(Maximum Fighting)RFA 23: What to Watch For RJ Gardner February 3, 2015 Events, Previews, Spotlight On Friday, February 6, 2015, the RFA heads to The Hanger at OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA for RFA 23: Murphy vs. Ware. Over the past couple of years, the RFA has become the premier developmental league in MMA and they continually send fighters to the UFC. That alone should be reason enough for fans to tune in and watch, but if you need some specifics as to why RFA 23 is “Must See” TV, here you go. Joe Merritt Being a finisher isn’t the end all be all when evaluating talent, but it’s a good indicator of future success. Fighters who burst on to the scene and finish all of their opposition generally catch the eyes of talent scouts early and that is exactly what middleweight prospect Joe Merritt has done. At 6-0 in his pro career, Merritt has won all six bouts by way of knockout. He is an elite athlete with superior speed and power; it won’t be long before we see him taking on the best competition in the world. Joseph Henle vs. Gabriel Checco The co-main event of the evening should be a fine bout between middleweight up and comers Joseph Henle and Gabriel Checco. Both Henle and Checco have been close to cracking the ranks of the bigger promotions and a win here for either man would do wonders for their career. Checco is looking to rebound after suffering his first career defeat at the hands of Jake Collier at RFA 19, but he could be in trouble against Henle. Henle is a powerful grappler who knows how to exploit his opponents’ mistakes. Terrion Ware vs. Joe Murphy In the main event of the evening, bantamweights Terrion Ware and Joe Murphy will be looking to make a statement. The bantamweight division is one of the most talent rich divisions in all of MMA and in order to make it to one of the big shows fighters have to be impressive time in and time out. Ware is the more experienced fighter and he is the more proven striker, but two of his three career losses have come by submission. Five of Murphy’s eight career wins have come by way of submission so Ware better not make a mistake.
