While not exiting this weekend with an LFA title around his waist, Richie Miranda can at least say he has another competitive regional victory under his belt.
Miranda overcame short-notice opponent Hugo Oyarzun in the main event of LFA 198 on Friday night, scoring a unanimous decision result from The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California, USA.
Miranda, who was originally expected to challenge LFA Lightweight Champion Richie Lewis in the show’s co-main event spot, was instead given a three-round bout after Lewis withdrew from the card due to an injury.
His bout was also elevated to the main event after LFA Featherweight Champion Elijah Johns withdrew from his headlining five-round clash against Lerryan Douglas, leaving the show without a title fight in the lineup.
Miranda started strong against Oyarzun, but by the end found himself gutting out a close decision result to keep his winning streak alive.
Miranda’s best round was easily the first, as he got Oyarzun to the ground early to pursue a rear naked choke. While Oyarzun never seemed to be in significant trouble, he spent a large portion of the round defending himself and never found time to put together his own moments.
Oyarzun was able to climb back into the fight by the second frame, scoring a takedown of his own and moving into side control. While finally finding his own success, Oyarzun didn’t have the one-sided frame that was seen by Miranda earlier in the fight, as Miranda was able to reverse the position late in the round and end on top.
The fight potentially came down to the third and final frame, where the grinding style of Miranda kept him in the fight. Miranda kept Oyarzun against the cage in body lock positions for a large portion of the round, staying active with punches and knees while controlling the fight in those spots.
With the scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, Miranda walked away with the win after 15 minutes of fighting.
Miranda has now picked up four consecutive wins in just over a year’s time.
“I feel like I’m ready for the next level,” said Miranda during his post-fight interview. “Of course, I wanted a finish in a dominant fashion today, but my opposition was also a tough guy. I still went out there and dominated. I felt like I only got hit a couple of times and gave up a little positions, but still dominated most of the fight.”
Oyarzun was coming back after suffering a split decision loss to Marco Antonio Elpidio in Mexico earlier this year.
The co-main event of the night saw grappling ace Bea Mesquita pick up yet another quick submission win in MMA, putting away Fernanda Araujo in the second round with a rear naked choke. She now has a trio of wins in her rookie year as a pro.
Here are the quick results from LFA’s last card of the year:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Richie Miranda def. Hugo Oyarzun via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Bea Mequita def. Fernanda Araujo via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:21)
Bout 7: Chris Mecate def. Shaheen Santana via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:18)
Bout 6: Sidney Trillo def. Stephanie Nayen via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Ilay Barzilay def. Kohl Laren via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Arthur Barros vs. Ty Miller via No Contest, Accidental Eye Poke (RD 1, 3:30)
Preliminary Card
Bout 3: James Romero def. Jake Woodley via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 1, 0:57)
Bout 2: Elizabeth Rodriguez def. Mariana Piccolo via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Aline David def. Charlotte Craig via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:16)
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