Friday night will see the return of LFA Strawweight Champion Vanessa Demopoulos, as she will attempt to defend her belt for the first time when she faces Lupita Godinez.
The fight headlines LFA 94, which is scheduled to happen from the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, USA. Here’s a preview of the card.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Bout 1: Edwin Cooper Jr. (2-1) vs. Ethyn Ewing (0-0) (Featherweight)
The first of two preliminary bouts will see Edwin Cooper Jr. return to the cage when he faces Ethyn Ewing. Cooper Jr. lost his first appearance in LFA, being caught in the first round with an armbar from Sean William Cerveny in January.
Ewing will be making his pro debut after an amateur MMA run from 2018 to 2020. Per Tapology, Ewing won six-straight fights on the amateur scene.
Bout 2: Loveth Young (1-1-1) vs. Reena Norville (0-0) (Strawweight)
Loveth Young will be Reena Norville’s first opponent in pro MMA as part of Friday’s prelims. Norville picked up a series of wins as an amateur before deciding to turn pro. Young lost her LFA debut in January, albeit against the now-strawweight champion Demopoulos.
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Jalin Fuller (3-0) vs. Miles Amos (3-0) (Middleweight)
Two undefeated fighters in Jalin Fuller and Miles Amos will fight on the main card of LFA on Friday. Fuller made his LFA debut in January, stopping Gabe Rodriguez in only 12 seconds with strikes. Amos comes into LFA after two victories in Titan FC.
Bout 4: Logan Woods (3-0) vs. Ozzy Diaz (3-1) (Middleweight)
Logan Woods and Ozzy Diaz will make their first LFA appearances on Friday when paired against one another. Diaz enters LFA after two finish victories in Bellator in 2019. Diaz and Woods share a common trait, that being that all of their wins as a pro are via stoppage, presenting the possibility for an explosive fight.
Bout 5: Fernie Garcia (7-1) vs. Ryan Hayes (9-6) (Bantamweight)
Hunting for his third-straight LFA win, Fernie Garica will face Ryan Hayes on the main card. Garcia’s two prior wins were decisions, defeating Marquis Smith and Jay Viola on the scorecards.
Hayes returned to the cage in November of 2019, defeating Turrell Galloway via decision after over three years of an absence from the sport. Hayes has competed as a pro since 2011.
Bout 6: Thai Clark (8-0) vs. Chase Gibson (9-5) (Featherweight)
Thai Clark will aim to remain undefeated on Friday when paired with Chase Gibson. Clark, a member of season 27 of UFC’s TV series “The Ultimate Fighter,” last competed in September of 2019, defeating Josh Augustine via decision. After just over a year-long layoff, Clark will return on Friday.
Gibson will look to bounce back from a loss with the bout. Gibson’s last fight was on TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series,” where he dropped a decision to Tucker Lutz.
Bout 7: Aaron McKenzie (8-2-1) vs. Joe Giannetti (9-3-1) (Lightweight)
After losing a main event fight to Brant Moore in August, Joe Giannetti returns on Friday’s card to fight Aaron McKenzie.
The fight in August for Giannetti was his promotional debut. He previously had experience in Cage Titans and was a finalist on season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
McKenzie won his LFA debut in August, catching Glaucio Eliziario in the first round with a rear naked choke.
Bout 8: Vanessa Demopoulos (5-2) vs. Lupita Godinez (4-0) (LFA Strawweight Championship)
Vanessa Demopoulos will look to defend her LFA Strawweight Championship for the first time when fighting Lupita Godinez on the main event of Friday’s show.
Demopoulos had a summer of highs and lows. She earned the LFA belt in July, defeating Sam Hughes in the fourth round with an inverted triangle choke. Less than a month later, Demopoulos took a fight on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in hopes of making it into the UFC.
The fight didn’t go her way, losing a decision to Cory McKenna. Now she is back in the LFA and focuses on defending her belt again.
Godinez enters LFA after an undefeated four-fight run as a pro. She picked up four wins from 2018 to 2019, one of which was a submission victory. Her highest-profile fight was in 2019, when she picked up a win in Combate Americas.
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