RFA 16 set for July 25 with Copeland-Jorgensen heavyweight title main event

RFA’s vacant heavyweight title will be on the line when the promotion returns to action next month.

RFA 16 is set for July 25 at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., near Denver. In the headlining bout, Josh Copeland (8-0) meets Jan Jorgensen (6-0) for the heavyweight belt. The main card will air live on AXS TV. RFA officials recently announced the event, as well as additional main-card fights.

In the co-main event, bantamweights Jarred Mercado (11-1) and Joe Murphy (7-1) will meet. Also seeing action on the main card are welterweights Josh Cavan (9-3) and Chris Heatherly (7-1); Zac Chavez (2-1) vs. Boston Salmon (1-0) in a bantamweight bout; Lauren Barefoot (1-0) vs. Maureen Riordon (0-0) in a women’s bantamweight contest; and Sid Bice (3-0) vs. Carlos Huerta (1-0) at flyweight.

“Josh Copeland and Jan Jorgensen are both very talented fighters from the Rocky Mountains that have never lost, RFA President Ed Soares stated. “On July 25, they will give the RFA its first heavyweight champion and our fans in Denver a title fight they will always remember.”

Copeland will make his RFA debut on the heels of a March TKO win over Jose Beltran in just 69 seconds. In 2013, the Grudge Training Center-based Denver native went 4-0 with a pair of decisions and a pair of first-round stoppages.

“It’s exciting to fight for the RFA heavyweight world title in front of my friends and family,” Copeland stated. “This is a great opportunity. I get to face another tough undefeated opponent on national television for the belt. I look forward to it.”

Jorgensen, a former defensive end at Brigham Young University who trains at The Pit Elevated, also will fight under the RFA banner for the first time. Prior to this, he has fought exclusively under the Showdown Fights banner in his native Utah, where he had five stoppages and a decision win before a no-contest against current Bellator fighter Eric Smith this past September.

“I’m very happy about this opportunity,” Jorgensen stated. “I’ve been following the RFA for a long time now and have seen really tough heavyweights like Justin McCully and Steve Mocco compete for them. It’s an honor to compete for the first RFA heavyweight title. Josh Copeland is a game opponent and I look forward to facing him.”

Mercado, from Denver, will meet Californian Murphy in what RFA says will be a No. 1 contenders fight in the bantamweight division. Mercado rebounded in February after the first loss of career this past October. Murphy got back on track two months ago with a victory of his own after the lone loss of his career, which came to Carson Beebe at WSOF 3 a year ago. Both fighters will be making their RFA debuts.

With the additions, the current RFA 16 main card includes:

• Josh Copeland vs. Jan Jorgensen – for vacant heavyweight title
• Jarred Mercado vs. Joe Murphy
• Josh Cavan vs. Chris Heatherly
• Zac Chavez vs. Boston Salmon
• Lauren Barefoot vs. Maureen Riordon
• Sid Bice vs. Carlos Huerta

For more on RFA 16, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.