LFA is scheduled to celebrate their 100th numbered event on Friday night, holding a seven-fight card from the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, USA. Atop the card is a flyweight bout between promotional veteran Victor Altamirano and short-notice opponent Nate Smith.
Follow along throughout the evening for live coverage of the event.
A full preview of the card can be viewed here.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Bout 1: Maria Henderson def. Amanda Mitchell via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 2: Emmanuela Moliere def. Amber Danielson-Smith via Decision, Unanimous
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 8:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Christian Natividad def. Evan Woolsey via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Tommy Aaron def. Gerald Scott via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:57)
Bout 5: Steven Nguyen def. Jorge Juarez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:30)
Bout 6: Charles Johnson def. Karlee Pangilinan via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 2, 1:41)
Live Coverage:
Bout 7: Victor Altamirano (8-1) vs. Nate Smith (6-1) (Vacant LFA Flyweight Championship)
LFA Veteran Altamirano Earns Flyweight Belt Over Smith
Victor Altamirano’s career-long LFA run culminated on Friday night, defeating Nate Smith with a unanimous decision to become the new LFA Flyweight Champion (50-45, 49-46 & 50-44).
Altamirano’s win was a well-rounded performance that showed his powerful striking and ability on the ground throughout all five rounds.
Altamirano wasn’t afraid to go to the ground during the fight, often pulling guard or deciding to go down while Smith was already down.
Altamirano’s main event win was somewhat poetic for LFA, as the flyweight had spent the majority of his pro career in the promotion and appeared as an amateur at their inaugural event in 2017.
“I think [this moment] means a lot to everybody. It’s a culmination of hard work, dedication, not just from my behalf and my team’s behalf, but everybody here regarding the production, just the whole staff the staff [of LFA],” reflected Altamirano in his post-fight interview.
All of Altamirano’s previous eight wins as a pro took place in LFA. The most recent one prior to Friday was a submission victory against Lloyd McKinney in November.
Altamirano is now the sixth flyweight champion in LFA’s history. The previous champion was Jimmy Flick, who vacated the belt in 2020 to join the UFC.
Smith missed weight for the main event, coming in more than a pound over the championship limit on Thursday. Because of this, Smith would have not been crowned champion if he won the bout.
Smith took the fight on short notice, taking the place of undefeated prospect Carlos Mota. His last fight was in September, where he was submitted by former LFA champ Flick on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Bout 6: Charles Johnson (7-2) vs. Karlee Pangilinan (6-0) (Flyweight)
Johnson Slips In Anaconda Choke To Hand Pangilinan His First Loss
Charles Johnson snatched the six-fight undefeated record of Karlee Pangilinan in the co-main event, catching him with an anaconda choke in the second round.
Johnson slipped the choke in quickly in the second round, applying it after dumping Pangilinan to the ground during an up-close exchange against the cage.
The fighters engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the feet prior to the submission win.
Johnson was stepping into the MMA for the first time since 2018. His last bout was a decision loss to Brandon Royval, who is now in the UFC.
Pangilinan was making his LFA debut after six wins on the regional scene from 2018 to 2020.
Bout 5: Steven Nguyen (6-1) vs. Jorge Juarez (5-2) (Featherweight)
Nguyen Earns Quick KO Victory Against Juarez In Return
Steven Nguyen picked up an explosive knockout victory on Friday, folding Jorge Juarez within a minute with a right cross. The explosive win saw Nguyen return to the win column in his return.
Nguyen’s previous bout was over a year ago on UFC TV series “Dana White’s Contender Series.” The high-stakes fight that could have given Nguyen a UFC contract didn’t go his way, as his opponent Aalon Cruz caught him late in the third round with a flying knee.
Nguyen was satisfied with his return victory on Friday afterwards.
“It’s been a long road … I’m just happy to even step in there today,” said Nguyen in his post-fight interview.
Nguyen had previously picked up six wins on the regional scene before notching his seventh victory on Friday.
Juarez was also returning after somewhat of an absence from the cage. His last fight was in January of 2020, where he defeated Raphael Smith via submission.
Bout 4: Gerald Scott (4-0) vs. Tommy Aaron (6-4) (Lightweight)
Aaron Secures Choke In Return, Hands Scott First Loss
Tommy Aaron finished off his impressive performance over Gerald Scott with a rear naked choke submission late in the third round on Friday. The win was Aaron’s first after over a year outside of the cage.
The finish win for Aaron came after a dominant round. Aaron hurt Scott earlier in the frame with ground and pound while in full mount. He eventually switched to the back of Scott where he was able to secure the choke.
Aaron engaged in quick and scrappy exchanges on the feet with Scott throughout the fight. Aaron was ahead on all scorecards heading into the final round.
Aaron was competing for the first since May of 2018. While he was coming off a loss, Aaron had won his two previous LFA appearances before Friday.
UFC fighter Tony Ferguson was in the corner of Aaron for the fight.
The fight was Scott’s first loss as a pro. Scott earned his first LFA victory in July, stopping Keith Phathaem late in the second round with punches.
Bout 3: Christian Natividad (2-0) vs. Evan Woolsey (1-1) (Bantamweight)
Natividad Fights To Decision For First Time, Earns Third Pro Win
Christian Natividad was given his toughest challenge yet as a pro on Friday, fighting for three rounds to a unanimous decision victory against Evan Woolsey (30-26, 30-26 & 30-27).
Natividad showcased sharp striking on the feet, putting together punches that targeted the head and body. While he had the better striking throughout, Woolsey was able to absorb and answer back with his own shots as well.
Natividad was able to control Woolsey for a large portion of the final round with ground and pound.
Natividad’s two previous pro wins were quick showings, stopping both opponents within a round with punches.
The fight was Woolsey’s return to MMA after over six years outside of the cage. His last participation in combat sports was in 2015, where he lost to Everton Lopes in a boxing bout.
Bout 2: Emmanuela Moliere (0-0) vs. Amber Danielson-Smith (0-0) (Bantamweight)
Moliere Controls Danielson-Smith For Debut Win
Emmanuela Moliere had a strong showing in her pro debut, defeating Amber Danielson-Smith in the final fight of LFA’s preliminary card (29-27, 29-28 & 29-26).
Moliere had a strong opening to the bout, then overcame a second-round road bump before finishing the bout strong.
Moliere had a dominant start to the fight, controlling Danielson-Smith on the ground for most of the round. Danielson-Smith was in trouble in the final minutes of the frame, as Smith applied a rear naked choke while mounted on her back.
Smith had a comeback in the second round, putting together strikes while on the feet.
Moliere regained control in the third round, scoring a takedown early in the round then landing ground and pound for most of the time.
“I was expecting a quick one [fight] but she was game,” said Moliere in her post-fight interview.
Bout 1: Maria Henderson (0-0) vs. Amanda Mitchell (0-0) (Amateur Strawweight)
Henderson Picks Up First Amateur Victory
Maria Henderson won her first amateur fight on the prelims, defeating Amanda Mitchell via unanimous decision after a three-round brawl (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).
The fight saw both fighters trade with hectic exchanges on the feet through all three rounds. Henderson was able to control the fight at moments by keeping Mitchell in a clinch, landing strikes from that position.
Henderson had her husband, Bellator fighter Benson Henderson in her corner for the fight.
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