'Leonidas' links up with MFC

Henle to face Harris in middleweight showdown at MFC 34: Total Recall

Joseph "Leonidas" Henle is coming to the Maximum Fighting Championship with

a message.

He has been waiting for a stiff challenge for some time, and now faced with

the biggest step up in competition of his career, Henle is eager to prove

himself.

"The last three or four guys I've fought, I knew I was the better guy and my

opponent knew I was the better guy," Henle explained.

"That made things hard to get motivated. Now there's going be this other guy

across the ring, and I don't know if he's better than me or not. That gets

my blood pumping. I can't wait to put it on him and show him he's not at my

level."

The man that Henle (6-0-1) will make that self-discovery against will be

Luke Harris (9-1) when they clash at MFC 34: Total Recall. The fight, which

will be a featured bout on the HDNet Fights main card emanating from the

Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, will be Henle's

organizational debut after signing a multi-fight deal with the MFC.

"I'm very excited to be in the MFC. I'm amped to be a part of it," said

Henle, who learned a lot about the organization from frequent training

partners Emanuel Newton, the former MFC light-heavyweight champ, and current

MFC welterweight contender Jamie Toney.

He ultimately decided it was the place to be after discussions with MFC

Owner/President Mark Pavelich.

"I really like Mark's attitude," added Henle. "I follow him on Twitter and

I've listened to his interviews. I like that he's aggressive and how he

talks about his fighters and his organization. It got me fired up and

wanting to work for a guy like that."

Henle holds three submission wins of his own and has registered three

victories inside the opening round including a first-round knockout of

Gabriel Lopez. Harris, meanwhile, has racked up all of his victories inside

the opening five minutes - all by way of submission including his tidy

verdict over Edwin Dewees at MFC 33 back in May.

Henle, who fights out of Thousand Oaks, California, has started his homework

for Harris, who rides a nine-fight winning streak into the matchup. The

28-year-old former reality show standout is well aware of Harris's judo and

jiu-jitsu talents, but a game plan is well in the works.

"If I stick to my game plan it's going to be a long night for him . or a

short night, I don't care which," said Henle.

"The thing about a jiu-jitsu black belt is that they turn into a brown belt

pretty quick after getting hit with a couple punches. And once you hit them

with a couple knees, they become a white belt.

"I know Harris is an excellent fighter and he's a great grappler. What

people have seen from me is good grappling but that's all they've seen. I'm

fighting a guy with good ground skills and that's a challenge for me, but I

want an exciting challenge. It takes me back to when I first started

fighting. I was out to challenge myself and to see if I was the better than

the other guy."

Tickets for MFC 34: Total Recall are on sale now and are available

exclusively through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024

.