MFC 39’s Anthony Hamilton says Darrill Schoonover is no stepping stone

Maximum Fighting Championships heavyweight champion Anthony Hamilton has the unfortunate luck of earning a spectacular knockout in a year filled with them.

Hamilton’s head-kick KO of Smealinho Rama at this past October’s MFC 38 event is unlikely to win him much more than an honorable mention alongside UFC fighters Chris Weidman, Travis Browne, Mark Hunt and others.

But that’s OK for the 33-year-old fighter, who splits his time between Jackson-Winkeljohn’s MMA and Ivan Salaverry’s MMA in his native Washington. He is focused on his next fight, which comes against Darrill Schoonover (13-5) tonight at MFC 39 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“That’s what a lot of fighters dream about,” Hamilton (11-2) told MMAjunkie Radio about fighting in the octagon. “But it’s one fight at a time for me, and whoever’s next we’ll see what’s up after that.”

MFC 39 takes place at Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton. The event’s main card airs live on AXS TV.

With five straight wins and the endorsement of high-level fighters such as Jackson’s Browne, he could be looking at a UFC contract offer when he completes his time with the MFC. Schoonover is a UFC vet whose appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter 10? touched off a five-fight losing streak. He’s won his past three, but he is nevertheless a name Hamilton could use as a stepping stone.

Hamilton isn’t ready to declare him one, though.

“Darrill is a tough opponent, and I’m honored to fight this guy, so you can’t really look past anyone,” Hamilton said. “I haven’t really had any trouble with it. I think I’m a little bit older and a little bit more mature now, so I understand the importance of every single fight.”

Hamilton didn’t necessarily expect to knock out Rama in such spectacular fashion, but he said the level of competition encourages him to come in shape and ready to fight.

“The way the sport is evolving, we really don’t have an excuse,” he said. “We have to perform just the same as every other weight class. We can’t be going out there and being extra fat and extra floppy. We have to be athletes, and I think the level of competition that’s coming in now, we have to be the best we can be.”

Hamilton is expecting that Schoonover will be as tough a challenge as any he’s faced in his 13-fight professional career. Schoonover’s previous career slide isn’t something he considers to be an indicator of weakness.

“I think some of the guys he lost to were really tough guys, and they would have been tough fights for anyone,” he said. “That’s something you need to take into consideration. But I think he’s a guy that has his ups and downs, like everybody else, and I just need to be prepared for the best Darrill Schoonover that there ever was and ever will be.”

Hamilton had his own skid midway through his pro career, when he lost two straight to UFC vets. He pulled out of the dive, and now he’s one of the more intriguing prospects in the heavyweight division.

Tonight, he’ll return to the spotlight to continue building his career.

“I thought we were going to be the main event,” he said. “But just to be under those lights … that’s enough for me.”

For the latest on MFC 39, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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