When one door closes another opens, and in this case, the cage door is wide open for a new contender.  Eric Marriott, a mixed martial artist who sports an impressive 10-1-1 professional record and a 18-3 amateur record, fighting as heavy as 205 pounds, will step in to take on Chris Mickle at MCC 21.  Marriott, who is currently in negotiations with Strikeforce, with wins over WEC vet and season seven Ultimate Fighter alum, Joe Benoit, former MCC lightweight contender Michael Johnson, and former MCC Champion Ted Worthington, is excited for the opportunity and knows a win over Chris Mickle will propel him into the major leagues.  Marriott quickly stated, “I’m tired of all my fights going to the ground. I want a guy who will stand and bang with me.  Being a WEC vet and having all of his experience, I’m hoping Chris and I can stand and bang it out for the crowd!”  Featherweight champion, Chris Mickle has been involved in some of the most epic battles inside the MCC cage, and this fight should be nothing less that highlight worthy.

In other exciting news, Midwest Cage Championship has just purchased a new,larger cage for MCC 21.  “We’ve moved the show to a bigger, better arena.  It was time to get a bigger, better cage as well.” commented MCC co-owner, John Halverson.  “There is more room for showcasing sponsors, better camera angles for Mediacom, and more room for action inside the cage.  The fighters are stoked, and we know the fans will be too.”  added Halverson.

Check out www.MidwestCageChampionship.com for updates, and more up to the minute news, including the weekly blog of veteran mixed martial artist Ronnie “Warfrog” Britt as he prepares for his final battle inside the cage.  At MCC 21 he will face Brazillian Jiu Jitsu ace, Marcus Mack.  Tickets are available on-line, at the Iowa Events Center box office, www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, by phone 1-866-55-DAHLS, or 515-229-8566.

“If it ain’t MCC, it ain’t real!”

Des Moines, IA- April 7, 2009- Several MCC fighters have incurred injuries during preparation for the April 17 event that have required them to drop from the fight card. “Our fighters are continually pushing their training further to meet the greater challenges associated with the increasingly higher caliber match-ups in our promotions”, stated MCC partner and UFC vet John Halverson. ” Injuries are a normal dynamic of MMA, and every sport, and we’re always prepared with significant replacements. MCC 20 remains a great looking card”, Halverson concluded.

A highly anticipated fight between standout light heavy weight wrestlers, Jessee Lund and Chad Vance, has been postponed until MCC 21 in June.

Josh Atwell has been replaced in the featherweight four man tournament by Cedar Rapids Erik Koch. Fans across the Midwest have heard much about Koch based on his training with current MCC Champ and two time UFC vet Joe “The Doctor” Vedepo, as well as up and comer Steve Carl, having just returned from his win for Team North America for M1 in Bulgaria. In competition, Koch has scored wins against the likes of Pride and WEC vet Joe Pearson, as well as former MCC Champ TJ “The Spider” O’ Brien. Koch will lay his undefeated record on the line as he faces Will Shutt, another former MCC Champion, in the first round of the four man tournament. Fans from both sides of the card can expect an exciting performance deserving of a title fight.

In the rapid paced bantam weight division, Nate “Teddy Bear” Williams returns to MCC 20 following his pro debut in MCC 19, where he definitively reigned over John La Pray. Williams faces newcomer Seth Craig in his pro debut fight. Craig holds three amateur belts from his eight fight amateur career and hails from MMA centric Creston, IA. Word on this fight has spread even more quickly than the action that is certain to go down in the cage.

The card contains eleven bouts in total and features Miletich Fighting Systems standout Marshall Blevins, Jeff ” Lil’ X-Rated” Carstens, rising star Daraughn “Day Day” Canada, as well as one of Des Moines favorites, Mike “Mini Van” Van Meer, who drops to a 180 lb. catch weight class.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Val Air box office, by phone at (515) 223-6152, and on-line at http://www.midwestcagechampionship.com.

You can view the TV spot for the event at the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFlRbg1fzrQ