It was rather less than two years in the past when UFC Corridor of Fame inductee Urijah Faber switched hats from competitor to promoter. In 2022, what was then generally known as Firepower MMA grew to become generally known as A1 Fight.
It must be famous that the Firepower MMA moniker has nonetheless been used for its “Future Stars” occasions going down inside the beginner ranks. With the change in moniker got here a bump in publicity.
Efficient with the Might 1, 2022 A1 Fight 1 occasion, the promotion’s playing cards would now be seen dwell on UFC Combat Go. Proper from the beginning, A1 Fight made headlines round MMA circles, although the primary headlines to come back out of the group weren’t the headlines they needed to make by any stretch of the creativeness.
First A1 Fight Present Marred by Postponed Fundamental Occasion On account of Brawl at Weigh-Ins
Flashback: April 30, 2022: A1 Fight was set to debut dwell the subsequent night on Combat Go in a 6 pm ET timeslot with A1 Fight 1 originating from the Laborious Rock Resort and On line casino in Wheatland, CA, close to Sacramento. That weekend’s headliner was to have been a battle for the inaugural A1 Fight Flyweight Championship between Jesse Tafoya (6-5 MMA) and Jack Duffy (6-0 MMA, 1-0 A1 Fight).
A1 Fight’s plans for that Sunday night time got here unglued on Saturday afternoon. Throughout that day’s pre-fight weigh-ins, Tafoya and Duffy had a struggle earlier than the struggle, ensuing within the deliberate championship struggle, which was to have been the primary title bout in A1 Fight’s historical past, being scrapped with no single punch thrown.
Thus far, Jesse Tafoya has not fought underneath the A1 Fight promotional banner, whereas Jack Duffy made his first look in A1 Fight nearly a 12 months after the scuffle on the weigh-ins on the primary anniversary present, A1 Fight 10, final April. The latter is scheduled to make a return this Friday night time at A1 Fight 17 on the campus of Sacramento State College.
Faber Nonetheless Happy With A1 Fight 1 Regardless of Cancellation at Prime of the Invoice
Fortunately, the night time as an entire went off with no hitch that spring night. After the fights concluded, Urijah Faber mentioned that he was proud of how the present turned out.
“It was superior man, I imply, I couldn’t have requested for extra,” Faber talked about in 2022. “We had a nasty subject with not getting our primary occasion for the belt. We wish to see these belts popping out they usually’re coming, guys.”
Inside the finish of the promotion’s first full 12 months on Combat Go, a graduate of A1 Fight hit it large. Again on March 19 of final 12 months, Payton Talbott (7-0 MMA, 3-0 A1 Fight) efficiently defended his A1 Fight Bantamweight Championship throughout A1 Fight 9 with a third-round knockout of Cristhian Rivas (9-3-1 MMA, 1-2 A1 Fight in the principle occasion of the night.
Payton Talbott (5-0) @PaytonTalbott
100% end fee.
Preventing 08/08/23 vs Junior Cortez (7-2) on DWCS.
Up and coming fighter thread: pic.twitter.com/34VwjdyYYu
— Jack✍ (@mmaoptimist) June 16, 2023
Talbott Cashes In on Contender Sequence Throughout Opening Night time
Anybody who was watching A1 Fight 9 that night needed to be pondering to themselves “Man! That Payton Talbott is nice! Surprise when he will get referred to as as much as the UFC! He’s able to hit some residence runs within the large leagues!”
After profitable three bouts in succession underneath the A1 Fight signature, Payton Talbott’s subsequent cease was Las Vegas and the UFC Apex on Aug. 8 for opening night time of the eighth season of Dana White’s Contender Sequence on ESPN+. There, he drew Reyes Cortez (7-3 MMA) within the second bout of 5 on the cardboard.
Though Talbott was unable to complete Cortez, his efficiency netted him a call win and a UFC contract from Dana White on the finish of the night. From there, he parlayed his Contender Sequence victory into his first win by means of submission in his UFC promotional debut towards Nick Aguirre (7-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on Nov. 18 (third-round rear bare choke.)
No phrase but on Payton Talbott’s subsequent UFC opposition, however preserve it tuned proper right here to MMA Sucka for the newest on all upcoming and future bouts.
Combat Go a Lifeline for Fighters in A1 Fight and All Regional MMA Promotions
If UFC Combat Go hadn’t signed a media rights take care of A1 Fight within the spring of 2022, what are the possibilities {that a} man like Payton Talbott would have gotten on Dana White’s radar? If the contract with Combat Go didn’t exist, the percentages won’t have been in his favour.
For over a decade now, UFC Combat Go has been a de facto residence for regional MMA promotions not simply right here in America, however everywhere in the world. It’s due to UFC Combat Go and Dana White that nice opponents like Talbott have been capable of showcase their craft and additional their careers as fighters.
Consider what number of present UFC fighters began out in a regional promotion whose playing cards had been streamed on the subscription-based platform. You can be sitting at your pc till no less than this time subsequent week attempting to call each final one in all them.
Everyone has to begin out someplace. For a lot of top-tier fighters within the sport of MMA, that place to begin has been and can proceed to be UFC Combat Go.
A1 Fight Inks New Deal With Combat Go
In the beginning of 2024, UFC Combat Go and A1 Fight got here to phrases on a brand new three-year contract that can see the promotion remaining on the streaming platform by the top of 2026. A1 Fight President Tom Anderson was thrilled to see the connection proceed as much as and together with the fifth 12 months of the promotion’s life underneath the A1 Fight signature.
“Persevering with to provide these up-and-coming fighters a worldwide highlight on UFC Combat Go and a transparent path to the UFC by our reveals is implausible,” Anderson mentioned of the brand new media deal. “It’s an incredible partnership and one that can proceed to flourish by 2026.”
The brand new media rights deal kicks on this Friday night time with the previously-mentioned A1 Fight 17 from Sacramento State College. Stay protection begins with the undercard at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on YouTube, with motion shifting to UFC Combat Go at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT.
Closing Ideas
A1 Fight is a good watch on UFC Combat Go. In the event you haven’t watched an A1 Fight present but, what’s holding you again?
Tune in on Friday night time for A1 Fight 17. You’ll be glad you probably did, and also you may even get to see MMA’s subsequent large star within the making.
