In its short history, Resurrection Fighting Alliance has already proven that it’s an organization which UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are willing to scour for talent. Sergio Pettis has already come through the ranks of the organization, and prospects like Pedro Munhoz and Lance Palmer don’t seem too far behind. We’ve also seen the organization used by fighters trying to make it back to the UFC after being cut. Both sides of the promotion are on display Friday, October 25th as RFA 10 once again comes to us live on AXS TV from des Moines, Iowa. In the main event, Mike Rhodes (5-1) and Alan Jouban (7-1) look to put their names on the map as the next big prospect to come through RFA. The loss on each man’s record is nothing to be ashamed of, as Rhodes dropped a bout to current UFC fighter Brandon Thatch while Jouban fell to Chidi Njokuani in only his second pro fight. Both men favor the striking game, but Jouban seems to be more explosive in that realm while giving up an advantage in the grappling department to Rhodes. What this fight could very well come down to is cardio. Despite getting the win in his last bout, Jouban gassed pretty badly. Luckily for him, his opponent Chris Spang tired even more, allowing him to take over in the third round. If this fight goes deep, you would have to think the edge goes to Rhodes, who has slowly gotten himself from heavyweight all the way down to welterweight in the past few years. The odds for this fight are close, as expected. Rhodes opened as a -170 favorite (bet $170 to win $100) and Jouban was the +130 underdog (bet $100 to win $130) at Several Bookmakers. The co-main event on this card features a name much more recognizable name in Justin Lawrence (4-2). After an impressive introduction to him on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 15′ Lawrence stumbled in the UFC, dropping back-to-back fights against Max Holloway and Daniel Pineda. This prompted UFC brass to cut him and allow him to join his manager Ed Soares’ promotion. That’s an important note to make in this fight. Lawrence is a Black House fighter, and normally those guys get favorable matchups as it can speed their ascent in the sport. I believe that to be the case here with Luis Saldana (7-1). While he has an impressive record, he hasn’t faced the same type of competition as Lawrence. In fact, none of the fighters Saldana has beat currently have a winning record. This seems like a bout where Lawrence will be able to get some of his flashy striking going probably leading to a KO. He can take almost any route to victory here though. The lines seem to indicate the same thought process, as Lawrence is a large -380 favorite with the comeback on Saldana at +260. The first bout on the main card that features betting odds is between E.J. Brooks (7-1) and Johnny Case (12-4). Both of these fighters come from the Midwestern scene, but while Case has taken the typical route and fought a lot of the fighters on that scene with massive records, Brooks branched out and had a successful five fight stint with Bellator where he faced some solid competition. One thing that favors Case here is that he is the better finisher, although the difference in level of competition could be skewing those numbers. Regardless, Brooks is more proven against top competition, and could be able to grind out another victory. An interesting note is that Brooks came in overweight for this fight, at 159lbs. Another very close line here, as both men’s paths to victory are outlined. Brooks is the slight favorite at -140, while Case comes in at even money, +100. In the remaining bouts on the card, Michael McBride (4-0) looks to keep his record perfect, and hopes to add another submission victory in the process as he takes on Emmanuel Sanchez (4-1). Sanchez’s only career loss came in his last fight to Lewis Gonzalez, who you may remember as the man who ostensibly retired Antonio McKee a couple months ago. Jeff Bates (2-0) and Cory Galloway (2-1) are two other local fighters hoping to stick around with RFA following their performances here. Galloway already has one fight under his belt from the promotion, while Bates is stepping up from the Iowa Challenge series of events. Kicking off the televised portion of the card is a Middleweight bout between Jordan Sanford (1-0) and Miles Marshall (1-1). Sanford fought as an amateur on a previous RFA card, and both that bout and his professional debut ended with his hand raised via (T)KO. Not much is known about Marhsall, but with this being the opening card on AXS TV, the organization is surely expecting a fun affair from these two. RFA 10 will the be the nightcap on a very busy Friday in the MMA world. All the action can be seen live on AXS TV starting at 10pm ET. Here’s a recap of the opening odds: ——————– Mike Rhodes -170 Alan Jouban +130 Justin Lawrence -380 Luis Saldana +260 E.J. Brooks -140 Johnny Case +100 ——————–
