Lerryan Douglas closed out LFA’s 200th numbered event by doing what he does best: Using his explosive striking to earn a finish win.
Damaging punches from Douglas allowed him to pick up a second-round stoppage win against Elijah Johns at the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA on Saturday night, crowning him the undisputed LFA Featherweight Champion.
Following up on a more conservative opening round mostly dictated by the striking of Johns, Douglas upped his output in the second frame with flurries of punches. A left hook that scored just over two minutes into the frame visibly stung Johns, causing him to charge forward for a takedown attempt.
The choice to wrestle was possibly an attempt at slowing Douglas’s momentum, but it led to the fight’s end. Douglas shut down the takedown attempt from Johns, instead taking top control on the ground. From this spot Douglas unloaded with punches to the head, continuing to land until the referee stopped the fight.
Douglas, the third winner on Saturday night to prevail in an LFA title unification bout, came into this weekend shortly after claiming an interim title at featherweight. Following back-to-back finish wins, Douglas overcame Javier Reyes in August via second-round stoppage to claim the belt.
Douglas hopes that the title victory could give him a UFC opportunity, but he is willing to stay in the LFA if needed.
“Hopefully Cub [Swanson] can talk to [UFC’s] Sean Shelby this time and [if] he’ll give me a shot, I’ll be happy,” Douglas said during his post-fight interview. “If not, I’m ready to defend this f****** title.”
Johns, an LFA vet with 14 appearances in the promotion since 2018, earned his long-awaited first title last February when he went five rounds against short-notice opponent Alfred Walker to win on scorecards.
Clark Returns To LFA With Competitive Split Decision Flyweight Title Win
Shannon Clark bounced back from her failed UFC bid late last year, returning to the regional scene with an LFA Flyweight Championship unification win over Cheyanne Bowers.
Clark’s victory certainly didn’t come easy, as she just barely got past Bowers with a split decision result following 25 minutes of action (48-47, 47-48 & 48-47). A close opening round, along with solid work in championship rounds from Clark earned her the scorecard nod this weekend.
The first five minutes of the bout were easily the hardest to score, as both flyweights had their moments. While Bowers looked to be the most active striker through two minutes, momentum swung in favor of Clark later on during a grappling exchange.
Bowers earned a takedown and was able to look for an armbar submission from her back, but Clark had the more notable damage after escaping the hold, scoring with elbows from the top position.
Bowers got ahead after a close opening round, out-landing a hesitant Clark as the fight remained on the feet through rounds two and three. Something needed to change if Clark was going to win the title, and something certainly changed.
Clark deployed a dirty boxing style in the fourth and fifth rounds of the fight, getting her back into the contest after falling behind. Getting past her gun-shyness and also piecing together some more strikes during a brief time of top control in the fourth round tipped the fight in Clark’s favor.
A surprised Clark admitted afterward that she didn’t expect she would win the fight, and claimed that she wasn’t happy with the bout being left to the scorecards.
Clark was returning for the first time since suffering her first pro loss, getting knocked out in 73 seconds on the UFC live reality show “Dana White’s Contender Series” against Yuneisy Duben in September. She became an LFA champ shortly before then, scoring a bulldog choke against Thaiany Lopes early last year to claim gold in the promotion.
Bowers became interim champ during Clark’s absence from the LFA, submitting Veronika Borisova in just over two minutes last fall to earn the title. Saturday night marked Bowers’ first pro loss since her 2022 pro debut.
Magomedov Taps Antunes Early To Maintain Welterweight Title
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 32 participant Shamidkhan Magomedov kept his streak of first-round finish wins alive on Saturday night, submitting Vanilto Antunes in the first round to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
Magomedov turned the bout into a grappling match less than a minute into competition, taking Antunes to the canvas with a takedown. Antunes was briefly able to escape to his feet but enjoyed just a few moments standing up before Magomedov threw him back down to the mat once again.
The second takedown for Magomedov started a finishing sequence for the fight, as he took the back of Antunes and applied a rear naked choke for a tap with less than a minute to go in the round.
Magomedov’s three LFA title appearances have all come within a round each. He first grabbed a title a little under a year ago, stopping Devin Smyth to claim interim status last February. After an unsuccessful run on “TUF,” he returned in October to beat Alfonso Leyva in only 77 seconds.
Antunes, LFA’s main welterweight champ, was competing this weekend following a loss on the “Contender Series” last year against Islam Dulatov. He gained regional champ status in March, putting away Geraldo Neto as part of a card in Brazil.
Here are the quick results from LFA 200:
Main Card (9:00PM EST / 8:00PM CST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Lerryan Douglas def. Elijah Johns via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:35) (LFA Featherweight Championship)
Bout 13: Shannon Clark def. Cheyanne Bowers via Decision, Split (LFA Flyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Shamidkhan Magomedov def. Vanilto Antunes via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:36) (LFA Welterweight Championship)
Bout 11: Chris Mixan def. Joey Hart via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:10)
Bout 10: Devon Lozej def. Enrique Pacheco via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:44)
Bout 9: Alvin Hines def. Mark Currier via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:48)
Preliminary Card
Bout 8: Ethyn Ewing def. Santos Verdinez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:47)
Bout 7: Steven Asplund def. Hammer Morton via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:29)
Bout 6: Jeremy Strobel Jr. def. Shad Walters via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Steve Collins def. Kelton Sneve via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Canon Swanson def. Jake Bower via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:17)
Bout 3: Alex Coover def. Felipe Martinez Donis via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:17)
Bout 2: Brett Wittmann def. Mac Kukowski via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:41) (Amateur)
Bout 1: Mitchell Wilson def. Brok Hopwood via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2, 1:41) (Amateur)
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