KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) has signed two welterweights who made their professional MMA debut, just one month apart from each other, over a decade ago. UFC veteran Brock Larson (35-7) will square off with Strikeforce veteran Eduardo Pamplona (15-3) in the co-main event of RFA 6 – Krause vs. Imada 2. The event will take place on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri.
Even though Larson has more than twice the number of fights than Pamplona over the course of their 10+ year careers, both fighters have fought some of the toughest competition for some of the best promotions in the world.
Larson, who is a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Dave Camarillo, got his start in MMA under the encouragement of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. Larson quickly became a standout fighter at The Academy also known as Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, which is located in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota.
After winning his first 15 fights, Larson made his UFC debut against fellow UFC newcomer Jon Fitch in October 2005. After making his UFC debut, Larson would string together 9 straight victories, which included 1 in the UFC and 2 in the WEC. That earned him a WEC title shot against eventual UFC interim champion Carlos Condit in August 2007.
Along with his WEC title shot, Larson also earned WEC "KO of the Night" honors and UFC "Submission of the Night" honors, while fighting a combined 11 times for the Zuffa-owned UFC and WEC promotions (6 UFC bouts and 5 WEC bouts). Larson also holds notable wins over Mike Pyle, Carlo Prater, John Alessio, Keita Nakamura, Ryan Jensen, and DaMarques Johnson.
His Brazilian opponent at RFA 6 is a veteran influence on the famed Black House MMA team. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Pamplona has plied his trade around the world for over the past decade. The veteran of 18 bouts has fought in his native Brazil, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
At Black House MMA, Pamplona has trained with some of the greatest fighters in the sport, such as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, former UFC interim heavyweight champion and PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, UFC and PRIDE veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and undefeated RFA fighter Pedro Munhoz.
Pamplona is a well-rounded MMA fighter that is a southpaw known for his very technical Muay Thai skills. He is also very experienced having fought for the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce promotion twice, M-1 on three occasions, Jungle Fight, IFL, and Shooto. Pamplona holds notable career victories over UFC and PRIDE veteran Jorge "Macaco" Patino, PRIDE veterans Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and Daniel Acacio, UFC veteran Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira, and Strikeforce veteran Jerron Peoples.
The RFA 6 co-main event between Larson and Pamplona will lead into the RFA main event, which will feature the highly-anticipated rematch between James Krause and Toby Imada. RFA 6 will be televised on AXS TV on Friday, January 18th, 2013 live from the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. This will be the RFA’s first event in "The Show Me State" and is expected to include many other RFA notables.
About RFA:
Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) was founded in 2011 and includes a number of prominent businessmen, fight promoters, matchmakers, and individuals with successful careers in hosting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows across the United States. To learn more, check out their website at RFAfighting.com, like RFA on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, and follow RFA on Twitter at Twitter.com/RFAfighting.