Xtreme Fighting Championships returned in November, marking the maiden voyage of a relaunch nearly five years in the making. XFC 43, held Nov. 11, went successfully, according to Myron Molotky, the promotion’s president.
“I was very excited about the way that it came out,” Molotky told MMASucka. “I think we planned it the right way, and everything worked out well. In this environment with the pandemic, there’s always going to be questions of, ‘Are you going to have a positive test?’”
Everyone involved tested negative for the coronavirus, Molotky said. The promotion had extra fighters in each weight class on-hand in case of any positive tests.
“From a planning standpoint, it went off by design,” Molotky said. “I’ve used the words ‘flawless execution’ in the past by the XFC staff. That went very well. I believe the fighters had a great time and were treated well. I couldn’t ask for a better inaugural event kicking off the relaunch of XFC.”
The president is looking forward to his promotion’s future, and a January return is on the horizon. The card will solely feature the XFC Young Guns branch, which will see young up-and-coming fighters compete.
XFC 44 is slated for February. A date has not yet been officially selected, though the promotion is looking at Feb. 15; Presidents’ Day.
The previous card saw prospect Kenneth Cross TKO Jarel Askew in the lightweight tournament quarterfinals. Former UFC fighter Kurt Holobaugh also advanced, as well as Scott Hudson and Tom O’Connor.
The welterweight tournament also began that night, with UFC veteran Bobby Nash TKO’ing Spencer Jebb. LaRue Burley, Carson Hardman, and Ryan Dickson also advanced.
XFC 43’s main and co-main events saw a pair of competitive split decisions, with former UFC fighter Andre Soukhamtath defeating former XFC featherweight champion Guilherme Faria, and Danielle Taylor besting Jessica Aguilar in a battle of former UFC strawweights.
Despite strong showings from two of XFC’s premier talents, Molotky said there are no immediate plans for title fights.
“I hate to just throw out title shots until there are some great showings inside the Hexagon,” he explained. “Both Danielle and Andre put on great showings. They understand what we’re trying to build; especially through Young Guns and the tournaments, and then getting on with the super fights. As far as title shots go, we’re going to see a bunch of wily veterans in the cage a few more times before we even start considering a title fight.”
Following XFC 43, Molotky says many fighters have reached out to the promotion to express interest in competing. Those phone calls have led to “really great conversations” with some fighters, the president said.
“We’re real excited how many fighters are really interested in being a part of the XFC roster. We’re going to have some pretty big announcements.”
Molotky says the XFC’s next step is to secure the venue for XFC 44 before it makes an announcement on when the fights will be. Then, the XFC will start announcing the roster’s new additions.
In late November, Molotky told MMASucka’s Josh Yule that the XFC is in talks with Anderson Silva, a former UFC middleweight champion and MMA legend. In the days since, there has been more conversation but nothing official.
“I think Anderson has really earned the right to make decisions as to what direction he wants to go,” Molotky said. “Whether that means entertaining another fight, or does that mean coming aboard and playing more of an executive role within XFC? I know he’s excited, and the communications have been strong. We’re certainly excited to do something here. This is something where it has to play out the right way. We’re not going to try to force the square peg into the wrong hole. We’ll narrow it down and say ‘this is all we’re interested in.’ Quite honestly, to have him involved with XFC as an organization absolutely makes sense for us. And the more we’re moving forward with it, it sounds like it makes a lot of sense for Anderson as well.”
Fighters additionally received shares in the company, as XFC is the only publicly-traded MMA organization. As of Friday, under ticker $DKMR, XFC trades over-the-counter at a price of 0.13 cents per share. The price is down from the mid-0.20s of when XFC 43 was held.
Molotky said he’s not the “money guy” of the group, but those who are have been excited about potentially getting the stock over to NASDAQ.
“The stock price has fluctuated from when you first start to extremely low, and then it went to some strange bubble where it climbed very quickly, and then it’s dropped down again,” Molotky said. “I think that there’s going to be some inconsistency in the actual stock numbers until we have a fair number of events, the signings continue on, and there’s confidence in the market.”
The stock’s decrease following the relaunch was part of the predictor of those running the show on the publicly-traded side, Molotky said.
“They don’t expect a rise until we get through the first quarter of 2021,” he said. “Everything they said was going to happen has been relatively close to what the predictor model has been. The expectations are it’s going to need a certain rise at some point, and once you start getting in that .50 to $1 range, they feel that it’s going to take off from there.”
Molotky gave a big thanks to current XFC shareholders.
“There are so many people who believe in what we’re doing. The support has been very strong, and they reach out all the time. Everyone’s excited. Especially getting in right now; I think that’s really been driving quite a bit. I see the volume continues to rise on a non-stop basis, so we’re excited about that.
“As far as the fighters go, it’s as we told them, very simply: Your performance is going to be a driver for what this company is going to be worth,” Molotky continued. “That’s what’s going to help you as a fighter accumulate wealth. Whether it’s a planned retirement or other investing opportunities.”
The president gave a shout out to TiiCKER, an online platform that connects investors with brands they own a stake in. The platform is due to put on seminars for fighters on teaching them how to manage their money and stock options.
