Muin Gafurov became the first person to finish bantamweight prospect Herbeth Sousa, stopping him in the second round of a main event on Friday night.
Gafurov’s win headlined LFA 134, which took place at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas, USA.
Gafurov folded Sousa in the second round of their non-title bout, connecting clean with a right hook. He then landed two follow-up shots on the ground before the referee stepped in to end the fight.
Gafurov hurt Sousa earlier in the fight before the finish. A similar right hook connected in the opening round, allowing Gafurov to go to the ground and attempt a rear naked choke.
Gafurov, a former ONE Championship fighter, is now back into the win column after his win on Friday. He appeared on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last year, but lost in his fight against Chad Anheliger.
“Today, tonight, I showed who I am. In the 61 kilogram, 135 [pounds], bantamweight [divison], nobody is my match,” said Gafurov through a translator in his post-fight interview.
Sousa was on a five-fight winning streak heading into this card. He scored a big regional win in his previous fight, defeating Alexander Keshtov in early 2020 to become the CFFC Bantamweight Champion.
Tucto Pulls Off Upset Over ‘Contender Series’ Alum Murad
Milko Tucto scored an upset win in Friday’s co-main event, taking a split decision nod over then-undefeated Olivier Murad.
Tucto got the decision after a back-and-forth fight.
Murad started the fight by earning a round, showing aggression on the feet with his striking.
Tucto started to turn things around a round later, scoring a takedown and taking nearly all of the round in top control. His time on top continued in the third round, scoring two takedowns in the frame.
Murad entered the weekend with an impressive record of six wins. He beat Xie Bin on last year’s season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” but wasn’t offered a UFC contract following the performance.
On the other hand, Tucto had a two-fight losing streak that dated back to 2019.
Camacho Returns With Win Over Coria
Joseph Camacho had a strong showing in his return, going three rounds against Alden Coria for a unanimous decision victory.
Camacho used his sharp striking on the feet and activity on the ground through striking and submission attempts to win rounds on the feet. He didn’t have the biggest moments in the bout, but was more consistent with his success throughout 15 minutes.
Coria’s best part of the fight came in the second round, where he was able to threaten Camacho with a rear naked choke attempt. He tried to do a series of rare submissions, a twister and a calf slicer, in the final round, although Camacho was not finished at that moment either.
Camacho, a talent from Guam-based gym Spike22, now has a flawless record of four wins. He was appearing for the first time since early 2020.
Coria was fighting to bounce back from his first pro loss. That defeat came earlier this year, getting submitted by Michael Cyr at LFA 121.
Sobnosky Wins Fight After One Round
Shane Sobnosky earned his third consecutive win on Friday night, putting together a solid performance against Jared McLoughlin for a stoppage win.
McLoughlin’s team decided to end the fight after one round of action.
The fight came to an end following a brief but strong one-round performance from Sobnosky that would have likely turned even more dominant if it continued.
Success for Sobnosky came early, as he dropped McLoughlin with a left hook. He then controlled McLoughlin on the ground for the rest of the frame, briefly attempting chokes and landing punches throughout.
Earlier wins in Sobnosky’s current winning streak came in notable promotion Fury FC.
McLoughlin was riding a four-fight streak of finish wins.
Harris Earns Close Decision Nod Over Fernandez
Jordan Harris had a hard-fought win to keep his undefeated record alive, defeating Kevin Fernandez in a unanimous decision result.
Most of the flyweight contest took place on the ground, where both fighters had moments of control.
Fernandez often scored takedowns, but on the ground it was Harris that reversed positions and took top control at times. These back-and-forth exchanges saw Harris on top most of the time overall.
Harris finished the fight strong, searching for a rear naked choke in the closing moments of the bout.
Harris was making his LFA debut. Previous bouts in his pro career took place in 2015 and 2019.
Fernandez took his first pro loss in the fight. His record included two previous wins in the LFA.
Savage Submits Escamilla Early In Second Appearance
Jakori Savage scored his second pro victory on Friday night, submitting heavyweight Taylor Escamilla in the first round with an armbar.
Escamilla had a hot start to the fight, taking the back of Savage and landing some strikes. Savage later exploded out of this position and was able to search for an armbar that forced the fight to end.
Savage, a former football player, won his pro debut earlier this year. That fight came in January when he beat Siteu Senghor at LFA 121.
Escamilla won his respective debut back in 2019 on an Alaska FC card.
Marlow Finishes Guzman For Fourth Pro Win
Light heavyweight prospect Tanner Marlow started the main card with a finish win, stopping Joel Guzman with a second round ground and pound outcome.
Marlow scored a takedown in the second round from a clinch position. He moved to the full mount against Guzman and later took his back, using this position to score punches that made the referee step in and end the fight.
The fight was close in the previous round, as both fighters scored a takedown and had aggressive striking.
Marlow was returning to the cage, appearing for the first time since 2019. He now has a flawless record of four wins.
Guzman entered the card with a flawless record of two wins.
Quick Results
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 15: Muin Gafurov def. Herbeth Sousa via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:56)
Bout 14: Milko Tucto def. Olivier Murad via Decision, Split
Bout 13: Joseph Camacho def. Alden Coria via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Shane Sobnosky def. Jared McLoughlin via TKO, Corner Stoppage (RD 1, 5:00)
Bout 11: Jordan Harris def. Kevin Fernandez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Jakori Savage def. Taylor Escamilla via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 2:42)
Bout 9: Tanner Marlow def. Joel Guzman via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:10)
Preliminary Card
Bout 8: Mateo Gonzalez def. Cody Rondeau via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:06)
Bout 7: Enrique Owens def. Gunner Coronado via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Zumarr Archer def. Tanner Arnold via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:13)
Bout 5: Harrison Layne def. BJ Miller via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:00)
Bout 4: Ian Engbrock def. Steven Lontine via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:17)
Bout 3: Josh Zarazua def. Jody Oliver via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 2: Dawson Moore def. Omar Alramahi via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 1:24) (Amateur)
Bout 1: Jordan Bradley def. Kieran Carthan via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:11) (Amateur)
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