Ozzy Diaz scored three knockdowns in one round against Bruno Assis to claim the vacant LFA Middleweight Championship on Friday night.
Diaz’s win headlined LFA 127, which took place at The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California, USA.
Diaz’s first knockdown came in the third minute of their fight, as Assis seemingly hit the canvas due to a jab. Things picked back up in the final minute of the round, as Assis was floored with a right hook. He returned to his feet but was dropped by an overhand right from Diaz just moments later to end the bout.
Diaz, a former Bellator fighter, now has five consecutive wins on his record. All of his pro fights through eight appearances have all come via finish, with his longest bout lasting just longer than seven minutes in total.
The previous LFA Middleweight Champion, Bruno Souza, vacated his belt last year after he joined the UFC roster.
Assis was given the title fight after earning three wins in recent months. He most notably gave Jalin Fuller his first pro loss late last year, defeating him at LFA 120.
Gibson Wins In Grappling Battle Against Garcia
Chase Gibson prevailed in a back-and-forth grappling fight against Javier Garcia, walking away with a unanimous decision victory in the end.
Gibson had a tough going against Garcia, as the fight had lots of position changes throughout. Garcia was able to get dominant positions on the ground to attempt submissions at times, although Gibson had the better moments and finished strong in the third round.
Gibson is now on a two-fight winning streak. His previous fight was in October 2020, handing Thai Clark his first pro loss with a submission win.
Garcia, a former LFA title challenger, now has a promotional record of three wins and two losses.
Melo Stops Aaron Early With Punches
Junior Melo scored a brutal win against Tommy Aaron, earning a first-round finish win in what was considered an upset outcome.
Aaron had a hard fall to the canvas after taking a combination of punches from Melo. It was a left hook especially that hurt Aaron, causing him to tumble to the ground. The fight was finished shortly after some ground and pound strikes were landed by Melo.
Melo was a short-notice opponent for Aaron, stepping in just earlier this week.
Aaron was returning to LFA after a four-fight run in Combate Global. He lost his previous fight, as Ivan Castillo beat him via decision in December 2021.
The fight put Melo back into the win column after losing on a regional card in September 2021.
Cruz Pulls Off Quick Submission Against Pangilinan
In another upset that happened earlier in the night, Wascar Cruz picked up a submission win against Karlee Pangilinan, catching him in the opening round with a rear naked choke for the win.
The fight started hectic on the feet but became a clinical grappling performance from Cruz shortly after, as he slowly worked toward a submission win.
Pangilinan was fighting to bounce back from his first pro loss, which he took in early 2021 against Charles Johnson. He had an undefeated record of six wins before then.
Cruz was stepping in to replace Bellator alum Victor Rosas. The win snapped a two-fight skid for him.
Wang-Kim Takes First Loss Due To Disqualification
A close battle between Josh Wang-Kim and Arnold Jimenez came to an abrupt end in the third round due to an illegal strike, giving Wang-Kim his first pro loss through five appearances.
Wang-Kim landed elbows to the back of the head of Jimenez in the third round, causing him to crash to the canvas. Visibly hurt by the strikes, Jimenez got up moments after and thought the fight was still going despite the referee pausing the battle.
Referee Frank Trigg decided moments later that the fight would be put to an end.
The fight was a close battle before the stoppage. Wang-Kim succeeded in the first round, working for submissions on his back throughout the round. Jimenez had success on the feet in the second round in striking exchanges.
Wang-Kim had four wins from the regional scene, including a recent victory in Cage Warriors.
The outcome on Friday, while not an ideal way to win a fight, moved his winning streak to six consecutive.
Canuto Adds Another Quick Submission To Her Record
Giovanna Canuto added another first-round submission victory to her record on Friday night, submitting Jasmine Pouncy early with a rear naked choke.
Canuto got the fight to the ground early, taking the back of Pouncy to attempt the choke. It didn’t take much longer for Pouncy to tap out to the choke once it got under her chin.
Earlier fights in Canuto’s rookie year as a pro saw her earn wins via armbar and heel hook submissions.
Pouncy was coming off a successful pro debut from October 2021, where she stopped Karla Almaguer in just 44 seconds with strikes.
Quick Results
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Ozzy Diaz def. Bruno Assis via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:53) (Vacant LFA Middleweight Championship)
Bout 9: Chase Gibson def. Javier Garcia via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Junior Melo def. Tommy Aaron via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:37)
Bout 7: Wascar Cruz def. Karlee Pangilinan via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:25)
Bout 6: Arnold Jimenez def. Josh Wang-Kim via Disqualification, Illegal Strike (RD 3, 0:55)
Bout 5: Giovanna Canuto def. Jasmine Pouncy via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:28)
Preliminary Card
Bout 4: Whittany Pyles def. Lisa Mauldin via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Luis Schwenke def. Diego Vazquez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:55)
Bout 2: Riley Wiseman def. Bryen Dao via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:36)
Bout 1: Elijah Leggett def. Christopher Hernandez via Decision, Unanimous
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