LFA alumni sweep in Sweden; they go 3-0 at UFC: Stockholm
June 2, 2019 8:24 pm.LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) had three former headliners in action Saturday morning at UFC Fight Night 153 in Stockholm, Sweden and all three of the promotion’s former fighters picked up big UFC wins.
“Three of our former headliners picked up the big wins in the UFC on Saturday,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “Anthony Smith, Christos Giagos, and Devin Clark were all betting underdogs in their fights at UFC Fight Night 153 in Sweden and they all ended up getting their hand raised.”
RFA headliner Anthony “Lionheart” Smith was back to his winning ways on Saturday after dropping a decision in his title fight against UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 235 in March. Smith traveled into hostile territory to face Alexander Gustafsson, the most famous Swedish fighter of all time. Their bout served as the main event of the UFC’s sixth event in Sweden. Smith was able to submit the three-time UFC title challenger via Rear Naked Choke in Round 4. After the fight, Gustafsson laid his gloves in the center of the Octagon and proclaimed “The show is over.”
This marked the end to the Swede’s impressive career, while earning Smith a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. It also extended Smith’s uncanny streak of retiring UFC veterans. Starting at RFA 30 in September 2015, Smith has secured victories over UFC veterans Brock Jardine, Josh Neer, Elvis Mutapcic, Rashad Evans, and Gustafsson that resulted in their retirement from the sport. Evans was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and Gustafsson will likely be joining him.
The inaugural RFA lightweight champion Christos “The Spartan” Giagos was also victorious on the main card of UFC: Stockholm. The Greek-American, who calls southern California home, picked up his second consecutive UFC win with a Unanimous Decision victory over Bosnian-born Danish contender Damir Hadzovic. The Black House MMA representative utilized crisp striking and his solid wrestling background to earn the hard-fought victory with the judge’s score cards reading 29-27, 29-27, 29-28.
Another RFA champion was victorious on the undercard, which aired on ESPN 2. That would be none other than the inaugural RFA light-heavyweight champion Devin “Brown Bear” Clark. The powerful South Dakotan earned a Unanimous Decision win over surging Serbian prospect Darko Stosic. Clark used a similar game plan as Giagos by utilizing his strong wrestling background to dish out punishment and score points. The final scores read 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. The win was Clark’s fourth inside the UFC Octagon and snapped a 9-fight win streak for Stosic.
Coincidentally, Giagos and Clark both made their RFA debuts at RFA 17, which took place back in August 2014. They both won their fights that night via TKO. RFA 17 took place in Clark’s hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and served as the state’s first sanctioned MMA event. Giagos and Clark would also become the inaugural RFA champions of their respective divisions, lightweight and light-heavyweight.
LFA returns this Friday, June 7th with LFA 69 – Pérez vs. Moreno. The main event will feature a flyweight title fight between LFA flyweight champion Maikel Pérez and UFC veteran Brandon Moreno. The event will take place at the Morongo Outdoor Pavilion at the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California . The main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Flyweight Title Bout (125 lb)
– Maikel Pérez (6-1) vs. Brandon Moreno (14-5)
Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– Arthur Estrázulas (10-4) vs. Steve Kozola (9-2)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Jose Medina (4-0) vs. Des Torres (6-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Kyle Estrada (8-4) vs. Ricky Furar (4-1)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
– Vanessa Demopoulos (2-1) vs. Nadine Mandiau (0-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Frank Meno (3-0) vs. Natan Levy (3-0)
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.
About MORONGO CASINO, RESORT & SPA:
The 4-Diamond Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa is located along the 10 Freeway near Palm Springs, Calif. Owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa offers the hottest slots and an array of table and high-limit gaming at one of the largest tribal gaming centers in the United States. The towering 27-story resort features five top-rated restaurants, a stunning swimming pool with private cabanas, a world-class spa, popular nightclub, legendary live entertainment and, nearby, the 36-hole championship Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon. For more information, visit morongocasinoresort.com.
Tags: Featured
Categorized in: Featured, News
This post was written by Ryan Bevins
