LFA 66 features ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate, retirement of an MMA pioneer, and rare Gogoplata
May 11, 2019 10:20 am.LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) visited Utah for the first time on Friday night and the event was a big success. LFA 66 was highlighted by a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate, the retirement of an MMA pioneer, and a rare Gogoplata submission.
“We had a great night of fights in Utah on Friday night at LFA 66,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “The main event between Tyler Diamond and Jon Neal was one of the best fights of the year, Utah MMA pioneer Josh Burkman retired in our Octagon, and Andrew Tenneson pulled off the first gogoplata in LFA history. The following night, we had three former champions win their fights at UFC 237.”
The main event of LFA 66 saw an early contender for ‘Fight of the Year’. Tyler Diamond (10-1 in MMA, 1-0 in LFA) and Jon Neal (10-1 in MMA, 0-1 in LFA) were both making their promotional debut for LFA with high expectations. Diamond was a semi-finalist on TUF 27 with his only loss coming in the UFC via Majority Decision. Jon Neal was undefeated during a career that stretches well over a decade.
The prized featherweight prospects threw everything they had at each other. They traded left hooks that knocked each other down, Diamond scored takedowns, Neal countered takedowns with elbows, Diamond pressed more of the action, and both showed true grit by fighting out of submission attempts and ground and pound that would have left most unconscious. In the end, Diamond got the decision win, but they both saw their stock rise.
In the co-main event of LFA 66, Utah MMA pioneer and longtime UFC veteran Josh Burkman (28-18 in MMA, 0-1 in LFA) and fellow UFC veteran William “Patolino” Macário (10-4 in MMA, 1-1 in LFA) had a back-and-forth war. In the end, the judges awarded the Brazilian a Split Decision victory. “The People’s Warrior” laid his gloves down in the center of the Octagon, before the scores were read, signifying the end to his great MMA career.
Andrew Tenneson (8-1 in MMA, 3-0 in LFA) entered the night atop the AXS TV Fights featherweight rankings and used the featured bout at LFA 66 to remind people why. The creative New Mexican burst on to the scene at RFA 34 with an all-out war with current UFC star Cory Sandhagen. That bout remains Tenneson’s lone loss, but he used a wide array of unorthodox attacks that instantly made him a fan favorite.
Tenneson used Capoeira kicks, leg locks, and a Gogoplata attempt against Sandhagen. While they did not secure him the win, they were instilled in the memories of fight fans. Tenneson’s next four fights were by the book and resulted in victories, but everyone knew what he was capable of. That moment of brilliance came in the form of a Gogoplata submission of Westin Wilson (7-4 in MMA, 0-2 in LFA). It was the first Gogoplata in LFA history.
LFA returns Friday, May 24th with LFA 67 – James vs. Martin. The main event will feature a heavyweight bout between hulking one-punch knockout artists Daniel James and Patrick Martin. The event will take place at the Branson Convention Center in Branson, Missouri. The main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
– Daniel James (8-3-1) vs. Patrick Martin (7-4)
Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– Dakota Bush (6-1) vs. Jaleel Willis (9-2)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– T.J. Brown (12-6) vs. Ken Beverly (8-4)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– TeeJay Britton (5-1) vs. Solo Hatley Jr. (5-1)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
– Chel-Erwin Davis (5-2) vs. Mike Breeden (6-2)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Garrett Armfield (2-0) vs. Ronnie Lawrence (4-1)
In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 150 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In May 2018, the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. LFA was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston. LFA can be seen live in over 53 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV FIGHTS:
AXS TV FIGHTS presents more LIVE mixed martial arts and kickboxing events than any other television network every Friday night at 9pE/6pP. Events taking place on the west coast will be televised at 10pE/7pP. UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich, and veteran broadcaster Ron Kruck call all the action and Phoenix Carnevale reports from cageside as champions, challengers, and top prospects take center stage. AXS TV Fights can be found online, on Facebook, and on Twitter. AXS TV is widely distributed in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Sling TV, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite, telco and streaming providers. The network is also carried in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
About LONDON TRUST MEDIA:
London Trust Media is a diversified business focused on the Internet and media industries – bringing the Internet back to its original state and bringing power back to the people. London Trust Media runs the leading no-log VPN service provider in the world Private Internet Access (PIA) as well as Kore Asian Media, Linux Journal, freenode, Snoonet, JOG, BlockExplorer, and Provocateur. Please visit their website at www.londontrustmedia.com for more information.
Tags: Featured
Categorized in: Featured, News
This post was written by Ryan Bevins
