Looks to be a resurgence in the mma market place again with newer organizations sprouting up.
Before there was the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA), there was Ed Soares — the manager.
Soares, who has long made a name for himself as the manager of perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time, Anderson Silva — as well as overseeing the careers of other champions such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Jose Aldo and Lyoto Machida — will be giving up the reins as a fighter manager in early 2017. That's when his new venture, the Legacy Fighting Championship Legacy Fighting Alliance gets rolling.
On Monday Soares announced that Legacy FC and his RFA are merging to form one promotion, LFA to kick off 2017. He said he hopes will be a springboard for developing talent to Bellator and the UFC, calling it the "NCAA of mixed martial arts." The Black House co-founder said that he would be giving up management to fulfill his new role as the CEO of LFA.
"Starting in the beginning of 2017, I'm going to finish out my duties," Soares said during an appearance on The MMA Hour. "Listen, guys like Anderson, guys like Nogueira, guys like Lyoto — these guys are my friends, these guys are my family. I'm still going to be there with them. But as far as managing, my partner Jorge [Guimaraes] is taking over Tough Media, which will be the management company, and I'm going to be focusing 100 percent on the LFA."
Soares said that LFA will hold 30 events in 2017, all to be held on AXS TV. The prolific nature of the calendar is what he hopes will attract up-and-coming fighters to his platform, where the new promotion will provide plenty of exposure. Still, Soares has been a longtime player in MMA, acting as an interpreter to many Brazilian fighters, and for negotiating deals with the UFC and Bellator for so long.
Now, after some introspection, he said it's time to turn the page.
"It's a bittersweet day," he said. "I've had an incredible management career. I've had a blessed career. But what it really boils down to, I feel there's really not much more that I can get from the management business that I haven't already gotten. I've managed one of the greatest of all time. I've managed various champions. Being a manager has been a blessing.
"But I'm really excited about this new chapter in my life, helping guys to where they want to go. Because I had to really dig deep and think about why I got into this business. When I got into this business, it was really for one reason, and that was because I really enjoyed helping guys get to where they want to go. And as a manager I was able to do that with a lot of different guys."
The move from management to strictly promoter also eases him of any potential conflicts of interest going forward. He said it was rise of so many RFA fighters who were unaffiliated with his management team that ultimately got him to thinking about promoting full time.
"Like for instance, in the RFA, we've put 52 guys into the UFC in the past three years," he said. "And out of those 52 guys, only six of them were guys that we kind of worked with [management wise]. And that's what helped me to see, you know what, I'm able to help so many more people and touch so many more people's lives as a promoter than I was able to do as a manager. And that's what makes me feel good. That's what fulfills me, is helping these guys achieve their goals."
Soares said that whoever passes through LFA will remain part of the family for their entire career.
"When guys fight in the RFA, and now when guys fight in the LFA, it's like a fraternity man," he said. "For the rest of your career we're there supporting you, helping promote you, even after you leave because for us it's not about getting the guys to the UFC or Bellator, it's about keeping guys there. And that's what's important to us."
http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/9/2...-alliance-merger-ed-soares-to-give-up-fighter