After a near four-year hiatus, the World Fighting Alliance on Saturday roars back with a 10-bout card and Pay-Per-View rebirth worthy of any of the top mixed martial arts promotions.
There was no shortage of quality fighters on the cards, as the promotion was a springboard for Frank Trigg (Pictures), Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures), Rich Franklin (Pictures) and Jason Black (Pictures) among others. But its demise could be attributed to a predictable killer: funding.
Clearly there was no intention on the part of new WFA owners Ross Goodman, the son of Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, and well-known Vegas attorney Louis Palazzo to ride the coattails and name recognition of the previous incarnation.
In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten (Pictures) returns from a seven-year retirement (mostly due to injuries) to take on MMA legend Kimo Leopoldo (Pictures). Sharing the headliner spotlight is a highly anticipated bout between Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Matt Lindland (Pictures) in a light heavyweight contest.
Hardcore MMA fans have to be excited about seeing Jose Landi-Jons (Pictures) return to the U.S. while Ryoto Machida (Pictures) makes his American debut. And some of the WFA’s first-run fighters including Marvin Eastman (Pictures), Rob McCullough (Pictures), Antonio McKee (Pictures) and Kimo are competing. Kit Cope, Tiki Ghosn (Pictures) and Jeremy Williams have been signed for future cards.
The WFA is back, on Pay-Per-View, and has a potential deal with Showtime to air future fights. Goodman and Palazzo brought former fighter manager Jeremy Lappen on board to help develop a rival organization and chip away at Zuffa’s market share.
They even brought WWE wrestling star and longtime MMA fan Bill Goldberg on board to do commentary along with respected play-by-play man Barry Tompkins.