LFA will begin their 2021 season on Friday night with a lightweight title fight. Rising talent Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas will compete in the main event as they aim to become the fifth lightweight champ in LFA history.
Here’s a full preview of the card, which is scheduled to take place at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, USA.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Bout 1: Shane Shapiro (0-0) vs. Cam Ansel (0-1) (Lightweight)
Shane Shapiro will make his pro debut on the prelims when he faces Cam Ansel. Shapiro kickstarts his pro career after an amateur run that dates back to 2013. While Shapiro has a few wins as an amateur, databases like Tapology and Sherdog don’t show that he has competed since 2016.
Ansel returns after a loss in his pro debut. Ansel fought as a pro for the first time in November of 2019, where Kristian Bouchard stopped him in the third round with a rear naked choke.
Ansel missed weight for the fight, coming in a pound over the non-championship lightweight limit.
Bout 2: Claire Guthrie (1-1) vs. Nadine Mandiau (1-1) (Flyweight)
Former Invicta FC fighter Claire Guthrie will make her LFA debut on the prelims against Nadine Mandiau.
Guthrie made her pro debut in 2019, defeating Jordan Kaaze with an armbar at Invicta FC 37. After losing a one-round fight via decision to Taylor Guardado as part of a one-night tournament put on by Invicta, Guthrie took her first loss as a pro in July, dropping a split decision to Caitlin Sammons.
Mandiau returns to LFA after picking up her first win as a pro. Her last fight was in November of 2019, where she defeated Melissa Cervantes on a Combate Americas card. Mandiau’s pro debut was in LFA, losing to Vanessa Demopoulos, who went on to become the LFA Strawweight Champion in 2020.
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 8:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Thomas Petersen (2-0) vs. Richard Luis (2-2) (Heavyweight)
Heavyweight Thomas Petersen will fight on Friday against Richard Luis. Petersen had a successful first year as a pro, picking up two first-round victories, including a win over Brian Peterson on an LFA card in February.
He now fights Luis, who enters LFA with an even record of two wins and two losses. Luis snapped a two-fight skid in October of 2019, his most recent fight, where he stopped Josh Bonner within a round.
Bout 4: Josh Quinlan (3-0) vs. Joe Boerschig (6-3) (Welterweight)
Undefeated welterweight Josh Quinlan will fight Joe Boerschig in the opening bout of the main card. Quinlan won his LFA debut in September, stopping Pete Keepers in the second round with punches. Before then, Quinlan had two first-round wins in the regional scene.
The fight will be Boershig’s return to MMA, having last fought in March of 2019. He has since competed in kickboxing and boxing bouts.
Bout 5: Michael Stack (4-1) vs. Jordan Mapa (3-2) (Featherweight)
Coming back after facing his first loss as a pro, Michael Stack will battle with Jordan Mapa. After winning four fights from 2018 to 2019, Stack lost a bout in July of 2020 to Kai Kamaka III. The decision win for Kamaka III was his last before signing with the UFC.
Mapa lost in his last matchup, losing a decision to Zaxton Kamaka in August of 2019. The fight on Friday will be Mapa’s first for LFA.
This fight was first set to happen on an LFA card in November, although plans changed due to COVID-19.
Bout 6: Loveth Young (2-1-1) vs. Kelly D’Angelo (4-3) (Strawweight)
Transitioning from Invicta FC to LFA, Kelly D’Angelo will fight Loveth Young on the main card. D’Angelo had her last three fights in Invicta in a stint that went from 2018 to 2020. A two-fight win streak for D’Angelo was broken by Alesha Zappitella in February via decision. D’Angelo fought at atomweight for her last three fights, although she will make the move back up to strawweight on Friday.
The fight will be Young’s third appearance on an LFA card. She earned her first LFA win in October, stopping Reena Norville in the third minute of action with strikes. Her previous fight was a decision loss to Vanessa Demopoulos.
Bout 7: Kamuela Kirk (9-4) vs. Guilherme Santos (8-3) (Featherweight)
Both looking to return to the win column, Kamuela Kirk will fight Guilherme Santos on the main card. Kirk is competing after losing his past two fights. He last competed in July, where he dropped a split decision to Bruno Souza. Before then, he lost a fight to Billy Quarantillo on “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Quarantillo went on to compete in the UFC following the win.
Santos lost his LFA debut two months back, being stopped by Souza in the second round of action. Santos has eight wins in other regional promotions.
Santos missed weight for the featherweight fight, coming in over a pound past the limit.
Bout 8: Jacob Rosales (12-6) vs. Jose Martinez (11-4) (Lightweight)
After losing an LFA title shot in 2020, Jacob Rosales is slotted in the co-main event spot against Jose Martinez. Rosales competed in July of 2020, where Bryce Logan defeated him via decision to be crowned LFA champ. Rosales’ previous fight was in January, where he took a decision victory against Salaiman Ahmadyar.
Martinez will be making his first LFA appearance since 2017. He comes back to the promotion after picking up three-straight wins on the regional scene in the past two years.
Martinez missed weight for the fight by one pound.
Bout 9: Nick Browne (10-1) vs. Arthur Estrazulas (12-4) (Vacant LFA Lightweight Championship)
Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas will compete to become the next LFA Lightweight Champion in the main event of the card. The winner will take the place of the previous 155-pound champ, Bryce Logan, who vacated the belt in 2020 after signing with Bellator.
Both fighters enter the bout after two consecutive victories in LFA.
Browne last competed in July of 2020, where he earned a decision victory against Ben Egli. While Browne had a strong performance altogether, he struggled in the third round with his conditioning. This was something he said he has been working on since.
Just a week before Browne’s win over Egli, Estrazulas picked up his most recent win. Estrazulas stopped Dominic Clark in the first round with a rear naked choke at LFA 86. The win was his second first-round rear naked choke victory in LFA.
A fight between Browne and Estrazulas was first scheduled for November, although it was removed from the lineup after a cornerman of Browne tested positive for COVID-19.
FURTHER READING: After some adjustments, Nick Browne feels ready for an LFA championship
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