Legacy Fighting Alliance: Where Does the UFC’s Farm System Go From Here?

Good times and best wishes to @AXSTVFights and @LFAfighting pic.twitter.com/7oVOG1VZis

— phoenix carnevale (@microphonephoen) September 14, 2019

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On Sept. 9, it was announced that Anthem Sports and Entertainment had purchased a majority stake in two cable channels, AXS TV and HD Net. The networks, created by billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, increase homes with access to Anthem’s content from 45 million to around 150 million, and according to Anthem’s CEO Leonard Asper, is the first of many new investments for the global media company as it attempts to grow its brand. The deal leaves Cuban as an equity partner in the merged firm and brings in TV personality Steve Harvey as an investor and board member, with the comedian stating in a press release, “My team and I see great opportunity in Anthem.”

As with any change in ownership, layoffs came with the deal, including the entire Legacy Fighting Alliance television production staff. On Sept. 13, a network executive for AXS TV confirmed that it was ending its broadcasting arrangement with the Texas-based MMA company, and no cards would be shown on the channel going forward. LFA is a result of a merger itself between Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance back in 2016, and at LFA 76 the promotion held their final show on AXS TV. Longtime commentators Ron Kruck, Phoenix Carnevale and UFC hall of famer Pat Miletich thanked all those they had worked with over the years and recalled their favorite memories during what can only be described as an emotional broadcast for those involved.

Even though LFA is more of a regional promotion, the reason this is significant is simple -- the company has been the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s premiere feeder league for years.

Although the two promotions don’t have an official relationship, one need only look at the UFC’s current roster to dub LFA the “minor leagues” for world’s largest MMA organization. A staggering 50 former LFA, RFA or Legacy FC fighters have competed over the past 10 UFC events, with current promotion champs Henry Cejudo, Valentina Shevchenko and Kamaru Usman all being Legacy FC alumni. A total of 28 LFA fighters were featured on Season 3 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, and of those that were victorious, 75 percent were given a UFC contract at the end of their respective episode. After Joe Silva announced his retirement back in 2016, the UFC hired former Legacy FC frontman Mick Maynard as their vice president of talent relations.

Following AXS TV’s announcement that they would be dropping LFA from their programming, the future of arguably the biggest regional MMA promotion in the world seems to be in flux. Although the company has three more events already scheduled for 2019, top flyweight prospect Brandon Royval stated in an interview with The Score that the LFA 78 card he is scheduled to headline was nearly canceled due to the recent buyout. Royval also stated he does not know what, if any network the event will air on, and there has been no word from the promotion regarding the fate of LFA 77 and LFA 79.

Despite some speculating that this could be the demise of the storied promotion, that seems unlikely. LFA has enough of a following that they’ve been able to secure shows in various locations throughout the Midwest, and while the abrupt end of their television arrangement with AXS will certainly hurt their financials, it shouldn’t shut the lights off just yet. Given their brand awareness on the regional scene and their current roster of talent, one would expect that a broadcast deal for the promotion would be imminent. Whether it’s a network looking to test the waters of showing MMA or an established streaming service looking to add to their combat sports catalog, any entity that picks up LFA would have a great deal of leverage in negotiations and get plenty of bang for their buck.

As to which network/streaming service should pick up LFA, the obvious choice seems to be a deal with UFC Fight Pass. Ever since partnering with ESPN to move the UFC’s live events to ESPN+, the Zuffa-owned streaming service has been constantly adding to its library of combat sports in a bid to retain/attract new subscribers. LFA would be a notable pick up for UFC Fight Pass, with the promotion being arguably the largest MMA organization to be featured under the Fight Pass umbrella should an agreement between the two come to pass. A deal with a regional organization that feeds into the UFC is also not without precedent, as demonstrated with a broadcast arrangement between the service and Invicta Fighting Championships back in 2014.

It may seem like a no-brainer for LFA to be broadcast through UFC Fight Pass, but in the end, it will most likely come down to which company offers the best deal to the regional promotion. According to an interview with MMAJunkie, LFA CEO Ed Soares has stated that “There are irons in the fire already…This is not the last of LFA.” Where Legacy Fighting Alliance ends up is yet to be seen, but the smart money is on the biggest regional MMA promotion in world being broadcast back into fight fans’ homes very soon.