Area fighters take center stage at MMA event
On Friday night, 24 mixed martial artists will step into an octagonal-shaped cage at the Sanford Pentagon for a 12-bout card called Resurrection Fighting Alliance 17. Almost half of the participants – 10 – claim South Dakota as home.
That's often how it works with promotions in the upper reaches of the MMA minor leagues — top local talent mixes with national up-and-comers in order to fill out a card. It's a way to minimize travel costs and boost attendance.
But in this case, it also could jumpstart the sport here.
RFA 17 will be the first sanctioned MMA event held in the state, authorized by the fledgling South Dakota Athletic Commission. There's a hope, if not an expectation, in local MMA circles that the caliber of the debut event and the inclusion of many locals will help usher in a new era for MMA in this city.
No more brawls in hotel ballrooms. The new generation figures to be more refined.
First Pitch Q&A: Pentagon bout showcases Sioux Falls
"You don't have to worry about going to an MMA show as a fan and being disappointed because they, like, grabbed somebody out of the dang stands to get in there," said Sioux Falls fighter Jordon Larson, a 170-pounder. "These are going to be trained athletes that are going to be doing this. Granted, it's not guys doing it full time, but basically they're doing it as much as they can with working part-time jobs. This is what they want."
Actually, appearing at the Pentagon is a stop on the way to what they really want. In its three-year history, the RFA has developed a reputation for sending talent to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the hands-down king of the sport. At least one fighter in each of its first 16 RFA events has wound up in the UFC.
Plus, RFA has a national television deal – the last five bouts Friday will air live on AXS TV – that helps separate it from well-regarded regional circuits like Dakota Fighting Championship and Victory Fighting Championship based in Fargo and Omaha, respectively. The RFA pays accordingly, too. Per a report by MMAJunkie.com, a card of similar size in 2012 paid out more than $82,000.
Adding it up, this show means exposure and money for local fighters. That should enable them to continue to train and improve or maybe attract more newcomers. Traveling to find reputable fights or top-notch training no longer will be a requirement.
Take Larson. The 23-year-old held his pre-fight camp at his home gym, Next Edge Academy. There was no shortage of quality sparring partners because four others from the club also are on the card. Current UFC fighters from Next Edge, David Michaud and Shayna Baszler, didn't have the luxury of sleeping at home the night before a nationally televised fight.
"To be able to do that on this level of stage – you don't get opportunities like that," said Larson, a Washington High grad and former Northern State wrestler. "I'm very thankful. … It'll grow gyms and more events will come around."
RFA president and heavyweight MMA agent Ed Soares has said he's open to holding multiple events in Sioux Falls annually if things go according to plan – and Pentagon officials project a near sell-out crowd in the range of 3,000.
Soares helped put together this event with Dave Martin, another top MMA agent. Martin is based in Sioux Falls, and has lined up his stable of elite fighters with local businesses for medical care (Sanford Health) and sponsorships (American Ethanol). With ties like that, perhaps Sioux Falls could at some point be considered to host a UFC event, as Bangor, Maine (pop. 32,817) did last week.
But first things first.
"I was very glad to see they were going to be coming in for the first show," said Next Edge director Bruce Hoyer. "My fear was the first show was going to be a poorly run show and it was going to set that bad tone. This show is going to be awesome. I think it's going to show everybody what MMA has evolved to."
It also figures to put pressure on the local combatants; they have the opportunity to perform on their home turf and move up the ranks.
Larson is 4-1 as a professional. This will be his first bout since returning in December from a deployment in Iraq with the National Guard. He's been at this since age 16, his initial exposure being an event at the fairgrounds that was part of a different era for the sport in Sioux Falls.
"It's been my dream to go to the UFC," Larson said, "and eventually tear after getting a belt."
Devin Turner comes from the same gym and a different world. He ran track at Dakota State and is a self-proclaimed computer nerd – a security consultant for a bank. He's got a good job, a wife and a mortgage.
But making a living in MMA is his ultimate goal. That's been complicated by the fact that his last two scheduled fights were canceled – both opponents were suspended for medical issues, the kind of thing that commissions oversee. He figured he'd have gotten a shot in the UFC by now.
Turner, 27, is undeterred by the fact that he's fighting in the non-televised preliminary portion of the program. He hopes the RFA will be a launching point for his career as well as for the sport in South Dakota.
"My dream's really been delayed," Turner said, "but this will hopefully help accelerate it past where I've been stuck at."
AT A GLANCE
What: Resurrection Fighting Alliance 17, 6:30 p.m. Friday at Sanford Pentagon
Locals: There are 10 South Dakotans on the card. They are: Main card–Isaac Appel, Hitchcock; Jordon Larson, Sioux Falls. Preliminary card–Doug Jenkins, Brookings; Danny White, Peever; Devin Turner, Sioux Falls; Clay Wimmer, Sioux Falls; Devin Clark, Sioux Falls; Bryce Logan, Sioux Falls. Amateur card–Logan McPadden, Sioux Falls; Alan Sehr, Tea.
Weigh-in: 6 p.m. today at Wiley's. It's free and open to the public.
Ticket update: Pentagon officials expect that the event will sell out, but they remain available at Ticketmaster.com