Local fighters set to debut at Rumble in the Cage 69 in Alberta

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —Northern Combat Club’s Clint Parker is “really excited” for the debut of three of his fighters in a mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.

Timber Bigfoot, Aiden Hoffmeyer, and Marc Schaefer will test their skills at Rumble in the Cage 69, slated for April 5th in Lethbridge, Alberta.

The regional event in Southern Alberta was founded by MMA competitor Lee Mein back in 2000 and has featured top veterans in the sport – including Mein’s son, Jordan – in fights before they headed to sport’s top promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 

All three fighters have extensive experience in Parker’s Northern Combat Invitational (NCI), and Schaefer recently won gold at a grappling competition in Edmonton.

“I’m basically bringing down a bunch of my NCI champions,” said Parker. “It’ll be crazy.”

While Hoffmeyer and Schaefer will compete in MMA, Bigfoot – a member of Prophet River First Nation – will fight a hybrid rules bout. 

Parker estimates Bigfoot has been training for over a decade.

“He’s a big dude,” said Parker. “It was supposed to be a bare-knuckle fight, but his opponent wants to do boxing with MMA gloves because he doesn’t want to do grappling.”

A fourth fighter, Steve Smith, was also scheduled to compete – however, Smith’s bout was scratched from the card.

Parker maintains Smith is “hoping” for a last minute opponent. 

Looking ahead, Parker says his NCI 14 and 15 events will happen in Fort Nelson on May 10th, and feels the future of his gym looks bright.

“These guys going down there are already super experienced with grappling,” said Parker. “We do striking all the time, so this is the combination of it all. They’re going to have fun.”

Rumble in the Cage 69 is on Saturday, April 5th at the Servus Sports Centre in Lethbridge.  Start time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Mountain time.

For more information about Northern Combat Club, visit NCC’s Facebook page.