PFC 13 Weigh-Ins went down on Saturday, March 7 at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel in Toronto. A couple of fighters failed to make weight and a couple of bouts fell by the wayside but largely things went off smoothly. The promotion which is largely based in Windsor and London is taking their show into the six.

PFC 13 Weigh-In Results

Tony Laramie (124.6) vs Claudio Ledesma (126.2) [vacant PFC flyweight championship]

Adam De Freitas (154) vs Zackery Powell (155.8)

Michael Imperato (135.6) vs Matthew Skibicki (138.6)

Melissa Karagianis (115.4) vs Claudia Baril (115.6)

Jorge Britto (170.8) vs Loyd Galindo (170)

Binaebi Otoru (126) vs Hashmat Sarwary (124.2)

Bobby Poulter (168.6) vs Bryce Gougeon (170.8)

Amear Bani (141.8) vs Amro Al Falastini (136.8)

Noah Crosswell (134.2) vs Serge Dancos (135.8)

Joe Marchand (145) vs. Brad Sullivan (145)

PFC 13 goes Sunday, March 8 at Rebel Night Club in Toronto, Ontario. A 125 pound championship bout is scheduled at the top of the marquee but there’s a lot to look forward to beyond that. Prospect Fighting Championships showcases individuals who’ve had UFC contract offers, a KOTC/ Rizin veteran, and fittingly enough, all of the top prospective talents among the Ontario MMA scene and Canada by proxy.

Don’t miss our conversations with Adam De Freitas and Zackery Powell

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Training with the Best

Adam De Freitas has been getting in work with some of the finest fighters in all of Canada. Speaking to Cageside Press, De Freitas said, “I do a large portion of my training at Parabellum. That’s my home gym. So every day they have pro sessions. Thursday is one of the harder days, it’s wrestling. We’ve got the best guys in the country I believe there, man. We’ve got Scott Hudson, Jesse Ronson, Kyle Nelson.”

The lightweight has been doing his due diligence to be optimally prepared for an opponent De Freitas knows will bring it on fight night. “I always look at a little footage, De Freitas stated. “I know Zackery Powell’s a killer. He’s a good ground guy. I haven’t seen that much footage but I am very aware of his skillset. But in terms of prepping, I kind of stick to my gameplan and my game.”

It looks like Prospect Fighting Championships has been and continues to be a great banner for Adam De Freitas competes under. “I fought for PFC in June and they treated me like gold, man,” De Freitas remarked. “They do a great job. Their shows are phenomenal. And it’s extra special that I get to fight in Toronto. I think it’s going to be a packed event.”

Adam De Freitas

That aforementioned June fight marked De Freitas’ pro debut win. It almost seemed like more of a battle to secure a fight than the actual mixed-martial-arts competition. Adam De Freitas explained that “I’ve been trying for two years to get a pro fight in. Five or six opponents all of them not showing up. Backing out on two weeks notice or showing up seventeen pounds overweight. The commission wouldn’t allow the fight to go through.”

De Freitas continued, “So it was nice that I got a nice tough opponent in Kris Allard to show up and I think he was the perfect fight for me to come into. Not an easy fight, got to show some grit, still got to show off that I’m a submission guy and catch him in a submission.”

While he isn’t getting in time training, De Freitas is a Tactical Unit Officer. He works in law enforcement and uses his platform to raise money for charitable efforts. He does MMA because he loves it and allocates around 80 plus hours a week to his work in law enforcement.

De Freitas said, “I’m a huge Brazilian jiu-jitsu buff and I love how applicable Brazilian jiu-jitsu is to all forms of law enforcement. MMA is a big passion my life but another passion is bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu into law enforcement tactics. Bring it into handcuffing. Just making sure officers stay safe.”

His baby boy Logan is also adding to all of the love lately. A great time to be Adam De Freitas in a number of regards.

PFC 13

One facet of De Freitas’ life that is decidedly unfavorable is the health issues he’s been dealing with for the last twelve months. De Freitas stated, “I got diagnosed with Crohn’s last year. So it’s been a battle trying to still compete as a professional with that. But with CBD oil and taking precautions with my diet and stuff like that, I’ve never felt better.”

In summation, De Freitas remarked “There’s a bit of a resurgence going on in Ontario. We’ve always had the best fighters but it looks like now we have one or two organizations that are making it happen.”

Check out the full interview with Adam De Freitas, which can be found at this link

The post PFC 13’s Adam De Freitas “It’s extra special that I get to fight in Toronto” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Powell had an impressive amateur career prior to signing with TKO MMA, the leading promotion out of Quebec. He heads to Ontario this time out — and it’s a great time to get to know this lightweight prospect.

First of all, how did you get into MMA?
I got into MMA at the age of 15 years old. But ever since the young age of 12, when I saw GSP fight at UFC 100, I knew I wanted to try MMA someday. So knowing this, my parents signed me up in an MMA gym for my 15th birthday. Even though my mom was really hesitant, she let me try it out and I fell in love with the sport instantly.

Do you have any background in any other sports? If so, explain?
I do! I played Hockey at the highest level possible from the age of 10 to 17. During high school, I was enrolled in a program where I would have my studies in the morning and I’d play hockey in the afternoon. At the age of 17, I played a half-season. I was so focused on MMA though, I quit hockey and decided to focus on getting my 1st amateur MMA fight.

What do you do for work or would MMA be your full-time job?
I consider MMA to be my full-time job and I work as a waiter on the weekends to make ends meet.

Who are you currently training with and who are some of your main sparring partners?
I currently train at Evolution HQ under Vincent Houle and Patenaude Martial Arts under Sifu Patrick Marcil. My main sparring partners would be Julien Leblanc (5-1, fighting for BFL title), Isaac Blais (2-0, also on next BFL card), Kevin Bastien (trains under the legend Jean-Yves Theriault), and Serge Dancos (1-0). I also get the chance to spar with UFC’s Marc-André Bariault and the King of Lethwei, Dave Leduc!

List of accomplishments such as titles, belt ranks, etc…?
– Ranked #1 Amateur Welterweight in Quebec 2018, Top 3 in Canada.
– Won 3 titles in the amateur ranks.
– Signed with TKO, Canada’s top tier organization at the young age of 21.
– Nominated for Rookie of the Year by TKO and Canadian MMA news outlets in 2018.
– Nominated for Submission of the Year by TKO and Canadian MMA news outlets in 2018.
– Currently an undefeated professional fighter.

What are your favorite striking and grappling techniques?
For striking, I love closing the distance with my right hand and countering with hooks. I’m a big believer in the in-and-out system, dealing damage while taken none. For grappling, everything that has to do with back control is my favorite.

You’re set to fight Adam De Freitas coming up. What do you think of him as an opponent and how do you see this fight playing out?
I have the utmost respect for Adam. He had a decent amateur career, he’s one of Ontario’s finest prospects and fights to finish. I’m excited to test my skills against a guy like Adam. He’s a tremendous grappler. He likes finishing guys off of his back. That being said, I think it’s a bad game plan going in against a guy like me. I’m extremely comfortable on top, throwing ground and pound from the guard and I’m extremely hard to take down. I will have the advantage in the athleticism department and I plan on using that by making it a gritty and uncomfortable fight for a technician like Adam. It won’t be pretty, but it won’t be 15 minutes. 2 rounds or less.

You’re still so young in your career so where do you see yourself in three years?
Three years from now I see myself entering a major promotion, such as UFC, Bellator, PFL or One FC. By the age of 25, being able to do this full-time without having a job on the side would be great too.

For the fans that’s never watched you before what would you tell them to expect when you are in that cage?
Expect the unexpected! I fight to finish, I also fight to entertain. My goal is to have the fans wanting to see more of my fights and to follow my career.

If you weren’t fighting today where would you be?
I honestly have no idea. Fighting is my identity. I don’t see myself doing anything else. If I was forced out of MMA, I would probably focus on BJJ or on teaching.

Last question. Why do you fight and who do you fight for?
I fight because to me there’s nothing more real. It’s as real as it gets. It’s a sport where your success depends on yourself and I like that. I fight for myself, anything in life you invest most of your time into should be for yourself and not to please others. Sure there are people I don’t want to let down, but I know that the important people in my life will stay by my side through good times and bad.

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