The second week of LFA’s four-week series of events from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, continues on Friday night, as the promotion presents LFA 85.
Like the other shows in the series, the main event looked for a new LFA champion. Headlining the six-fight card is a matchup between Sam Hughes and Vanessa Demopoulos for the vacant LFA Strawweight Championship. Follow along throughout the evening for updates.
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 1: Mitchell Sipe def. Darion Abbey via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:37)
Bout 2: Christian Natividad def. Michael Aquila via KO, Punch (RD 1, 2:48)
Bout 3: Jordan Leavitt def. Leivon Lewis via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 2, 2:01)
Bout 4: Leandro Gomes def. Jacob Thrall via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Kevin Natividad def. Kyle Estrada via KO, Uppercut (RD 2, 1:37)
Live Coverage:
Bout 6: Sam Hughes (4-0) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (4-1) (Vacant LFA Strawweight Championship)
Demopoulos Mounts Comeback To Become LFA Champion
Coming back from a point deducted round and the hard striking of Sam Hughes, Vanessa Demopoulos slipped in a reverse arm triangle in the fourth round to become the first LFA Strawweight Champion.
Demopoulos caught Hughes with the choke while she was on her knees, keeping the choke until she dropped down and went unconscious.
“I wanted to roll for the kneebar, but I knew that the likelihood of her punching me was a lot higher if I was going for leg locks rather than just sinching up that triangle [choke],” explained Demopoulos after the fight.
Demopoulos had a setback in the second round after an illegal upkick landed to Hughes.
“I knew I had to win,” said Demopoulos, who claimed she knew she was behind on the scorecards.
In her fifth professional fight, Hughes got the first loss of her career.
Demopoulos versus Hughes play-by-play.
Bout 5: Kevin Natividad (8-1) vs. Kyle Estrada (10-5) (Bantamweight)
Natividad Knocks Estrada Out
Following the footsteps of his brother earlier in the card, Kevin Natividad knocked out Kyle Estrada in the co-main event of the evening. The uppercut win was the culmination of a firefight between the fighters early in the second round.
Natividad’s brother, Christian Natividad won earlier in the card via stoppage as well.
“As soon as I saw him knock his guy out I was like damn, well, I have to go knock my guy out now,” said Natividad about his brother’s performance.
Throughout the first round Estrada chipped away at Natividad with calf kicks.
The win was the fifth straight for Natividad, with four of them in the LFA.
“I’d like to collect some belts,” said Natividad after, mentioning how he wants an LFA title shot.
Natividad versus Estrada play-by-play
Bout 4: Leandro Gomes (5-1) vs. Jacob Thrall (6-2-1) (Featherweight)
Gomes Takes Thrall To The Scorecards
A unanimous decision went to Leandro Gomes, defeating Jacob Thrall in the fourth bout. The fight, which was a clean sweep on the scorecards, saw Gomes show his skill on the ground.
Gomes put on his best performance in the last, trying for an arm triangle choke from full mount at one point.
The fight was bloody, with a big contributor being elbows that Gomes landed to Thrall in the first round.
The win for Gomes was his third in LFA.
Gomes versus Thrall play-by-play.
Bout 3: Jordan Leavitt (5-0) vs. Leivon Lewis (3-0) (Lightweight)
Leavitt Remains Undefeated With Anaconda Choke Win
Remaining undefeated, Jordan Leavitt stopped Leivon Lewis with an anaconda choke in the second round. The groundwork from Leavitt made him dominant, often threatening positions while on his back.
The fight was the first of the evening to last more than one round.
“I knew if I took him into some deeper water there was no chance he could scramble with me and keep that up,” said Leavitt in his post-fight interview.
On the flip side, the fight broke the previously three-fight undefeated record for Lewis. All of Leavitt’s wins as a pro are against fighters who have never lost before.
Lewis was on the ground for numerous minutes after the fight, staying down during the official decision afterwards.
Leavitt versus Lewis play-by-play.
Bout 2: Christian Natividad (0-0) vs. Michael Aquila (1-1) (Bantamweight)
Natividad Has Strong Debut
Christian Natividad had a strong professional debut on the show, stopping Michael Aquila in the first round with punches. The fight came to a close after a two-punch combination knocked out Aquila.
Natividad’s ability to stay on the feet helped him succeed. On numerous occasions, he had the chance to go to the ground but was persistent to stay in stand-up. The stoppage was the third knockdown in the fight from Natividad.
“I want to take him where he was weak, which is on the feet,” said Natividad in his post-fight interview.
The fight was Aquila’s second-straight finish loss.
Natividad’s brother, Kevin Natividad is set to fight in the co-main event of the show.
“Now that my fights done, it’s all about my brother,” said Christian.
Natividad versus Aquila play-by-play.
Bout 1: Mitchell Sipe (4-2) vs. Darion Abbey (1-1) (Heavyweight)
Sipe Ends Losing Streak With First Round Stoppage
Mitchell Sipe started the night with a bang, stopping Darion Abbey in the first round with strikes. The heavyweight hurt Abbey with punches, landing a combination of punches and a knee to the head which dropped his opponent and ended the fight.
Both fighters were scoring with hard punches early, although Sipe was the aggressor for the majority of the fight.
“My experience level is a quantum leap. I trained with all the best athletes in the world,” said Sipe after the fight.
Sipe was quite excited after the fight running around the cage while screaming. The fight ended a two-fight losing streak from before.
Sipe versus Abbey play-by-play.
Chris Brown Tests Positive For COVID-19, Off Card
Welterweight fighter Chris Brown was pulled from his matchup against Ignacio Bahamondes after a positive COVID-19 test. A press release from the promotion announced the card change on Saturday. The show is set to proceed with six bouts instead of seven.
Knockdown News 