Undefeated prospects will collide at bantamweight on Friday night, as “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Daniel Argueta will meet Mairon Santos in the main event of LFA 123. The fight is just one of many prospect showcases set to happen at the Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Hammond, Indiana, USA.
Here’s a preview of the entire card.
Preliminary Card
Bout 1: Justin Lovrich (0-0) vs. Aleksander Keca (0-0) (Lightweight)
Two lightweights will debut in the opening bout of the show. In the first fight, Justin Lovrich and Aleksander Keca will compete.
Lovrich is turning pro after an impressive amateur run of seven wins through eight appearances. He frequently showed his grappling skills as an amateur, finishing five fights via submission from 2017 to 2021.
Keca won six bouts through 10 fights in his amateur career. His last appearance was in September, where he beat Herbert Rogers-Williams on an LFA card.
Bout 2: Tyler Hufnagle (5-2) vs. Gabriel Mota (4-6) (Light Heavyweight)
Light heavyweights Tyler Hufnagle and Gabriel Mota are scheduled to meet in the next bout.
Hufnagle’s appearance will mark the end of a three-year absence from competition. His last fight dates back to February 2019, where he lost to Andrew Kapek. He had a strong three-fight winning streak on the regional scene before then.
Mota has struggled in his past few bouts, having won just three of his last five. This includes the two appearances he made last year, which resulted in a submission loss and a split decision defeat.
Bout 3: Cody Linne (2-0) vs. Kevin Fernandez (2-0) (Flyweight)
The short prelims will conclude with a fight between flyweights Cody Linne and Kevin Fernandez.
Fernandez made his pro debut on an LFA card in June, going three rounds against Manuel Medina for a unanimous decision win. He returned on an XMMA card later in the year, submitting Jonathan Calderon with an arm triangle choke.
Linne is also still in his rookie year as a pro. He fought twice last year in XFC’s “YoungGuns” series, earning a first-round submission in both appearances.
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 8:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Halston Williams (1-1) vs. Tanner Marlow (3-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Tanner Marlow will search for his fourth win when facing Halston Williams.
Marlow has attained three wins that have been spread out over a decade. The unusual pattern of fighting has seen him finish all of his fights, with the longest bout just going into the second round. His last appearance was a victory in November 2019 over Bruno Casillas.
Williams lost his pro debut in May against Greg Velasco, suffering a first-round finish loss. He was able to secure a stoppage win of his own months later, defeating Cody Kelly on a regional show in October.
Bout 5: Alberto Rodriguez (3-1) vs. Beau Samaniego (2-1) (Featherweight)
In a featherweight showcase, Alberto Rodriguez and Beau Samaniego will compete.
Rodriguez had a strong LFA debut early last year, stopping Chris Mecate with punches in the second minute of a fight. That put him back into the win column after suffering his first pro loss a year prior.
Samaniego started his 2021 with a loss, getting submitted by James Lyons on a CFFC card. However, he turned things around in December with a decision victory against Marcus Crawford.
Bout 6: Payton Brezinski (4-1) vs. Cody Davis (4-0) (Flyweight)
The focus will shift to the flyweight division for the next bout when Payton Brezinski and Cody Davis battle.
Davis turned pro just over a year ago. He picked up four wins in his rookie year, including appearances in notable promotions Combate Global and Cage Warriors.
Brezinski has made himself something of a submission specialist through his appearances, earning four wins via submission since early 2019. He enters this weekend with the momentum of three wins.
Bout 7: Josh Streacker (7-4) vs. Miguel Jacob (5-1) (Lightweight)
In search of their first LFA victories, Josh Streacker and Miguel Jacob will fight on Friday night. Both fighters have appeared in the promotion in the past, although neither has come up successful before.
Streacker snapped a two-fight skid in his last fight, defeating Ryan McIntosh on a Colosseum Combat card in October. His earlier fights included a loss he took against Tyler Ray on an LFA card in early 2020.
Jacob took his first pro loss on an LFA card last year, suffering a third-round stoppage loss to AJ Nichols. He has since bounced back with a finish victory over Daejon Barnes from December.
Bout 8: Askar Askar (12-2) vs. Ryskulbek Ibraimov (19-9) (Bantamweight)
Experienced fighters are set to square off in the co-main event, as Askar Askar and Ryskulbek Ibraimov will fight.
Askar was on the UFC roster for an incredibly brief period of time in 2021. He signed to the promotion in early February, stepping in on short notice to face Cody Stamann. However, after he wasn’t medically cleared for the fight, Askar was pulled from his booking and was released from the promotion.
The accomplished bantamweight has fought twice in LFA since then. His first fight back was a loss, as Justin Wetzell stopped him with strikes in June 2021. However, five months later, he bounced back with a main event victory over Leandro Gomes.
Ibraimov had an extensive eight-fight winning streak snapped last year, as he lost a Titan FC title fight against Victor Dias. He will be fighting to break back into the win column with his performance on Friday night.
Bout 9: Daniel Argueta (6-0) vs. Mairon Santos (12-0) (Bantamweight)
The matchup of two skilled bantamweights with undefeated records will come in the main event. The evening will come to a close with a fight between Daniel Argueta and Mairon Santos.
Many will remember Argueta for his appearance on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which aired last year. He lost in the opening round of the eight-man tournament, dropping a decision to Ricky Turcios. Turcios would later go on to win the entire tournament.
Since that fight didn’t count as an official loss on Argueta’s record, he remained undefeated as a pro. And he added to that undefeated record when returning to the regional scene in October, submitting Rodney Mondala in the first round of a fight via armbar.
On paper, Santos is the biggest challenge that Argueta has ever faced. Not only does he have more pro wins than any of Argueta’s previous opponents, but his number of wins is bigger than the total number of fights that any previous opponent of Argueta has held.
Santos has quickly put together a dozen wins since turning pro in 2019. Most of these fights have come on the regional scene in Brazil, although it also includes a fight on the first ARES card in 2019.
While Santos provides a big challenge for Argueta, the same sentiment can be applied to his situation. Santos has already built up a strong record as a pro, although a win on Friday night would be the biggest of his career thus far.
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