LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) continued their string of exciting fight announcements for RFA 4 with the addition of a top-tier lightweight tilt. The bout will feature RFA fan favorite Dakota Cochrane vs. Team Alpha Male standout Derrick Burnsed. The two are scheduled to fight on the main card of RFA 4, which is set to take place on Friday, November 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cochrane is the only fighter in RFA history to participate on every RFA card to date. That includes taking a fight at RFA 2 in March on short notice, just days removed from returning to Nebraska from Las Vegas, where he participated on the UFC’s hit reality television show The Ultimate Fighter 15 (TUF 15). Cochrane’s fight on the show was televised live on FX and consisted of one round to get into the TUF 15 house.
The result was perhaps the most controversial of the opening round. In a fight against eventual tournament semi-finalist James Vick, Cochrane appeared to control the center of the Octagon and attempt more takedowns, but dropped a narrow one-round Split Decision.
One of Cochrane’s biggest supporters on the show, who even stated he thought Cochrane should have been awarded the decision, was TUF 15 coach Urijah Faber. Coincidentally, Cochrane will now be stepping back into the cage at RFA 4 against Burnsed, who is one of Faber’s teammates.
Burnsed trains alongside Faber at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, where he also has the luxury of training with Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez, Danny Castillo, T.J. Dillashaw, as well as fellow RFA fighters Lance Palmer and Chris Holdsworth. However, what makes Burnsed unique compared to his grappling-oriented teammates is that he comes from a decorated amateur kickboxing background.
In fact, Burnsed headlined an amateur kickboxing event, which was promoted by IKF Pro middleweight world champion Dave "Mad Man" Marinoble in Roseville, California nine years ago. Burnsed defeated Chan Pen that night, when he was just 23-years-old. Now at the seasoned age of 32, Burnsed has compiled an impressive 10-2 record in MMA, since making his pro debut in 2008.
Burnsed is a Strikeforce veteran that participated on the historic Strikeforce – Fedor vs. Werdum card. He has also won 5 of his last 6 fights over the last 2 years with his lone loss in that time coming in Brazil against TUF Brazil standout and current UFC fighter Francisco "Massaranduba" Trinaldo.
Burnsed’s years of experience will come in handy as he steps into the cage with Cochrane at RFA 4. Cochrane has picked up wins over two big-name UFC veterans over the past year. Current UFC star and former WEC champion Jamie Varner and former UFC #1 contender and TUF 2 champion Joe Stevenson have came up short in main event fights with Cochrane in the last 12 months.
RFA 4 is set to be headlined by a light-heavyweight showdown pitting former UFC and PRIDE star Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel against former UFC and ADCC star Marcio "Pe De Pano" Cruz. The co-main event will feature two former UFC lightweight stars, as Tyson Griffin meets Efrain Escudero. These fights and more will take place at the Dallas Event Center inside Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.