RFA 9's Jordan Rinaldi: RFA the 'perfect avenue' back to the UFC

Like a majority of MMA fighters, Jordan Rinaldi has the goal of one day stepping foot in the octagon under the UFC banner.

And while countless athletes around the world are vying for one of the UFC’s limited roster spots, Rinaldi knows that fighting for RFA has him one step ahead of everyone else.

Rinaldi (6-1) nearly had his path to the UFC set in 2012 when he selected for “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” where his was an elimination-round win away from earning a spot on the cast. Unfortunately, Joe Proctor quickly submitted him and, and Rinaldi never had the chance to truly showcase his talents.

While that failure would be crippling to a lot of fighters, Rinaldi trekked forward with his career and eventually found his way to RFA, a relatively new promotion with proven links to the UFC.

Rinaldi has gone 1-1 since joining the burgeoning organization in mid-2012, but he knows if he can string together a few wins, he’ll be on the UFC’s radar much more easily than if he were to go on a winning streak in other regional promotions.

“The RFA is the perfect avenue to get [to the UFC],” Rinaldi told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “The connections they have with the UFC are obvious. They’ve really been a breeding ground for fighters to move up to the next level.”

Even though he is happy with his current home at RFA and would like to stay put for the immediate future, Rinaldo obviously has dreams of one day fighting for the world’s largest and most prominent MMA promotion.

If he ever plans on getting there, though, Rinaldi must rebound from his first professional defeat when he meets undefeated prospect Brian Ortega (6-0) in one of the featured bouts this Friday at “RFA 9: Curran vs. Munhoz” in Los Angeles. Their main-card bout airs on the night’s AXS TV broadcast.

Much like Rinaldi, Ortega is a youngster in the featherweight division with limited experience against quality opposition, but he’s looking to prove himself and one day earn a spot on the big stage.

Despite his opponent’s spotless record, Rinaldi doesn’t view Ortega as particularly stiff competition and ultimately believes a fighter such as himself will be too much, too soon for the 22-year-old.

“I’m not overly impressed with anything from his striking, his wrestling – though his jiu-jitsu is pretty darn good,” Rinaldi said. “He doesn’t seem to be an incredible athlete, but we’ll see how it goes in the fight.

“The videos that I’ve seen not overly impressed and he hasn’t fought anyone really tough yet, so the level of competition will really be a shock for him.”

For the latest on RFA 9, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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