On Saturday in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Zagreb a conference was organized and held by the Final Fight Championship in cooperation with Croatian Free Fighting Association (HSSB) and Croatian Kickboxing Federation. On behalf of the FFC, the conference was attended by its president, Mr. Orsat Zovko and Fight Channel Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Marko Petrak. HSSB was represented by its president, Mr. Zeljko Banic, and the Croatian Kickboxing Federation attended via its vice-president, Mr. Marko Zaja.

In spite of snow and bad weather, the organizers were joined at the conference by some forty representatives from many Croatian kickboxing and MMA clubs, as well as by several attendees from international combat sports collectives and associations.

The agenda consisted of several items relating to what the FFC accomplished in 2013, and the heads of the promotion proceeded to announce an even busier and more successful 2014. The biggest news is four tournaments from a new series of events called "FFC Futures". The single-day tournaments will be held in the town of Opatija, Croatia, and are envisioned as a platform that will generate young and talented professionals, both in kickboxing and in mixed martial arts.

The mini (daily) eight-man tournaments are to be held in five weight classes (KB: -70kg, -81kg, -86kg, -95kg, +95kg, MMA: -70kg, -77kg, – 84kg, -93kg, +93kg), and a "Futures Winner" fighter will have to win three bouts in one day. Quarterfinal bouts will start from 9 A.M., the semis at 2 P.M., while the finals will kick off at the FFC standard 7.30 P.M. slot and will be aired on Fight Channel and other networks. MMA fighters will do their first two matches in the "one five-minute round" format, while the final bouts will be comprised of two five-minute rounds. Kickboxers will do their first two matches in the "two two-minute rounds" format, and the final bout will take three two-minute rounds to finish. Each "Futures Winner" automatically becomes a semifinalist in the final tournament, which is to be held in December in Zagreb. The overall winner, i.e "Futures Champion" will be awarded a cash prize and a contract with Final Fight enabling him to fight on one of the biggest European combat sports stages. 

"2013 was a great year for us, even though we were still finding our feet in some segments. That's normal because it was the first real FFC year. It is not difficult to organize one top event in a year, but it's really hard to do a series well. I think we've achieved our basic goal, and that was to make a breakthrough in the European market as one of the best organizations, and we've established ourselves as a serious project. The competition system is now fully set up, so we are looking toward the next year with optimism. Even some multi-million, much bigger promotions with much larger budgets and resources were unable to do it at the same level," FFC president Orsat Zovko said, adding:

"The biggest news in 2014 is the FFC Futures series of tournaments. We already have a huge number of fighters on our roster, and it just keeps growing, and there is a big pressure on us to push some new names into action. Because of that, we have organized this new Futures platform in cooperation with the KB and MMA associations. I think this is an amazing opportunity for young fighters who will be able to prove themselves and fight for their place in the FFC. The defeated can apply for the very next date and once again find themselves in the Futures pot. Quality will rise above in the end," Zovko added.

Due to many inquiries sent to the FFC's address, the situation regarding the exclusivity of participation in Final Fight has been cleared up. In 2014, the FFC will sign exclusive contracts with its fighters. The good news for all young fighters who will register for FFC Futures is that the organization will cover everybody's travel, hotel and food costs (for a fighter and his coach), and it will be enough to progress from the first round to earn some money.

Instructions on how to register, as well as all the terms, conditions and rules of the competition will be published over the following days on Final Fight's official website and on Fight Site. International fighters are free to apply as well, which will additionally increase the competition at each of the tournaments.

FFC FUTURES dates:

March 1,  FFC Futures 1 – Opatija  – Croatia
May 3, FFC Futures 2 – Opatija  – Croatia
September 6, FFC Futures 3 – Opatija  – Croatia
November 8, FFC Futures 4 – Opatija- Croatia

FINAL – December, Zagreb