Alfonso Leyva kept his career-long run of finish victories alive on Friday night, stopping Daniel Reis early in the second round of their main event fight.
Leyva’s finish victory over Reis headlined LFA 135 from the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Leyva put an end to his fight in the second round with elbows and punches from half guard.
This finish came after an incredibly dominant end to the first round for Leyva, nearly stopping Reis with strikes from a full guard position. He strung together a quick combination of shots in this moment, but ran out of time in the round to continue.
Leyva has now picked up six wins since turning pro in 2020. His previous fights all took place in the Mexican regional promotion UWC.
All of Leyva’s wins have come via stoppage in the first or second rounds.
Following his performance, Leyva called for a title fight in the LFA.
Reis entered the weekend with an impressive record of eight wins and one loss. He was successful his return bout earlier this year, competing for the first time in nearly six years to submit Dennys Alcocer.
Bunes Takes Split Decision Over Cruz
Felipe Bunes bounced back in Friday night’s co-main event, taking a close split decision over Wascar Cruz.
While the fight had back-and-forth moments on the feet, it was likely the ground control of Bunes that earned him the win. He kept Cruz on his back for a large portion of the second and third rounds and used these positions to frequently land ground and pound shots.
Bunes lost his LFA debut earlier in the year, getting submitted by former UFC fighter Jussier Formiga.
Cruz had a quick submission win in his previous bout, submitting Karlee Pangilinan in March.
Clay Uses Knees For First-Round Finish
Lucas Clay had an explosive return to the cage on Friday night, catching Austim Wourms in the first round with a series of knees.
Clay charged toward Wourms with knees to the head and body in the third minute of the fight. Wourms was visibly rocked by these shots, causing Clay to come forward and land a couple more knees.
Wourms dropped to the canvas following this exchange, causing the referee to end the fight.
Clay’s prior fight was an unsuccessful LFA title bout against Aaron McKenzie. He had a four-fight winning streak going before then.
Wourms entered this card with the momentum of three consecutive first-round armbar wins.
Begosso Earns Early Knockout Win
Allan Begosso scored a stunning knockout on the main card, catching Paris Stanford in just 45 seconds with a switch knee.
Begosso lept at Stanford with a switch knee to the head, then shoved him after the blow connected. The referee stepped in to end the fight only seconds after.
The victory put Begosso back into the win column after losing a flyweight title bout against Richie Palencia in December 2021.
Stanford has now lost three consecutive fights and is winless since 2019. His last victory was his prior LFA bout, which came against Jake Hefferman via submission.
Bishop Remains Undefeated With Split Decision Win
Jena Bishop kept her undefeated record intact in her third pro bout, sneaking by Luana Santos with a split decision result.
The first round started with a back-and-forth stand-up battle. Bishop likely snagged the round later on, scoring a takedown and getting on the back of Santos before the clock expired.
The flyweights remained on their feet for a much larger part of the second round. Santos had good shots during these exchanges with her punches.
A pressure-heavy style from Bishop succeeded in the final round, as she dictated a striking battle against Santos for a large portion of the frame. Much like the first round, Bishop scored a takedown in the second half of the round and kept control until they ran out of time.
All three of Bishop’s wins have come in the LFA cage. She scored her first two pro wins in a one-month time span last year, submitting Helen Lucero and defeating Dione Barbosa via decision.
Santos had an undefeated record of three wins before this weekend. Her prior wins came in the regional Brazilian promotion SFT.
Do Nascimento Submits McGhee Early
Rafael do Nascimento won his LFA debut this weekend, submitting Marcus McGhee in the first round with a rear naked choke.
Do Nascimento took the back of McGhee with a takedown in the second minute of the fight. He searched for a rear naked choke from this position for more than a minute, eventually securing a tap in the fourth minute of the fight.
Do Nascimento has now earned six wins and one loss as a pro. He has slowly attained wins since turning pro in 2013, and his appearance this weekend was the first time he competed in over two years.
McGhee took his first pro loss this weekend. He entered this show with four pro wins in regional promotion RUF, with all of those wins coming via finish.
Henderson Submits McIntyre Early In Pro Debut
Maria Henderson, the wife of Bellator talent Benson Henderson, had a quick pro debut in the opening bout of the card.
Henderson scored a first-round submission win against Melanie McIntrye, catching her in the second minute with an americana.
Henderson had the fight her way for the brief time that it lasted. She scored a takedown early and took the full mount on top. She later pulled guard to get the submission victory.
Henderson was turning pro after earning three wins as an amateur. Two of her three victories with through submission, with the other victory coming via decision.
McIntyre had a less successful amateur career of three wins and two losses. She was also making her first appearance since 2018 on this card.
Quick Results
Main Card (11:00PM EDT / 8:00PM PDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 12: Alfonso Leyva def. Daniel Reis via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:10)
Bout 11: Felipe Bunes def. Wascar Cruz via Decision, Split
Bout 10: Lucas Clay def. Austin Wourms via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:59)
Bout 9: Allan Begosso def. Paris Stanford via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:45)
Bout 8: Jena Bishop def. Luana Santos via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Rafael do Nascimento def. Marcus McGhee via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:12)
Bout 6: Maria Henderson def. Melanie McIntrye via Submission, Americana (RD 1, 1:42)
Preliminary Card
Bout 5: An Ho def. Matt Barro via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:14)
Bout 4: Cedric Katambwa def. James Hay via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Angel Atoigue def. Nick Alwag via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Chance Ikei def. Shamar Williams via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 1: Enrique Barcenas def. Scott Hokit via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:05) (Amateur)
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