Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, has signed a multi-year broadcast deal with Resurrection Fighting Alliance to air its existing 20-event catalogue, as well as upcoming live events beginning with RFA 21: Juusola vs. Baghdad tonight, Friday, Dec. 5 at 10 p.m. ET.
Fight Network’s broadcast will air live nationwide in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
In the promotion’s return to southern California, two top prospects will vie for the vacant lightweight championship, as the main event pits Minnesota native and collegiate wrestler Zach “The Juice” Juusola against WKBC Muay Thai world champion Mehdi “The Sultan” Baghdad.
The co-main event features two of the bantamweight division’s most talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu experts as Joe Murphy and Bruno Frazatto meet in a high-stakes showdown.
“Zach Juusola vs. Mehdi Baghdad will be a great lightweight title fight,” said RFA president Ed Soares. “They are both hungry, ready, and have the styles to make this a fantastic year-end event in Orange County.”
Juusola (10-2) is excited to step in and fight for the RFA lightweight title, after the opportunity was presented to him when J.J. Ambrose sustained an injury in training. Juusola is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota and wrestled in college alongside RFA 13 co-headliner Miles Marshall at RCTC in Rochester, Minnesota. In fact, Juusola was originally slated to make his RFA debut on the same card as Marshall in March, but both of his scheduled bouts at the event fell through. Juusola then decided to mix things up with his training and moved out to Las Vegas this past summer. He now calls Xtreme Couture home, where he trains alongside RFA star Boston Salmon and many other top fighters under the esteemed tutelage of Robert Follis.
Baghdad (10-3) is a native of France, but he is known worldwide due to his multicultural appeal and success in MMA and Muay Thai. In 2002, the French fighter moved to Brazil after viewing a PRIDE FC tape featuring Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and other top fighters from Brazil. The WKBC Muay Thai world champion is now a regular training partner of the legendary Anderson Silva and just finished coaching Team Baghdad on the second season of the hit Arab MMA reality show Al Batal, which is currently airing on FOX Movies in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In September, Baghdad made an emphatic RFA debut with a brutal first round TKO of Evan DeLong at RFA 18 and looks to keep that momentum going in his world title fight.
The co-main event of RFA 21 will see the highly-anticipated promotional debut of Murphy (7-1), who was born and raised in Orange County and will be making his RFA debut in front of his home crowd. Murphy is a Cleber Luciano protégé that made a name for himself on the national jiu-jitsu and submission grappling circuit. Murphy also excelled in high school wrestling, which has given him a very potent and balanced style of grappling for MMA. These skills have translated into five submission wins in his MMA career. The lone loss on Murphy’s record came with a bit of controversy. After the questionable decision was announced, WSOF president Ray Sefo immediately tweeted, “No disrespect to Carson Beebe but I thought Joe Murphy won that fight!!” Murphy is now eager to shine on the national stage in the co-headliner of RFA 21.
Awaiting Murphy will be Frazatto (6-1), who is a native of Campinas in state of São Paulo, Brazil and a standout member of the world-renowned Atos team in the sport of jiu-jitsu. His accolades include winning the black belt featherweight division at the 2011 IBJJF Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship and 2012 IBJJF European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He was also a silver medalist at the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2008 and competed at ADCC 2011 in Nottingham, England. In August, the 30-year-old’s jiu-jitsu was on full display in his RFA debut, as he made quick work of two-time RFA victor Cory Galloway with a 92-second Triangle Choke at RFA 17. Frazatto is now looking to duplicate that success.
The main card of RFA 21 will also include a heavyweight clash between surging UFC vet Chase Gormley (10-4) and undefeated Power MMA prospect Dale Sopi (6-0). In the middleweight division, BJJ black belt Francisco “Kiko” France (10-3-1) returns to the RFA octagon to face TUF 11 alum and southern California favorite Joseph “Leonidas” Henle (9-1-1). In the featherweight division, Brazilian standout Altair “Tratorzinho” Alencar (7-2) meets undefeated RFA vet “Super” Sam Toomer (8-0). The main card will get started with a middleweight pairing between undefeated Khalil “War Horse” Rountree (1-0) and the debuting Californian Blake Troop (2-1).
Fight Network’s live broadcast kicks off at 10 p.m. ET.
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