LFA brings the Bantamweight Championship to South Dakota at LFA 144

September 3, 2022 11:11 am.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14
LFA 144: GAFUROV vs. SILVA

MAIN EVENT:

“TAJIK”
MUIN GAFUROV
vs.
“MAGRINHO”
DIEGO SILVA

BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT

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 October. The main event of LFA 144 will feature a bantamweight world title fight between two of the division’s most exciting prospects. LFA 144 will be the sixteenth LFA event to take place in the state, while the main event will crown the eighth 135-pound champion in LFA history.

LFA 144 takes place Friday, October 14th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The main event will feature a bantamweight title fight between top Tajik prospect Muin “Tajik” Gafurov and top Brazilian prospect Diego “Magrinho” Silva. 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 bantamweight championship to South Dakota,” stated Soares. “Muin Gafurov and Diego Silva are two of the most talented and exciting prospects in the sport. Gafurov is coming off a huge knockout win in his LFA debut in June, while Silva just picked up a big win in August after dropping a narrow Split Decision in his first shot at the title in May. The bantamweight championship is the oldest title in LFA history and we can’t wait to crown our next champion at the Sanford Pentagon at LFA 144.”

Tickets for LFA 144: Gafurov vs. Silva are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.

Gafurov (17-4) signed with the LFA as a national hero in his home country of Tajikistan due to being one of its most decorated combat sports athletes. Tajikistan is a mountainous country located in Central Asia that loves combat sports. In fact, the country made gushtigiri its national sport, which is a form of traditional wrestling. Naturally, Gafurov gave up a promising soccer career after realizing he was even more gifted as a fighter. The 26-year old’s résumé includes two Combat Sambo World Championships, a FILA World Grappling Title, six bouts for Asia’s leading MMA promotion ONE, and a nine-year professional MMA career that has seen him compete in 11 countries. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum announced his arrival in the LFA with a devastating knockout of Herbeth Sousa at LFA 134 and now looks to do what his teammate Zviad Lazishvili accomplished by winning the LFA bantamweight title at the Sanford Pentagon.

Silva (15-7) also signed with the LFA this past spring, coming to the promotion as one of Brazil’s fastest rising bantamweight prospects. The decorated Brazilian began forging his combat skills in the red-hot pressure cooker of the Brazilian MMA scene. It is there where he earned black belts in both Jiu-Jitsu and Luta Livre, which are his country’s two most famous contributions to modern day MMA. The 28-year-old has utilized his expertise in both martial arts to earn fifteen wins over the past decade. The man known as “Magrinho” has competed all over the world. His career began in Brazil, but has taken him to Portugal, Finland, Spain, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Silva picked up plenty of hardware along the way, which earned him a shot at the title in May. He dropped a Split Decision to Dan Argueta (who was then immediately signed by the UFC), but quickly rebounded with a win over Askar Askar at LFA 138.

Currently Announced Fight Card:

Main Event | Bantamweight Title Bout (135 lb)

Muin Gafurov (17-4) vs. Diego Silva (15-7)

Co-Main Event | Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)

Jordan Heiderman (5-0) vs. Daiqwon Buckley (3-0)

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

Yuma Horiuchi (9-5) vs. Felipe Bunes (12-6)

Middleweight Bout (185 lb)

Jared Revel (11-3) vs. Renato Valente (8-5)

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

Christian Natividad (4-0) vs. Jordan Harris (2-0)

Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)

Ron Coleman (2-0) vs. Chato Wiest (1-1)

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

Brady Minner (5-2) vs. Patrick Rivera (6-3)

Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)

Adamu Isah (1-0) vs. Mateo Gonzalez (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 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