MMACanada Exclusive Interview With Canadian MMA Promoter, Dave Houshiar

Hardcore Championship Fighting (HCF) was one of Canada's premier Mixed Martial Arts organizations. It was announced earlier in the month that the company was folding. This news put to rest months of speculation of a new investor buying into the company. HCF positioned itself as one of the top Canadian organizations with a great stable of fighters and four solid fight cards over the past year.

Keith Crawford and Dave Houshiar were co-owners of HCF and have apparently parted ways. The speculation on the status of the organization left many wondering what the future held for the organization. With media, fans, and other industry professionals talking and creating a buzz on the HCF incident, we here at MMA Canada have the first opportunity to talk exclusively to Dave Houshiar.

In the press release regarding the incident, Keith Crawford acknowledged that both he and Dave Houshiar would remain active within the MMA industry. Dave has wasted little time and is back to work under a new banner with Raw Combat.


Q: MMACanada.net is one on one exclusively with Dave Houshiar. Dave, how are things going?

A: Everything is going great... Thank you.


Q: It seemed like HCF was leading the way with quality fighters and cards in Canada. Why the sudden collapse?

A: To be honest, I don't really consider it a collapse. If I had to put a label on it, I think I'd refer to it as being more along the lines of an evolution. HCF provided an excellent start point for me... I learned a lot about the sport and had an opportunity to develop many solid relationships with numerous key players. Overall, it was a great experience, but I do feel that I took the promotion as far as it could go. I'm now in the process of transitioning to the next level.


Q: Obviously a lot of hard work was put into making HCF what it was, it's obviously a shame that it has been dismantled. What are your feelings on this?

A: Again, It's not really something that I see as being negative. It hasn't really been dismantled, it's been reconfigured and hybridized in a killer new format. All of that hard work led to the development and acquisition of a great amount of experience and knowledge. When I originally made the decision to enter the MMA business, I did so largely because of the passion that I feel for the sport. The passion hasn't gone away, if anything, it has intensified along with my understanding of how to play the game. I'm now in a position to apply all of that energy and experience to everything that I have on the go right now. I feel very positive and optimistic about the future.


Q: What is your status with Keith Crawford?

A: Keith is a very interesting guy. As far as status is concerned, we've both decided that it's best to move forward in different directions at this point in time. I wish him all the best with his future endeavors.


Q: Things happen for a reason and you can only look forward. Apparently you've turned around quickly by creating the new Raw Combat organization. Can you explain your goals and mission with Raw Combat?

A: Wow, that's a huge question. I guess that I can sum it up by saying that we intend to take the best elements of HCF and then crank the volume way up. I'm planning to go big with Raw Combat. We're going to build a brand that will come to be known for showcasing the most exciting aspects of Mixed Martial Arts action. I'm now working with a team of guys that share my style and vision for the way a promotion should be run. We're going to build young athletes, create excellent career advancing opportunities for them and always do it in such a way that maximizes entertainment and excitement for our audiences. There are so many plans in development right now. Be sure to check back regularly... Things are about to start moving very quickly with Raw Combat.


Q: You put together some great fights for HCF that featured notable talent such as Aleksander Emelianenko, Joe Riggs, Hector Ramirez, David Loiseau, Gideon Ray, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira among others. You also had a lot of celebrity guest appearances with Fedor Emelianenko, Big John McCarthy and Randy Couture all taking part. Can we expect more of the same with Raw Combat?

A: Absolutely. I was very happy with the quality of the matches and the level of star power that HCF was able to deliver. I'm now looking to push for an even higher level with Raw Combat. Keep in mind that I'm not just approaching this from the perspective of a businessman... I'm also a huge fan of the sport. I will always be looking to create the kind of energy and atmosphere that fans deserve and truly want to experience when they come out to an event.


Q: HCF was very well known for being on Canadian network television on The Score Network. Will Raw Combat be following in the same footsteps?

A: Definitely... I'm currently looking at many different broadcast options. I feel confident that Raw Combat is going generate the kind of excitement and entertainment value that broadcasters are really going to appreciate and find attractive. The Raw Combat team is very experienced with film and television production. No question, we will be moving forward with a very aggressive media strategy.


Q: There have been many posts and articles about Raw Combat and the split with HCF on many different websites and forums across the internet, can you let the people know where they can see the most accurate information for Raw Combat?

A: I'm currently working with an amazing web team on the development of rawcombat.tv. The site will be built around an incredibly media-rich platform... It's going to be an excellent source of information. I also want to mention mmacanada.net. You guys has always been very supportive and accurate in your coverage of my projects... I really appreciate it.


Q: Thank you Dave. With that being said, your debut will be on June 20th in a joint promotion with LFC in Alberta, can you talk more about your first show and possibly give us a sneak peak of the fight card?

A: That's right... Raw Combat "Resurrection" - Friday, June 20th at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary. I feel really good about this upcoming event. I've got a new team supporting me now and I think this is the perfect opportunity for us to cut our teeth together. We've been watching the guys at Legacy Fighting Championship for some time now and I have to say that I'm really excited to be working in association with them on this debut show.

This is our full card...

Travis Galbraith vs Hector Ramirez
Dan Hornbuckle vs Nabil Khatib (Raw Combat WW Title Fight)
Andrew Buckland vs David Loiseau
Garett Davis vs Carlo Prater
Antonio Schembri vs Derrick Noble
Bibiano Fernandes vs Juan Barrantes
Kajan Johnson vs Ariel Sexton
Marcus Vinicios vs Brandon MacArthur
Myles Merola vs Kurt Southern
Len Tam vs Chris Desaultels (LFC LW Title Fight)
Nathan Gunn vs Max Dalsin
Adam Farr vs Dami Egbeyemi
Mike Rowbotham vs Mike Zvonick

I'm really pleased with this card... I think it's got an excellent balance of both serious veterans and young, hungry rising talent. All of these guys are very, very solid athletes.

I think that Travis and Hector are going to deliver an incredibly exciting fight... Their styles match up really well. Both guys have been around for awhile now and they've more than proven their ability to stand and bang with the best. This is Travis' backyard, I know that he's taking this fight very seriously and fully intends to take the fight directly to Ramirez.

Hornbuckle and Khatib is a match that has fireworks written all over it. It's an extremely tough fight for both guys. There's no question that whoever walks away with the title is going to have earned it. I couldn't be happier that these are the two guys that are going to fight for the first Raw Combat belt.

I'm especially pleased with Loiseau/Buckland. I had a chance to work closely with both of these guys over the past year and I've really developed a tremendous amount of respect for both of them. I mean, what can you say about David that hasn't already been said? He's an incredibly skilled fighter with experience at every level of the game... the man is a true Canadian pioneer. Andrew is one of those guys who is an extremely hard worker. He's determined to test himself and now he's ready to take a serious step up in competition. It's really exciting that he's going to be doing it in front of his hometown crowd.

There are so many other talented guys on this card. I'm really looking forward to seeing Bibiano in action. I've been following his Jiu Jitsu career for some time now... His K1 performance against Kid Yamamoto was very impressive. I can't wait to see him fight.

Davis, Prater, Noble, Schembri, Johnson, Sexton... all of these guys are very solid. I'm totally excited about this event. I think that Calgary is in for a great night of action packed fights. We're expecting to blow the roof off the Max Bell Centre.


Q: What would you like to say to everyone (The fans, fighters, and industry people) reading this?

A: More than anything, I'd like to say that Raw Combat is open for business. We're looking to build relationships, promote world-class shows and do our part to help push the sport forward. We're going to continue to work hard and develop a platform that delivers the perfect balance of sports and entertainment. Fighters must always be treated professionally with respect and audiences must always feel that they have been completely engaged and entertained by the experience. It's a simple formula... We intend to deliver on it 100%.


Q: Thanks again Dave, we're excited for what the future holds for you. Best of luck with everything.

A: Thank you... I appreciate the interview.

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