MMA is back in Tampa this weekend. Xtreme Fightign Championships is bringing its “Salute to Our Armed Forces 5” to the Forum in downtown Tampa. Take a look at the press release from XFC below…

Biggest Mixed Martial Arts Event in Florida History Slated for the St. Pete Times Forum this Saturday
With an Expected Attendance of over 15K, Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC)’s “Salute to Our Armed Forces 5” Will Be the Most Heavily Attended MMA Event Ever in Florida

Tampa, FL: On Saturday, September 13 at the Forum, six-foot, ten-inch Gan “The Giant” McGee will launch his MMA comeback here in Tampa against ex-powerlifting record-holder Johnathan Ivey.  When McGee last fought on American soil, he was competing for the UFC heavyweight title on Pay-Per-View against champion Tim Sylvia.  The fight was one of the most controversial bouts in UFC history: Sylvia won, but tested positive for illegal steroids in a post-fight drug test.  Sylvia was suspended, fined, and stripped of his title – but McGee was never granted a rematch.

“Tim Sylvia is a great fighter and the video tape doesn’t lie, he beat the hell out of me,” remarked McGee from his San Luis Obispo training camp. “Did the steroids make a difference?  Different people have different theories, I guess.  I think the steroids definitely were a factor.  But for me, what hurt the most was sacrificing absolutely everything I had to finally achieve my dream of becoming a world champion, and then falling short. And when it became clear that UFC wasn’t going to consider me for a second title shot, my entire world collapsed. I felt like a part of me had just died.  It was beyond devastating.  Now I’m back – and I’m not gonna stop until that title is officially around my waist.  Ivey’s the first man on my hit list.”

Veteran heavyweight Johnathan Ivey is looking to spoil McGee’s comeback bid: “If McGee looks past me, he’s out of his damn mind,” Ivey stated.  “Nobody has run through me.  Nobody.  That doesn’t happen. Ain’t nobody gonna walk through me like I’m nothing.  I have no glaring weaknesses.  If he’s not worried about his legs, he’s crazy.  I have more leg-lock wins than any other professional fighter in the world.  I’ve never been knocked out – or even knocked off my feet – in my entire career.  Look, I think McGee is a top fighter and I see our September 13 battle as a potential full-fledged war – a Fight of the Year candidate. There’s gonna be hellacious back-and-forth action, and the winner is gonna be the man who can handle the punishment. I know Gan is tough.  Now we’re gonna find out how tough he really is.”

The first three XFC fight cards at the Forum have all drawn over 10,000 fans each.  Saturday’s MMA showdown is expected to be the first promotion in Florida history to eclipse the 15,000 attendance threshold.

Also on the fight card is Tampa native Dave “Pay Me” Yost – the son of ex-North Redington Beach Mayor David Yost.  Dave Yost is an undefeated heavyweight who’s won all his fights by knockout, and his “Pay Me” nickname is an allusion to his past work as a debt-collector for the mafia.  “All that mafia stuff… it’s a part of my life that I’m not particularly proud of, but I’m not ashamed of it either,” Yost acknowledged from the XFC training facility in Tampa.  “And y’know, I really did learn a lot from the mob.  First of all, people who say violence isn’t the answer don’t know what they’re talking about.  Violence solves all kinds of problems.  You just gotta determine how far you’re willing to go.  And after working for those mobsters, there’s nothing in a steel cage that scares me whatsoever.  Whoever fights me, if he’s not fighting for his life, he’s not gonna win.  And he might not make it out of the cage alive.”