Declaration of Independents for October 2012

All the fans know the UFC and all the press report on that promotion but where do their fighters come from? What else is going on now? Perhaps most importantly what shows should fans watch to see tomorrow’s stars develop? The Declaration of Independents is a monthly snapshot of what is going on in the non-UFC or “independent” scene.

With the cancellation of the second show in a row for Strikeforce the issue of sustainability of non-Zuffa shows is again on everyone’s minds.  Bellator seem to be doing well with season 7 as they expand into Russian TV but no ratings information is available.  Up-and-coming shows are still putting on sporadic television pay-per-views such as One FC’s most recent show and there are still plenty of live shows on AXS TV and GoFightLive, the real test will be with the debut of Worlds Series of Fighting.

Here is a list of confirmed MMA events on TV and the internet for the next five weeks:

October 26th MFC (AXS)
October 26th Bellator 78 (MTV2)
October 27th CFFC (GoFightLive)
November 2nd BFC 79 (MTV2)
November 2nd Titan FC (AXS)
November 3rd World Series of Fighting (NBC Sports)
November 3rd CFFC 19 (GoFightLive)
November 9th Bellator 80 (MTV2)
November 10th UFC on Fuel TV 6 (Fuel TV)
November 10th NAAFS Caged Fury 20 (GoFightLive)
November 15th Tachi Palace Fights 15 (Sherdog)
November 16th ROC 43 (GoFightLive)
November 16th Bellator 81 (MTV2)
November 17th UFC 154 (PPV)
November 17th RFC 28
November 23rd Score Fighting Series 7 (AXS)
December 7th Bellator 83 (MTV2)
December 7th XFC (AXS)
December 8th UFC on FX 6 (FX)
December 14th Legacy FC 16 (AXS)
December 14th Bellator 84 (MTV2)
December 15th TUF 16 finale

Televised shows:

Bellator Fighting Championship (BFC) - With the quarterfinals at welterweight this weekend the season 7 tournament opening rounds are almost over.  So far there have been few surprises although the Russians have made an impact.

British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) - The September 15th show aired live on AXS TV with Rob Sinclair defending his lightweight title against UFC vet Andre Winner.  No information is available on the next event.

King of the Cage (KOTC) - For what was once the second-biggest show the pay-per-views are basically down to just “greatest KOs” instead of whole shows.  The live front however is packed with events October 27th, November 17th, December 1st, December 8th (two shows), and December 20th.

Robert Drysdale's fifth MMA fight at LFC in NovemberLegacy Fighting Championship (LFC) - In the archives is coverage of September 14th’s LFC 14 event where Jeff Rexroad earned the interim WW title.  More interesting on that card was Joshua Sampo’s victory over Antonio Banuelos.  Two LFC shows remain for the year, November 16th and December 14th with Robert Drysdale vs. Chris Reed being the new main event for November.

Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) – Elvis Mutapcic defends his middleweight title against Joseph Henle October 26th, an event confirmed as being broadcast on AXS TV.

Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) - The June 30th RFA show was webcast in conjunction with Fight Now! TV however no word is currently available on if the November 2nd show will also be done so.  That show features Gilbert Yvel vs. Marcio Cruz in the main event.

Forrest Petz to headline Score Fighting Series 7Score Fighting Series (SFS) - The Canadian promotion which grew out of the Score Television Network made its AXS TV debut October 19th with SFS 6.  Next up SFS returns November 23rd with Forrest Petz vs. Jordan Mein in the main event.

Titan FC - The August 24th show was a huge step up with ADCC Worlds champion Braulio Estima making his MMA debut.  TFC 25 however was postponed due to inclement weather, rescheduled for November 2nd with an as yet unconfirmed card.

World Series of Fighting - Maybe it will be a one-hit wonder, maybe it will be the next big thing.  Either way WSOF is getting more press at this time than Bellator.  Main event is now Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole.

Eric Reynolds again headlines XFCXtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) - September 28th’s XFC20 card was broadcast on AXS TV, December 7th’s show is also expected to be broadcast.  Eric Reynolds returns to again fight in the main event, this time against Nick Newell.

Webstreamed shows:

Kris McCray headlines CFFC this weekendCage Fury Fighting Championships - CFFC are starting to surpass ROC, not only having four title fights on their August 24th show but expanding into casinos in Delaware and Virginia.  CFFC 17 broke into Delaware (see archives), this weekend CFFC 18 opens up Richmond, VA and the final show of 2012 is a CFFC 19, a return to Atlantic City.  Kris McCray is scheduled to headline the Richmond show.

Rosi Sexton fights in the co-main event of CWFCCage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC) - Three CWFC events are scheduled for the remainder of the year with October 27th being CWFC 49, November 12th Fight Night 8, and November 30th being Fight Night 9.  No confirmation is available on if these shows will be webstreamed on MMA Junkie, all that is known is Rosi Sexton fights Sheila Gaff at CWFC 49.

Championship Fighting Alliance (CFA) - CFA’s October 6th show saw Valdir Araujo defeat Paul Bradley, at this time there is no word on a ninth show.

Invicta MMA - The only all-women’s show has had a good year but at this time there is no word on a fourth event.

North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) - October 20th’s card was not webstreamed on GoFightLive due to venue issues (small bar) but the Mid-West’s most prolific show is expected to return to webcast pay-per-view for November 10th’s show, the final NAAFS card of the year.

One FC - Asia’s biggest show moved up to pay-per-view for their October 6th show but at this time no further information is available on the next show.

James Brasco headlines ROC 43Ring of Combat (ROC) - In the archives is a report from ROC 42 which held four title fights.  In November two ROC events take place; ROC 43 on November 16th and Amateur 14 on November 17th.  On the pro card Ryan LaFlare faces James Brasco in the main event, Deividas Taurosevicius takes on Frank Caraballo on the main card.

Road FC - the 9th installment of this Korean show was webstreamed on Sherdog, Melvin Manhoef defeated Jae Young Kim in the main event.  No information is available on this fast-growing Asian promotion’s next show.

Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) - The November 15th show will close out TPF’s 2012 season with Anthony Ruiz vs. Angel Deanda headlining.  The show is expected to webstream on Sherdog but confirmation hasn’t been issued at this time.

Other:

Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES) - Definitely the biggest question mark of the scene CES are supposed to finally make their Atlantic City debut this weekend.  The first question is this is the RI-based promotion’s fourth attempt at a show in Atlantic City, the second is Chris McCray is advertised as the main event when he is confirmed for CFFC two nights later.   At least

Ultimate Victory Challenge (UVC) - January 6th is the new date for the next UVC show in Ohio.    No further information is available.