Former UFC fighter Jussier Formiga will make his return to action on Friday night, fighting Felipe Bunes in the main event of an LFA card from the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Follow along throughout the evening for live updates on LFA 124.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card
Bout 1: Jacob Highley def. Luke La Vanway via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 2: Alex Martinez def. Chris Sandoval via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 3: Ovidio Bojorquez def. Ben Goodwin via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:49)
Bout 4: Braden Pagaoa def. Federico Flores via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:05)
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: An Ho def. Guilherme Crossi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:23)
Bout 6: Kasey Tanner def. Tristan Lindi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:16)
Bout 7: Austin Wourms def. Jacobi Jones via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 1:18)
Bout 8: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Weaver via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:28)
Bout 9: Ahmad Hassanzada def. James Wilson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Jussier Formiga def. Felipe Bunes via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:53)
Live Coverage:
Bout 10: Jussier Formiga (23-8) vs. Felipe Bunes (11-5) (Bantamweight)
Former UFC Fighter Formiga Wins In Return
Jussier Formiga earned his first win since exiting the UFC on Friday night, securing a second-round submission victory over Felipe Bunes in the main event of LFA 124.
Formiga was able to take the back of Bunes and attempt the choke early in the second round. While the choke wasn’t entirely under the chin of Bunes, the pressure was able to put him to sleep and end the fight in the second round.
Formiga’s grappling abilities were on display earlier in the fight as well, mounting the back of Bunes at one point in the opening round.
The fight was Formiga’s first appearance since wrapping up a 16-fight UFC run in 2020. The victory on Friday broke a three-fight losing streak that he previously held.
Formiga’s previous win was a 2019 unanimous decision over now-UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Formiga missed weight for this fight, coming in three pounds over the non-championship bantamweight limit on Thursday.
Bunes was making his LFA debut in the fight. He had won two of his previous five appearances from 2018 to 2021.
Bout 9: Ahmad Hassanzada (7-1) vs. James Wilson (4-0) (Lightweight)
Hassanzada Wins U.S. Debut, Hands Wilson First Pro Loss
Ahmad Hassanzada showed his damaging striking skills in the co-main event, securing a unanimous decision win over James Wilson (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
Strikes from Hassanzada did damage to Wilson throughout the bout. By the third round, Wilson had numerous cuts on his face.
Wilson, who comes from a wrestling background, unsurprisingly focused on wrestling throughout the fight. While he was able to take Hassanzada down frequently in the battle, he was losing rounds by consuming lots of damage in those ground positions.
Hassanzada’s win was a strong performance, but also a story of resilience outside of the cage.
Hassanzada, a fighter who recently fled from Afghanistan, was making his U.S. debut. After the fight, he mentioned that he is still attempting to get his parents out of Afghanistan.
The victory on Friday moved Hassanzada’s record to a strong eight wins and just one loss.
The fight was Wilson’s first pro loss through five bouts. He won his LFA debut last year, defeating Daniel Jefferson.
Bout 8: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (4-0) vs. Derrick Weaver (7-7) (Heavyweight)
Bellator Alum Cortes-Acosta Stops Weaver With Strikes
Undefeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta extended his flawless record to five wins on Friday night, landing damaging strikes on Derrick Weaver for a stoppage win.
The fight was nearly stopped in the first round before it eventually came to an end in the second round.
Cortes-Acosta had Weaver in trouble late in the first round, landing punches that overwhelmed and dropped Weaver.
Cortes-Acosta knocked Weaver down again early in the second round, dropping him down with a right hand and finishing the bout with ground and pound.
Cortes-Acosta won a Bellator fight in his previous appearance, defeating PFL alum Mo DeReese.
Weaver now has a record of seven wins and eight losses. He was on somewhat of a roll before Friday, having won four of his past five bouts via first-round stoppage.
Bout 7: Austin Wourms (4-3) vs. Jacobi Jones (3-0) (Catchweight 160 lbs)
Wourms Scores Upset Win, Hands Jones First Loss
Austin Wourms scored an upset win on the main card, submitting Jacobi Jones in the first round for an armbar.
Wourms was able to catch Jones with the armbar on the ground, ending a fight that Jones was seemingly ahead in before.
Jones had hurt Wourms in earlier exchanges. He capitalized on Wourms falling and slipping at times, hitting him in transitions and connecting with ground and pound.
“I got hit a little more than I wanted, but I’m happy,” said Wourms in his post-fight interview.
Jones entered the fight with an undefeated record of three wins, all of which came in the LFA cage last year.
Wourms has now scored three consecutive submission wins via armbar. He appeared on an LFA card last year, defeating Chris Renteria in December.
Wourms missed weight for this fight, coming in just a pound over the limit on Thursday.
Bout 6: Kasey Tanner (5-0) vs. Tristan Lindi (2-3) (Bantamweight)
Undefeated Tanner Stops Lindi Early
Undefeated Kasey Tanner had a quick win against Tristan Lindi on Friday night, stopping him in the first round with ground and pound shots.
Tanner was quick to get the fight to the ground early on. He easily took the back of Lindi, where he unloaded with ground and pound until the fight was stopped in the third minute.
Tanner now has an undefeated record of six wins. His two previous fights were in notable regional promotion CFFC.
Lindi’s record is a negative two wins and four losses now. He has lost three consecutive fights, including a loss last year against Bellator alum John Douma.
Bout 5: An Ho (0-0) vs. Guilherme Crossi (0-0) (Flyweight)
Ho Lands Spinning Backfist In Debut Victory
An Ho had a highlight reel pro debut to open the main card, stopping Guilherme Crossi in the first round with a flashy stoppage.
Ho was able to drop Crossi with a rare spinning backfist in the third minute of the flyweight fight. He then was quick to get to the ground and land strikes, where the fight was eventually stopped by the referee.
Ho showed his striking skills before the stoppage, displaying a clear pop in his shots earlier in the contest as well.
Both fighters were debuting after undefeated amateur runs.
Ho picked up seven wins as an amateur from 2018 to 2021. Similarly, Crossi had earned six victories during his amateur career.
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