Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, kicks off its jam-packed 2015 live event schedule with a live broadcast of RFA 22: Smith vs. Njokuani from Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Friday, January 9 at 10 p.m. ET.
Fight Network’s live broadcast will air nationwide in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
RFA 22: Smith vs. Njokuani will feature a main event between two of the world’s top welterweight prospects as hometown hero Gilbert Jamal Smith (10-3) battles fan favorite Chidi “Bang Bang” Njokuani (11-4) for the vacant RFA welterweight title.
In the co-main event, Mark “Tricky” Dickman (9-2) and Donald Sanchez (30-12) will meet in a high-stakes featherweight showdown.
The main card of RFA 22 will also include a featherweight clash between UFC vet Alvin Robinson (14-8) and Bellator vet Ricky Musgrave (13-4). In the featherweight division, local favorite Prentice Ingram (9-4) faces undefeated Jackson-Wink MMA prospect Landon Vannata (6-0). Then in the flyweight division, hometown standout Joey Eisenbraun (3-1) battles RFA vet Kevin Gray (3-1).
Smith is a longtime Colorado Springs resident and U.S. Army vet that is best known for his time on the seventeenth season of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC vet is now looking to have a triumphant homecoming in his second straight appearance for the RFA. In November, Smith defeated Serbian submission ace Bojan Velickovic in his RFA debut just up the road in Broomfield, Colorado. He now looks to continue his success in the RFA and the Centennial State by winning RFA gold in front of his home crowd.
“Obviously, fighting for the RFA title is a huge opportunity. It’s the proving grounds and best place to showcase your skills,” stated Smith. “The venue is also a 10-minute run from my house, so it will be great to fight in front of all of my friends and family.”
Njokuani will be making his sixth appearance for the RFA. During his time with the promotion, Njokuani has never lost a fight at his natural weight class of 170-pounds. He also quickly won over the RFA faithful with his dynamic striking skills and crowd pleasing style of fighting. Possessing a similar skill set to his older brother, eight-time UFC vet Anthony Njokuani, the younger Njokuani will be looking to make a mark on his own career by capturing his first world title. To help prepare for this moment, Njokuani is taking full advantage of the knowledge and skills of his newest teammate and coach, former UFC welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch.
“This is great. Fighting for a world title on national television is what I’ve always wanted,” stated an excited Njokuani. “Training full-time with Jon Fitch has been cool. We are the exact opposite. He’s that style of fighter that has always given me problems. It’s perfect for me to be working with a Top 10 welterweight that has fought for the UFC title. It makes me realize I can reach my dreams.”
The co-main event of RFA 22 will see the the return of Njokuani’s teammate Mark “Tricky” Dickman, who like Njokuani, will also be making his sixth appearance for the RFA. Dickman made his debut for the RFA at RFA 1 three years ago and has since made a name for himself for his world-class grappling skills and take-no-prisoners approach to fighting. In August, Dickman came up empty-handed in a 5-round, 25-minute war with Justin Lawrence for the RFA featherweight title, but also sees the addition of Fitch to his fight camp as a huge benefit heading into RFA 22.
Sanchez (30-12) will be the man tasked with facing Dickman in the RFA 22 co-headliner. Sanchez represents the most experienced opponent Dickman has faced in his career and he will look to capitalize on that experience. Sanchez has fought for several of the world’s top promotions such as Bellator, ONE FC, and Legacy FC in faraway destinations such as Japan, Singapore, and Canada. The former eight-time KOTC champion has won five of his last six bout and looks to build on that momentum against Dickman.
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