LFA brings the Lightweight Championship to South Dakota at LFA 128

March 14, 2022 5:50 pm.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8
LFA 128: McKENZIE vs. CLAY

MAIN EVENT:

AARON McKENZIE
vs.
LUCAS CLAY

LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT

LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS®

SANFORD PENTAGON
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT TICKETMASTER.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to South Dakota in April. The main event of LFA 128 will feature a lightweight world title fight between two of the division’s most promising prospects.

LFA 128 will be the fifteenth LFA event to take place in the state, while the main event will crown the sixth 155-pound champion in LFA history. Two of the previous champions, Harvey Park and Bryce Logan, also won the title in South Dakota.

LFA 128 takes place Friday, April 8th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The main event will feature a lightweight title fight between top prospects Aaron McKenzie and Lucas Clay. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“We are excited to bring the LFA lightweight championship to South Dakota,” stated Soares. “Aaron McKenzie and Lucas Clay are two of the top lightweight prospects in the sport. McKenzie and Clay are both 3-0 in the LFA and will give the fans one of our most anticipated world title fights of 2022. The next chapter of our long-storied history at the Sanford Pentagon will be written at LFA 128.”

Tickets for LFA 128: McKenzie vs. Clay are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.

McKenzie (10-2-1) returns to the LFA Octagon after winning his first three fights for the promotion in impressive fashion. The Rafael Lovato Jr. protégé is known for his precision striking, grappling prowess, and all-around toughness. McKenzie gained valuable experience fighting for Legacy FC and Bellator early in his career, which has paid dividends for the scrappy Oklahoman as he has showcased all of his attributes since signing with the LFA. He has picked up wins over Brazilian powerhouse Gláucio Eliziário, The Ultimate Fighter 27 finalist Joe Giannetti, and Bellator veteran Brandon Phillips in that time. Now the surging 33-year-old returns to the building where he made his LFA debut to fight for the LFA lightweight title in the main event of LFA 128.

Clay (8-1) returns to the LFA Octagon fresh off of a career year, which ended with him extending his record with the promotion to 3-0 and receiving a nominee for the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Male Fighter of the Year. The proud Missouri native earned that honor by going unbeaten in the LFA with two dominant victories in 2021. The first win came against J.J. Okanovich, who was coming off of a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. The second win came against Jake Kozorosky via D’Arce Choke, which earned Clay a second nominee for the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Submission of the Year. Now the decorated 26-year-old, who is a relative of the legendary Cassius Clay (Muahammad Ali), looks to continue growing his own legend by capturing LFA gold.

Currently Announced Fight Card (Available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS®):

Main Event | Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)

Aaron McKenzie (10-2-1) vs. Lucas Clay (8-1)

Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)

Mitch McKee (1-0) vs. Jalen Jackson (0-1)

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

Sarek Shields (3-0) vs. Thad Jean (2-0)

Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)

Alandria Brown (1-1) vs. Rachel Martinez (0-0)

LFA 128 will also feature the return of a pair of top undefeated prospects. 3x NCAA Division I All-American wrestler Bryce Meredith (1-0) is set to return to the bantamweight division after winning his MMA debut at the Sanford Pentagon last May. Also returning, is top Bosnian prospect Haris Talundžić (4-0). The talented welterweight returns to the LFA Octagon after going 3-0 for the promotion in 2021.

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 260 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In 2018, the promotion joined the Imperial Family Companies group (formerly London Trust Media). In 2019, the promotion announced a broadcast partnership with UFC FIGHT PASS®. In 2021, the LFA expanded internationally by hosting multiple events in Brazil.

Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. 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 Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix , Denver, Dallas, and Minneapolis. 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 UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.

About IMPERIAL FAMILY COMPANIES:
The Imperial Family Companies maintains a diversified portfolio with one common theme: bringing power to the people. The IFC is proud to partner with the LFA management team to showcase the greatest talents of tomorrow. Learn more about the IFC at ImperialFamily.com.

About SANFORD PENTAGON:
The cornerstone of the Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the Sanford Pentagon, a 160,000-square-foot, five-sided facility featuring nine basketball courts, including the 1950s/1960s-inspired Heritage Court. The venue combines state-of-the-art amenities-including high-definition video boards and executive suites-with period-specific finishes that are a nod to the nostalgic days of basketball. The 3,200-seat Pentagon is home to Sanford POWER Basketball Academy, Sanford POWER Volleyball Academy, the NBA G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women’s and Men’s Basketball tournaments and the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information, visit SanfordPentagon.com.

Tags: Featured

Categorized in: Featured, News

This post was written by Ryan Bevins