Tag Archives: John Poppie

mixed martial arts, MMA, RFA

RFA 34: VELICKOVIC vs SMITH FULL TV CARD ANNOUNCED

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WELTERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
BOJAN VELICKOVIC  

vs. BENJAMIN SMITH
CO-MAIN EVENT:
ADAM STROUP vs. JOHN POPPIE
MIDDLEWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2016 LIVE ON AXS TV
LIVE from the 1STBANK Center, Broomfield, CO
 
Tickets on Sale Now at ALTITUDETICKETS.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) president Ed Soares announced earlier this month that the promotion will return to Colorado with RFA 34 – Velickovic vs. Smith in January to kick off 2016. Now the main card has been announced. The event will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Serbian sensation Bojan “Serbian Steel” Velickovic (12-3) and former RFA welterweight champion Benjamin Smith (15-3). The co-main event will see Colorado native Adam Stroup (10-2) and former RFA title challenger John Poppie (6-2) meet in a middleweight showdown. RFA 34 – Velickovic vs. Smith will take place Friday, January 15th inside the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets for RFA 34 – Velickovic vs. Smith are available for purchase NOW through AltitudeTickets.com or you can support your favorite fighter by purchasing your tickets through CageTix.com. Tickets to RFA 34 start at just $30.
VIP tables are available by calling 303-521-0966.
The main card of RFA 34 will also include a pair of RFA and Colorado fan favorites in the light-heavyweight division. Cody Mumma (8-2) is currently riding the momentum of three consecutive KO victories. That streak started with a scintillating 11-second KO of Colton Vaughn at RFA 20. The KO is tied for the second-fastest KO in RFA history.
Mumma will face fellow RFA vet Jeremy Kimball (11-5), who will be entering this contest fresh off a lightning fast KO victory of his own. That win came over Jason Clayton in just 22 seconds last summer. However, Kimball’s most high-profile win to date came in the co-main event of RFA 7, when he submitted Chidi Njokuani via Rear Naked Choke.
In the bantamweight division, six-time UFC vet Hugo “Wolverine” Viana (8-3) and two-time RFA vet Zac “The Anointed Warrior” Riley (3-3) will share the RFA Octagon together. Viana burst on to the global MMA scene in 2012 as a semi-finalist on the first season of the UFC reality show TUF – Brazil. He then won his first two UFC bouts before losing to current UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, who is now one of his teammates.
Riley will be entering this bout with a large amount of praise and fanfare in his own right. This past October at RFA 31, Riley made headlines after accepting a bout in Las Vegas with undefeated Hawaiian prospect Shai Lindsey on just 48 hours’ notice. The highly-touted Lindsey, who had finished all of his opponents, was blitzed at the opening bell by southern Colorado’s newest star. Riley ended up finishing the fight in just 59 seconds with an airtight Triangle Choke.
At welterweight, Brian Camozzi (4-2) will make his long-awaited RFA debut. Camozzi is the younger brother of UFC star Chris Camozzi and fights out of Factory X Muay Thai in the greater Denver, Colorado area. He will face Tyler Milner (7-2) who is a longtime standout in the Alaska FC promotion. Milner now trains at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will be fighting for the first time in his career outside of Alaska.
The main card of RFA 34 will get started in the featherweight division with a pair of featherweight prospects eager to make their national television debut. Cory Sandhagen (1-0) will be making his promotional debut after enjoying a decorated amateur career. He is a main training partner of UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw at Elevation Fight Team in Denver, Colorado. Sandhagen will face undefeated Jackson-Wink MMA standout Andrew Tenneson (3-0) in a bout that is sure to get RFA commentators Pat Miletich and Michael Schiavello excited from the start. Tennesson, like his opponent Sandhagen, is a finisher as both men have finished all of their opponents before the final bell.
The full RFA 34 preliminary card and further information regarding this event will be announced soon. RFA 34 will be the promotion’s seventh event to take place in the state of Colorado. The entire main card of RFA 34 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, January 15th, 2016.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).

About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network.“The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
mixed martial arts, RFA

Fight Network Presents RFA 28: Sanchez vs. Poppie, LIVE this Friday, Aug. 7 at 10 p.m. ET

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TORONTO (Aug. 6, 2015)– Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a live broadcast of RFA 28: Sanchez vs. Poppie thisFriday, August 7 at 10 p.m. ET, highlighted by the crowning of a new RFA middleweight champion when the promotion makes its first trip to St. Louis.

 

Fight Network’s live broadcast of RFA 28: Sanchez vs. Poppie will air nationwide in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The domestic U.S. broadcast airs on AXS TV.

In the main event, two hungry middleweight prospects vie for championship gold as RFA fan favorite Andrew Sanchez looks to defend his home turf against Wisconsin native John Poppie.

 

“I’m excited to be bringing the RFA to the great city of St. Louis,” said RFA president Ed Soares. “Andrew Sanchez and John Poppie will be fighting for the vacant RFA middleweight title in a headliner that will cap a great night of fights at The Chase Park Plaza.”

 

Sanchez (6-2) is a lifelong native of the Greater St. Louis Metro Area. His reputation in the area grew in college, when he became a star wrestler at McKendree University. While wrestling for the Bearcats, Sanchez became one of the most decorated grapplers in school history. He is a two-time NAIA national champion, four-time NAIA All-American, and the 2011 NAIA Wrestler of the Year.

 

Poppie (6-1) is looking to crash Sanchez’s long-awaited homecoming party in his first nationally televised title fight. The former light-heavyweight was a cast member on the nineteenth season of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter, but learned from that experience that he is better suited competing at 185-pounds. The lone loss on Poppie’s record also came against one of his current training partners Eric Schafer, who had already competed nine-times in the UFC before they fought. Poppie was also a collegiate wrestler at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse and feels his skill set and experience has him ready for this fight.

 

The co-main event of RFA 28 will feature two of MMA’s top flyweight prospects, when Wyoming’s Matt Manzanares (7-5) returns to the RFA octagon to battle St. Louis native Ken “The Sensation” Porter (8-2).

 

RFA 28 also features the debut of undefeated Landon Vannata (6-0), who faces one of Missouri’s top featherweight propsects in Nick LoBosco (8-1), plus Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (4-0) makes his highly anticipated RFA debut against dangerous vet Justin “The Grizzly Bear” Frazier (7-2)

 

Rounding out the exciting card, undefeated Brazilian lightweight Thiago Henrique Moises (5-0) tangles with Missouri’s own Javon Wright (6-3), while undefeated lightweight Jake “The North County Nightmare” Roberts (4-0) faces once-beaten Kansas native Chuka “The Lion King” Willis(4-1).

 

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
mixed martial arts, RFA

RFA 28 GETS A NEW CO-HEADLINER  AS GEANE HERRERA HEADS TO THE UFC

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RFA 28 – SANCHEZ vs. POPPIE
MAIN EVENT:
ANDREW SANCHEZ vs. JOHN POPPIE
MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
CO-MAIN EVENT:
MATT MANZANARES vs. KEN PORTER
FLYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7th LIVE ON AXSTV
LIVE at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, MO
 
Tickets on Sale through MetroTix.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) president Ed Soares announced today that RFA 28 will feature a new co-main event after Geane “La Pulga” Herrera got called up to compete in the UFC. Replacing the undefeated Herrera will be former RFA flyweight champion Matt Manzanares, who will be making his record-tying seventh appearance for the promotion. He will face St. Louis’ own Ken Porter, who is a rising flyweight MMA prospect and an undefeated professional boxer. The main event of RFA 28 will feature RFA fan favorite Andrew Sanchez and The Ultimate Fighter alum John Poppie vying for the vacant RFA middleweight title. The event takes place Friday, August 7th at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“I am excited to see Geane Herrera represent what the RFA is all about by extending his undefeated record in the UFC,” stated Soares. “The co-main event of RFA 28 will now feature the return of former RFA flyweight champion Matt Manzanares against fellow boxer-turned-MMA fighter Ken Porter.
Tickets for RFA 28 – Sanchez vs. Poppie are available for purchase NOW through MetroTix.com.
Manzanares (7-5) returns to the RFA for a record-tying seventh appearance for the promotion. In his time as a professional fighter, the former RFA flyweight champion has faced and accepted bouts with the who’s who of his division and will be looking to take full advantage of that experience. The two-time Junior Olympian boxer possesses some of the slickest hands in the sport, but those skills will be tested to the fullest against Porter who is 4-0 as a professional boxer. Manzanares and Porter also bring with them nearly 300 combined amateur boxing matches, which could make this one of the best flyweight striking displays in MMA this year.
“This is the most motivated I’ve been for a fight in a very long time,” Manzanares exclaimed. “I think Ken Porter is a great fighter and has a lot going for him, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I’m looking forward to getting my hand raised and putting my name back at the top of the division.”
Porter (8-2, 1 No Contest) will be the man tasked with welcoming back the hungry former champion and he looks forward to doing it in front of his excited home crowd. The proud St. Louisan is perhaps the only flyweight in MMA that can match Manzanares’ experience in amateur MMA and amateur boxing. He has also lived up to his nickname “The Sensation” since making his professional boxing debut in May 2014. In that time, he has been sensational in combat sports by going 4-0 in professional boxing and 4-0 in professional MMA. Porter is now eager to extend that streak at RFA 28.
“I feel like Manzanares poses a much bigger challenge than Herrera,” stated Porter. “He brings a lot more to the table and has fought much tougher guys. I’ve been working really hard for this fight and look forward to making a big statement in my national television debut for the RFA.”
The main event of RFA 28 will feature two of MMA’s top middleweight prospects, when RFA fan favorite Andrew Sanchez (6-2) returns home to St. Louis to battle Wisconsin native John Poppie (6-1) for the vacant RFA middleweight title. Sanchez was a two-time NAIA national champion, four-time NAIA All-American, and the 2011 NAIA Wrestler of the Year while attending St. Louis area school McKendree University. He will face Poppie (6-1), who was a light-heavyweight cast member on the nineteenth season of the UFC’s hit reality television show The Ultimate Fighter. Now competing at his natural weight class of 185-pounds, Poppie will look to extend his four-fight win streak. Poppie also has a collegiate wrestling background from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
RFA 28 also features the return of Bobby “The Wolfman” Moffett (7-1). The fearsome featherweight will look to follow up his dominant RFA debut in March with another howling triumph in his sophomore appearance for the promotion. He will face one of Missouri’s top featherweight prospects in Nick LoBosco (8-1). LoBosco has never lost in his home state and the collegiate wrestler will be looking to keep that record intact when he fights in front of his home crowd on August 7th.
The main card of RFA 28 will also feature the highly-anticipated RFA debut of Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (4-0). Blaydes was an NJCAA national wrestling champion at Harper College and is widely considered one of the top heavyweight prospects in the sport. He will have a stiff test in his promotional debut as he faces a dangerous RFA vet in Justin “The Grizzly Bear” Frazier (7-2).  Frazier hails from “The Natural State” of Arkansas and has displayed a natural finishing ability, as all seven of his wins have come via stoppage.
In the featherweight division, Jamal Parks (5-1) returns to the RFA Octagon for the second time. The former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University will face promotional newcomer Javon Wright (6-3). Wright has not lost a fight in two years dating back to a hotly-contested split decision verdict he dropped to current RFA bantamweight kingpin Luke Sanders.
In lightweight action, Turkey’s first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Murat “Lord Pitbull” Kazgan (2-0-1) will be making his highly-anticipated RFA debut. Kazgan, who has already fought in Turkey, South Korea, and Russia, is looking to remain unbeaten in his North American debut. He will face two-time Golden Gloves winner Jake “The North County Nightmare” Roberts (4-0). The St. Louis native Roberts, who has recently joined The MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona, is currently riding an impressive streak. Roberts has submitted all 12 men he has faced in MMA: 8 as an amateur and 4 as a professional.
Additional bouts at RFA 28 will be announced soon. RFA 28 will be the promotion’s second event to take place in the state of Missouri and its first foray into the city of St. Louis. The entire main card of RFA 28 – Sanchez vs. Poppie will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, August 7th.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.