Four years can be a long time. Especially in MMA.
In the sport’s minor leagues, marking time is like riding a bull. It’s not an easy place to get or keep a foothold, whether you’re a fighter or a promoter.
This makes Resurrection Fighting Alliance noteworthy. It recently marked off its fourth anniversary, just completed its 33rd event and continues to stay ensconced on AXS TV, the cable TV home of several smaller-scale MMA promotions.
Other than its relative longevity, what sets RFA apart is its clear-eyed vision of its place in the MMA world. Where other shows try to conquer a certain region of the country or focus single-mindedly on competing with top organizations like the UFC or Bellator, RFA has leaned into the shark, forging a symbiotic relationship with the big show and becoming an unabashed feeder league to the big time.
That relationship largely originated with Ed Soares, who is probably best known in the MMA world as the manager to UFC champion fighters like Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva and co-founder of the vaunted Black House gym, but he became president of RFA in 2012.
"Before I got involved, I knew the guys who started RFA off,” Soares said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “They had some pretty decent names fighting for them, for being a startup promotion. It kind of got me interested. …They approached me [about working with RFA].”
Before ever getting involved in MMA, Soares worked as a nightclub promoter in his native California. So a lot of the organic work of an MMA promotion came naturally to him.
“My background is in promotion,” Soares said. “I had thought for a long time about getting into the MMA promotion business. I was thinking about it and thinking about it, and back in 2012, I said 'Yeah, I'll give it a shot.' I wanted to get my feet wet and see what it was all about."
The rest, as they say, is history. RFA has gone on to become one of the most prominent shows at its level, particularly in the Midwest region of the U.S., and heading into 2016, it shows no signs of slowing.
"We want better shows, creating a better product. We have a great partnership with AXS TV, and we want to build on those sorts of relationships,” Soares said.
More so than any specific geographic dominance, Soares and RFA focus on providing a solid platform of advancement for their fighters.
"Our whole purpose is trying to get fighters to the next level,” Soares said. “It's a developmental league because it's a step up in competition, and it's a fight under the lights and in front of the cameras. They see what it's like when it's time to move up to the UFC or to Bellator. They feel better prepared. … We develop them not just inside the cage, but when you’re a [RFA] main or co-main, you have media commitments. You get used to those duties outside the cage. You learn how to go out and promote your fight."
RFA’s success in this mission is evident in its alumni. Top UFC prospects like Mirsad Bektic and Sergio Pettis, mainstays like Pedro Munhoz and Dustin Ortiz, and former Bellator champion and current UFC flyweight Zach Makovsky are some of the bigger names that have gone through RFA’s doors. Just days ago, bantamweight blue-chipper Luke Sanders became the RFA’s latest addition to the octagonal cage. Soares also manages, along with longtime business partner Jorge Guimaraes, some RFA veterans, including Munhoz and featherweight belt holder Brian Ortega (both now with the UFC).
Let's Go @BrianTCity! #MMA #UFC195 #TCity http://pic.twitter.com/vyzIFluzEf
— RFA (@RFAfighting) January 3, 2016
As in any business endeavor, not everything has gone according to plan. An acquisition of rival Titan Fighting Championship in late 2012 landed RFA on AXS TV, but it didn't go entirely according to plan. For a time, Soares and partner Sven Bean essentially ran—and paid for—RFA by themselves.
It made for some tough times, but that lean-and-mean mentality still influences RFA's operations today.
“Sven and I did the show on our own, from funding the show to putting it on," Soares said. "We're not a big team, but we're an efficient team, and we keep our overhead low and our noses to the grindstone. It's combination of experience and treating people right."
Soares was well-positioned for his current role given his foundation in both MMA and promotion work. Still, he says, nothing can fully prepare you for the myriad duties, big and small, that go along with the job.
"It's a lot of little things when you're on the other side,” Soares said. “You're constantly negotiating. There's a lot of little things such as having tape and gauze, having ice and water. Making sure the ambulances are there. It's a bit overwhelming."
Over time, though, Soares and his partners got a taste for the work. Though the RFA is not exactly a cash cow, Soares said it is turning a profit.
"Sometimes, guys let their ego get away from them, they overspend and start losing money,” Soares said. “We're not making a ton of money, but we are making money. There are maybe two or three shows on TV that are making money."
Plans for 2016? RFA 34 is coming up later in January, and Soares said he hopes to do some co-promotion with Legacy Fighting Championship, a similarly sized show that also airs on AXS TV.
“We want to do two to three RFA vs. Legacy shows next year, if at all possible," Soares said.
Outside of that, RFA’s course will remain the same: serving as a key steppingstone to the sport’s brightest lights.
"Nothing excites me more than seeing a guy who fought for us move up,” Soares said. "I'm realistic about where we are. You're not going to get rich fighting for us. You're fighting for an opportunity."
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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