Sherdog’s Top 10: Regional MMA Promotions
No. 8
Ian
McCall emerged as the world’s top flyweight in Tachi Palace Fights.
| Photo: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
8. Tachi Palace Fights
The house MMA show for the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, Calif., has run 22 shows over the last six years and in that time has showcased a variety of world-class talent. Like the beloved World Extreme Cagefighting organization, which also got its start at Tachi Palace, focusing on the lighter weight classes has given Tachi Palace Fights a well of fantastic talent with which to work.
That eye for lighter-weight stars has brought some great names through the organization. Chad Mendes had his last two pre-WEC fights in Tachi, while Joe Soto went from a Tachi title fight to a crack at UFC bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw in less than three weeks. Prior to the UFC’s establishment of its flyweight division, Tachi was home to the best 125-pounders on the planet. Ian McCall cemented his status as the consensus top flyweight in the sport by beating Jussier da Silva, Dustin Ortiz and Darrell Montague under the Tachi banner.
The list of skilled fighters that has passed through Tachi Palace is illustrious and shows no signs of slowing down. The casino’s location in central California gives it easy access to both the talent-rich northern and southern parts of the state, and it is no surprise to see prospects from the big-name teams in both areas getting early experience in well-matched fights.
Number 7 » It explicitly presents itself as a feeder organization for the UFC. Unlike many regional promotions, particularly those of yesteryear, it makes no effort to prevent its fighters from moving to the biggest stage if and when an offer comes. The promotion constantly touts its record of producing talent for the UFC and treats that as a selling point when it comes to bringing in fighters. Thus far, there is no reason to assume that strategy is lacking.
