Battle ready

Winning is half of what local mixed martial artist David Letourneau hopes to do in his MFC debut later this month.

Letourneau (1-1), who just recently signed a one-fight contract with the Alberta-based Maximum Fighting Championship, hopes to attract attention to his professional MMA career with a highlight-reel victory over opponent Nick Hrynchyshyn (2-0).

The 30-year-old local welterweight takes on Hrynchyshyn at MFC 24 – Heat XC on Feb. 24. Letourneau isn’t scheduled to fight on the main card, but will instead be featured as one of six preliminary bouts. There is a chance that some of the preliminary fights will be shown during the main card, but that’s never a guarantee.

"First of all, my goal is to put on an exciting show," Letourneau said. "I’d like a highlight-reel finish so that I could get onto the main card in the future."

Letourneau trains out of the Leading Edge Gym in Thunder Bay with fellow local mixed martial artist and MFC contract fighter Nathan Gunn. The 170-pound fighter is a Taekwondo blackbelt whose had a bit of amateur boxing training. He’s been studying MMA for three years.

Letourneau is a counter-puncher who brings a style to the ring that he says is similar to current UFC light-heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida. Thr elusive fighting style is one part of what Letourneau believes will add a win to his record.

"I think my style is going to frustrate him," he said. "I think I’m going to be able to hit him a lot more than he can hit me. I think the clinch, the wrestling and the ground is going to be his demise. I’m going to push the pace, get him up against he ropes, take him down, punch him a bit, grind him down and look for a submission."

Letourneau adds that there is more to his style than a polished and frustrating counter-punching technique. The local fighter has been working Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ever since he started training MMA, and more recently has been fine-tuning his wrestling with Lakehead University’s wrestling team.

"I’ve been working my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ever since I came (to the Leading Edge Gym)," he said. "My game has come so far since I started … the submission aspect of this sport is something I’ve always been strong at."

A win isn’t likely going to be easy. Hrynchyshyn is on a multi-fight contract with the MFC and is believed by many to be an important prospect for the fight promotion. He’s won both of his professional MMA matches by technical knock out – one in the last minute of the second round, the other in the first minute of the first round.

And the six-foot-one fighter from Alberta is, like his Thunder Bay opponent, not interested in a judge’s decision.

"Every time I step into the ring I could not imagine losing the fight or even going to a decision," Hrynchyshyn told prommanow.com "I’m in there to finish every time."

MFC 24 will broadcast live via the Internet on the MFC website. The main card begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26. Pre-orders are available now.