GLORY Kickboxing Champion Alex Pereira won his LFA MMA debut on Friday, stopping Thomas Powell in the first round with a scary left hook knockout.
The fight headlined a five-fight card from the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, USA.
Pereira’s knockout had people forced for the safety of Powell, as he was unconscious for a few minutes afterwards. Powell eventually regained consciousness and left the cage on his own.
LFA announced on Saturday afternoon that Powell “is in good health” and” has been cleared to travel home.”
Along with his previously known striking skills, Pereira was able to resist takedowns and work in long clinches.
“[I’m] training with this Glover Teixeira [in] his gym and you can see the results,” said Pereira through a translator, talking about his MMA skills in his post-fight interview.
The bout between Periera and Powell was moved into the main event after COVID-19 complications took a fight between Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas out of the lineup.
The fight was Pereira’s return to MMA after spending many years in kickboxing. His last MMA fight was in 2016, where he defeated Marcelo Cruz to earn his first victory as a pro.
Pereira has a kickboxing record of 40 wins and six losses. His most notable win comes from 2017, where he knocked out now-UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya.
His last kickboxing bout was in December of 2019, where he defeated Ertugrul Bayrak to retain his middleweight belt.
Light heavyweight fighter Myron Dennis won a split decision in the co-main event over Dylan Potter. The fight was his third-straight win after picking up two wins in Xtreme Fight Night in 2019.
Full card results:
Bout 5: Alex Pereira def. Thomas Powell via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:04)
Bout 4: Myron Dennis def. Dylan Potter via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Victor Altamirano def. Lloyd McKinney via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 1:57)
Bout 2: Bruno Souza def. Guilherme Santos via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:16)
Bout 1: Jordan Heiderman def. Mauricio Blanco via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:43)
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