Gabriel Santos set himself up for an LFA title fight with an explosive head kick knockout against Marcio Barbosa on Friday night.
Santos put away Barbosa with a head kick early in the second round, erasing a brutal first round that saw him nearly get finished.
The featherweight bout headlined LFA 146 from the Ginasio do Polvilho in Cajamar, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Santos dropped Barbosa with a head kick just moments into the second round. Santos then jumped on Barbosa with ground and pound shots, causing the fight to step in and end the fight.
The first round of the fight was hectic, with both fighters nearly closing the show.
Barbosa started strong, dropping Santos with a clean right hook early on. He continued to pour on the pressure with shots in the following minutes, landing clean throughout against a wobbled Santos.
Santos took some control of the fight with a takedown in the third minute of the frame. He was able to come close to a finish later in that round, searching for a rear naked choke with just a minute to go.
Santos’ record is now a flawless nine wins since his 2014 debut. His previous fight was more than a year back, beating Elvis Silva on a Future FC card.
Barbosa entered the fight with a record of 13 wins and just one loss. He has a reputation for finishing fights, with the majority of his performances not going the distance.
The win advanced Santos in a four-man featherweight tournament that LFA is currently holding. He is now expected to fight Jose Delano in early 2023 for the promotion’s vacant 145-pound belt.
Barbosa missed weight for the fight on Thursday, coming in a pound over the featherweight limit. It was mentioned on the official broadcast that a win on Friday would advance him in the tournament despite the weight miss.
After Technical Issues, Douglas Walks Away With Win
In a fight that took much longer than expected, Felipe Douglas earned a unanimous decision win against Rangel de Sa.
Douglas earned top position against de Sa in all three rounds of their fight, using these moments to land strikes and pick up a secure lead on scorecards.
The fight had two large pauses early on due to the lights in the venue going out. Roughly halfway through the first round of the fight, the Ginasio do Polvilho went completely pitch black.
Some lighting was restored a few minutes later, allowing the first round to conclude. The fight was then paused for another 10 minutes in between the first and second rounds as the lighting was fully brought back to the venue.
Douglas is now on a four-fight winning streak. His last defeat was in 2019 and came against now-UFC fighter Rafael Alves.
Da Silva was appearing in LFA for the second time. He appeared in the main event of a card last year, losing a decision to Ismael Bonfim.
Matsumoto Remains Undefeated With Close Win
Jean Matsumoto prevailed in a tough test this weekend, scoring a unanimous decision victory against Inaildo Santos after three rounds.
Matsumoto won the fight by having the better striking throughout the bout. Santos had his own moments on the feet and notably had ground control for periods of time, but that wasn’t enough for him to take the fight.
This fight was originally booked for an LFA card for July, although that iteration of the bout ended up not happening.
Matsumoto’s record now has a strong 12 wins and no losses.
Santos is now winless in LFA. His previous appearance in the promotion came in March when he suffered his first pro loss against Mateus Brauns.
Prates Ends Fight Early With Head Kick
Carlos Prates put a sudden end to his stand-up striking battle against Moacir Rocha, flooring him with a head kick in the first round to force a stoppage.
Prates dropped Rocha to the canvas with a clean head kick. While Prates initially motioned for Rocha to return to the feet after the knockdown, he eventually joined him on the ground to land a few ground and pound shots and force the referee to stop the fight.
Prates was making his first LFA appearance, joining the promotion after scoring a series of wins in regional promotion SFT.
Rocha scored a win just two months before this fight, submitting Eduardo Terencio with a guillotine choke.
Dos Santos Hands Paiva First Loss After Hectic Contest
Felipe dos Santos kept his undefeated record intact Friday, earning a close unanimous decision victory against Hugo Paiva.
Dos Santos was given the scorecard nod after an incredibly fast-paced three-round battle. The fight saw large swings in momentum every round, including quick exchanges on the feet and takedowns that gave a fighter many minutes of ground control.
Dos Santos was often the aggressor in stand-up exchanges, advancing on Paiva during these exchanges.
Dos Santos was making his LFA debut in the fight. He now has a flawless record of seven wins since debuting in 2019.
Friday saw Paiva suffer defeat for the first time in his career. He previously had five wins, with four coming via finish.
Santos Picks Up First LFA Win
Luana Santos bounced back from her sole pro loss with a one-sided victory, beating Waleska Sousa via unanimous decision on Friday’s main card.
Santos used her grappling skills to sweep scorecards against Sousa.
Santos took Sousa to the ground early in every single round. She was active in these positions, frequently unloading with ground and pound shots. Her dominance in these positions earned her a few 10-to-8 rounds on scorecards.
Santos previously lost her LFA debut, dropping a split decision to Jena Bishop in July.
Sousa entered this card with a record of four wins and just one loss.
Quick Results
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 10:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Gabriel Santos def. Marcio Barbosa via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:09)
Bout 12: Felipe Douglas def. Rangel de Sa via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Jean Matsumoto def. Inaildo Santos via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Carlos Prates def. Moacir Rocha via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:15)
Bout 9: Felipe dos Santos def. Hugo Paiva via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Luana Santos def. Waleska Sousa via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Danilo Andreani def. Yan Teixeira via Submission, Crossface (RD 2, 2:46)
Bout 6: Janaina Silva def. Nayara Hemily via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Julia Polastri def. Bianca Sattelmayer via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:51)
Bout 4: Reginaldo Junior def. Marcos Zinhani via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:21)
Bout 3: Levi Rodrigues def. Leonardo Genuino via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:32)
Bout 2: Manuel Robson Minoto def. Allan Oliveira via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:21)
Bout 1: Gabriela Fujimoto def. Gabrielle Campelo via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:37)
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