)

Curtis Demarce (9-7) vs. Mike Bell (4-14)

Rio Wells (2-0) vs. Karel Berger (1-0)

Jason Zorthian (3-3) vs. Todd Mabbott (2-1)

Doug Neumann (0-0) vs. David Bodrug (1-0)