Arizona-based prospect Kasey Tanner battled through adversity to keep his regional winning streak alive on Friday night, out-working Micaias Urena for a unanimous decision in the main event of LFA 196.
A mix of crafty striking and superior wrestling allowed Tanner to get the scorecard nod after three highly competitive bantamweight rounds from the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix.
The fight started with a close opening round, as Urena’s ability to block takedown attempts early forced the fight to take place at a striking range. Tanner would often use the clinch positions after shooting in for a takedown to score hard knees and elbows. Leaning on his Muay Thai skills, Tanner also frequently threw kicks while at range.
A fold was added to the fight by the second round, as Tanner persisted with takedown attempts and eventually got Urena to the mat. The wrestling of Tanner allowed him to control portions of the fight, although Urena consistently sprung up to his feet and made sure he didn’t give up large chunks of time on the canvas.
The final round was arguably Tanner’s best. He started the five-minute frame highly aggressive on the feet, marching Urena down with strikes. He was able to score a pair of takedowns later in the round as well, allowing him to connect with ground and pound shots at times.
Despite the fight being competitive and Urena having many impressive moments of his own, judges saw Tanner take all three rounds by the end.
“I thought I was going to get him down a little easier,” Tanner said in a post-fight interview. “I knew he was sharp on the feet and knew it was going to be a good fight. Not really surprised, just happy I came out victorious.”
Tanner has now picked up a pair of wins since losing on the 2023 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He returned to the LFA earlier this year, making quick work of Thiago Belo with an early rear naked choke submission. After his win, Tanner called for a shot on the UFC roster.
The Dominican Republic’s Urena was riding the momentum of an 11-second knockout over former CES Champion Ashiek Ajim in August.
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Kasey Tanner def. Micaias Urena via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 13: Ednilson Santos def. Kamuela Kirk via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Furkatbek Yokubov def. Flavio de Queiroz via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:10)
Bout 11: Iler Bakhtiyar Uulu def. Leonardo Morales via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:39)
Bout 10: JaCobi Jones def. Gaberial Brown via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:00)
Bout 9: Christian Natividad def. Devon Jackson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Alik Lorenz def. Ryan Parker via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 4:46)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Chance Ikei def. Jacob Romero via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 1, 1:42)
Bout 6: Adland Benson def. Eric Fimbres via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:22)
Bout 5: Stav Koren def. Peter Lucitt via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:14)
Bout 4: Thomas Keenan def. Chaz Polson via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 3:01)
Bout 3: Paul Marghitas def. Isaiah Arechiga via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 2: Olivia Hendrickson def. Hannah Wagner via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
Bout 1: Julius Vegas def. Kadyn Marcantel via Decision, Unanimous (Amateur)
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