LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) announced today that they have signed Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, who is one of the most experienced MMA stars in the world. Stevenson began fighting professionally nearly 13 years ago, when he was only 16-years-old. He now has 45-fights to his credit, while fighting in three weight classes: welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight.
In November 2003, Stevenson KO’d Thomas Schulte to win the King of the Cage (KOTC) lightweight title. He would then submit his next two opponents, which earned him an invitation by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to participate on the second season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television show in 2005. Participating in the show’s welterweight tournament, Stevenson defeated Marcus Davis, Jason Von Flue, and Luke Cummo to win the tournament and a six-figure UFC contract.
In mid-2006, Stevenson would return to the lightweight division, where he would go on a run of 4-straight victories over the likes of Yves Edwards, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Melvin Guillard, and Kurt Pellegrino. The impressive streak, which saw him go undefeated in 2007, earned Stevenson a shot at the vacant UFC lightweight title in early 2008. At UFC 80, he would lose the title fight against former UFC welterweight champion B.J. Penn.
After the title fight, Stevenson would fight for the UFC nine more times (including once at featherweight), bringing his total appearances for the promotion to 16 total fights in 3 weight classes. Since being released by the UFC last summer, Stevenson has continued to train and teach out of his MMA gym Joe Stevenson’s Cobra Kai in Victorville, California. He is now itching to get back to his winning ways. Stevenson is expected to return to the lightweight division and make his debut for the RFA in late spring or early summer.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) was founded in 2011 and includes a number of prominent businessmen, fight promoters, matchmakers, and others with successful careers in hosting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows across the United States. To learn more, check out their website at www.RFAfighting.com.