A slick grappling sequence on Friday night was enough to crown Vinicius Pires the new LFA Bantamweight Champion, bringing a sudden halt to his back-and-forth main event clash against Lionel Abojer.
A five-round meeting to crown the next LFA champ at 135-pounds headlined the promotion’s first-ever show in Brasilia, Brazil this weekend, taking place in front of a packed house at the ASBAC Brasilia.
For the first two-and-a-half rounds of Friday’s main event, Pires and Abojer were locked into a close battle. It became clear early that if the fight didn’t end in a finish, the judges would have their work cut out for them.
Abojer opened the fight with aggressive striking, although his output was silenced early by a series of takedown attempts from Brazil’s own Pires. While it seemed as if the bout was going to be a clash of styles—with Pires representing a grappling focus while Abojer looked to do damage—the Argentinian surprisingly started to answer back with his own successful mat moments, making it a much more complex contest.
Abojer pulled guard with a triangle choke attempt early in the second frame, kicking off the first extended period of grappling in the fight. Pires was quick to evade the attempt and take top control, but it was only a few moments later that Abojer was able to pull off a sweep to get back on top.
Pires showed his ability to be a threat from any position before the round wrapped, trying for an armbar while on his back.
After some back-and-forth clinching in the third, Pires started to pursue a guillotine choke on Abojer. He kept with the hold as the fight went to the ground, although Abojer eventually turned his way out of the attempt.
However, in a moment of quick wits and impressive grappling I.Q., Pires capitalized on Abojer giving up his back while briefly escaping the choke, using that moment to lock in a rear naked choke, which forced the tap.
Pires was emotional following his win, as it saw him be awarded with a regional title for the first time since his 10-fight winning streak kicked off more than five years ago. His outstanding run on the regionals has included past appearances in notable Brazilian spots like Jungle Fight and Future, but most notably includes four past LFA wins, with three emerging via finish.
Pires believes that the lengthy run of successful performances, paired now with an LFA title, is enough to get him on the UFC roster.
“Dana [White], Sean Shelby can call me,” Pires said during his post-fight interview. “I am ready. The ‘Bad Boy Killer’ is ready.”
Friday’s result makes Pires the first LFA Bantamweight Champion in over half a year. The title remained vacant for months after former champ John Sweeney dropped his title due to a July 2024 weight miss.
Pires also mentioned, more jokingly, that Friday’s headliner was a chance for Brazil to get some revenge after the country’s national football team suffered a decisive 4-1 loss to Argentina on Tuesday.
“This week, we didn’t have much luck with Brazilian-Argentina football,” Pires said through an interpreter. “But I came in here with hate in my heart.”
Abojer came into this weekend with a similarly impressive recent run and is undoubtedly still a respected prospect despite the recent loss. He had pieced together a stretch of five consecutive rear naked choke submission wins since 2023, including an LFA victory last year over Apollo Gomes.
The co-main event of the night saw former PFL talent Manoel Sousa bounce back from his first pro loss with a decision victory over Lucas Barros. Also, seven-fight undefeated strawweight prospect Gabriela Fujimoto added another win to her record, submitting Xiomara Piriz in just half a round.
Here are the quick results from LFA 205:
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Vinicius Pires def. Lionel Abojer via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 2:43) (Vacant LFA Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 12: Manoel Sousa def. Lucas Barros via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Diego Dias def. Pedro Henrique via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:23)
Bout 10: Gabriela Fujimoto def. Xiomara Piriz via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 2:27)
Bout 9: Herbeth Sousa def. Meijy Portela via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 0:52)
Bout 8: Luan Pedroso def. Aristides Vinicius via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Giovanni Garcia def. Emerson Oliveira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Joao Pedro Moreira def. Gustavo Ribeiro via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:30)
Bout 5: Neemias Santana def. Marcos Vinicius via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:44)
Bout 4: Diego Paiva def. Jeovanny de Oliveira via Decision, Majority
Bout 3: Eduardo Dutra def. Luis Carlos Dietrich via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:50)
Bout 2: Wellington Mourao def. Igor Taylon via Decision, Majority
Bout 1: Thiago Taveira def. Douglas Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:48)
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