UFC Fight Pass season starts with LFA 97
LAS VEGAS, NV — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced that the promotion will kick off its action-packed LFA 2021 schedule in the Sunflower State. LFA 97 will feature a long-awaited lightweight title fight when the promotion returns to Kansas in January.
LFA 97: Browne vs. Estrázulas takes place Friday, January 15th at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, which is a suburb of Wichita. The main event will feature a lightweight title fight between LFA standouts and BJJ black belts Nick Browne and Arthur Estrázulas. This title fight was originally scheduled to headline LFA 95 last month, but was postponed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing protocols that were implemented before the event. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I am excited to announce that we are kicking off UFC FIGHT PASS’s busy 2021 schedule with a stacked fight card at LFA 97,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “Nick Browne and Arthur Estrázulas were originally scheduled to fight for LFA lightweight championship at LFA 95, but with the safety of our fighters in mind during Fight Week, their title fight was rescheduled to headline LFA 97. Browne and Estrázulas are BJJ black belts that also love to strike. They will fight for the vacant LFA lightweight title on January 15th, which will be the first live event on UFC FIGHT PASS in the new year.”
Browne (10-1) made his LFA debut in 2019 in the same building that he will be looking to claim LFA gold at LFA 97. The man known as “Nyquil” needed less than a half of a round to submit his opponent Trey Ogden with a Rear Naked Choke in what served as the main event of LFA 76. The win put the BJJ black belt in line for a shot at the title, but he sustained a career-threatening injury and instead spent the first half of 2020 rehabbing and getting back into fight shape. The effort paid off as the 30-year-old Pennsylvanian returned to the LFA Octagon in the co-main event of LFA 87 and defeated Ben Egli via Unanimous Decision to solidify his shot at the title.
Estrázulas (12-4) has been an integral member of the famed Kings MMA fight team in southern California for many years. Now the BJJ black belt is looking to become the fourth fighter from that gym to capture LFA gold. Estrázulas made his promotional debut in the summer of 2016 in the main event of RFA 42. This happened just before RFA merged with Legacy to create LFA. In LFA, Estrázulas has been unstoppable. The 31-year-old Brazilian picked up back-to-back first round submission wins via Rear Naked Choke against Steve Kozola and Dominic Clark. The wins came in the co-headliners of LFA 69 and LFA 86 and were more than enough to earn him a shot at the title.
Currently Announced LFA 97 Main Card Bouts
(Available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS®):
Main Event | Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)
– Nick Browne (10-1) vs. Arthur Estrázulas (12-4)
Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– Jacob Rosales (12-6) vs. Jose Martinez (11-4)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Kamuela Kirk (9-4) vs. Andrew Yates (12-3)
Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
– Kelly DeAngelo (4-3) vs. Loveth Young (2-1-1)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Michael Stack (4-1) vs. Jordan Mapa (3-2)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
– Thomas Petersen (2-0) vs. Kimo Lewis (2-2)
Preliminary Bouts (Streamed live on LFA Facebook page at 6:30 pm CST)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
– Nadine Mandiau (1-1) vs. Claire Guthrie (1-1)
Lightweight Bout (1555 lb)
– Cam Ansel (0-1) vs Shane Shapiro (0-0)
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LFA 98 announced for January 29
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced that the promotion will host the second event of its 2021 schedule in the Sunflower State. LFA 98 will feature a middleweight showdown when the promotion returns to Kansas. The event will be the second of two events the promotion will host inside the state in January.
LFA 98: Fremd vs. Oliveira takes place Friday, January 29th at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, which is a suburb of Wichita. The main event will feature a middleweight showdown between devastating knockout artists Josh Fremd and Bruno Oliveira. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I am excited to announce that we will bring our second show in two weeks to Kansas to kick off our 2021 schedule,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “Josh Fremd became one of MMA’s biggest breakthrough stars in 2020. He will face Brazilian standout and fellow knockout artist Bruno Oliveira in the main event of LFA 98. This is a pivotal fight in our middleweight division, but don’t expect it to go the distance.”
Fremd (6-1) is one of the fastest rising prospects in the sport after making the most of his opportunities in 2020. While most of the world was adjusting to quarantine regulations and the disruption of live sports, Fremd was living up to the potential that many have expected to see from the talented 26-year-old. The western Pennsylvania native took nearly two years off to fix some nagging injuries. In that time, Fremd also moved to the mountains of Colorado and set up shop at Factory X. It is there, where he began training regularly with Anthony Smith and many other UFC fighters. When it was time to make his comeback, the impact was immediate. Fremd destroyed Lamar Gosey with knees after controlling him with a half nelson. The bloody stoppage came 86 seconds into their light-heavyweight contest at LFA 89. Seven weeks later, he dropped down to middleweight and knocked out Contender Series alum Antonio Jones in less than a round at LFA 93.
Oliveira (8-2) is the type of fighter that embraces the challenge of facing highly-touted prospects. While Fremd was wreaking havoc in the LFA in 2020, Oliveira was busy preparing to headline a fight card for Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas. The 36-year-old earned the opportunity to headline the UFC boss’ event this past November with an impressive showing against LFA alum and current UFC fighter Jared Gooden. The signature win came in spectacular fashion in his lone bout of 2019. What made the win even more impressive was the way Oliveira handled the mind games that Gooden dished out leading up to the fight. While a weaker minded fighter could have been easily distracted by the antics that were deployed at the weigh-in and during the official in-cage introductions, Oliveira remained composed. The focused Brazilian unleashed an onslaught of strikes, as soon as the fight began, and ended the encounter via TKO in just 53 seconds.
Currently Announced LFA 98 Main Card
(Available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS®):
Main Event | Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
– Josh Fremd (6-1) vs. Bruno Oliveira (8-2)
Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– J.J. Okanovich (7-1) vs. Lucas Clay (6-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Richard Palencia (7-0) vs. Jeimeson Saudino (9-6)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– Kyle Frost (4-0) vs. Austin Clem (4-1)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
– Joshua Silveira (3-0) vs. Matt Paul (3-2)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
– Zac Pauga (1-0) vs. James Ashby Thomas (1-0)
Preliminary Card (Available worldwide on LFA Facebook page):
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
– Dan Olajiga (0-0) vs. Obinwa Ikebunna (1-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
– Marisa Chavez (0-0) vs. Marisol Ruelas (1-2)
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LFA kicks off 2021 with two events on UFC Fight Pass in January
