LFA 114 results: Bruno Souza wins vacant gold; Charles Johnson keeps on rolling

Two titles were on the line at LFA 114, where one new champion was crowned.

Two championships were on the line Friday at LFA 114, which ended with one new titleholder and one retaining champion.

LFA 114 took place at The Factory at the District in St-Louis and the main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Atop the card was a vacant featherweight title fight between Machida Brothers’ protege [autotag]Bruno Souza[/autotag] (10-1) and California’s [autotag]Javier Garcia[/autotag] (7-4). After five rounds of hard-fought action, it was Souza who had LFA gold wrapped around his waist. He officially won four rounds on each of the judges’ scorecards en route to a unanimous decision victory.

In the co-main event, interim flyweight champion [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag] (10-2) made a quick, short-notice turnaround after he earned the title July 2. Against challenger [autotag]Joao Camilo[/autotag] (7-4), Johnson proved to be too much as he picked up a second-round TKO victory via punches.

Also on the card, former Penn State University wrestling standout [autotag]Jimmy Lawson[/autotag] (3-1) extended his winning streak to three with a brutal knockout of Bellator alumnus [autotag]Anthony Garrett[/autotag] (6-4).

Prospects [autotag]Joseph Holmes[/autotag] (5-1), [autotag]Ben Bennett[/autotag] (3-0), and [autotag]William Starks[/autotag] (5-2) also picked up finishes in the first three fights on the main card.

The full LFA 114 main card results include:

  • Bruno Souza def. Javier Garcia via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for vacant featherweight title
  • Charles Johnson def. Joao Camilo via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07 – for interim flyweight title
  • Jimmy Lawson def. Anthony Garrett via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:18
  • Joseph Holmes def. DeWayne Diggs via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:48
  • Ben Bennett def. Elmar Umarov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:58
  • William Starks def. Irfan Mulabitinovic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:16

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LFA 114 video: Former Penn State wrestler Jimmy Lawson pulverizes opponent with brutal 18-second KO

A former wrestling standout, heavyweight Jimmy Lawson showed he has some hands in his LFA debut.

Known for his wrestling, [autotag]Jimmy Lawson[/autotag] showed there’s more to his game in his LFA debut Friday.

At LFA 114, Lawson (3-1) extended his winning and finishing streaks to three with a brutal 18-second knockout of Bellator alum [autotag]Anthony Garrett[/autotag]. The event took place at The Factory at the District in St-Louis and streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Lawson, a former Penn State University wrestler, came out guns a-blazing. He swung wildly at Garrett (6-4), who timidly retreated in an attempt to avoid danger. That attempt failed, however, as Garrett was met with a powerful right hand that crumpled him against the cage – and that was it.

Since his transition to MMA began, Lawson has spent time developing at some of the United States’ top gyms. Originally with American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Lawson also has spent time at Nick Catone’s MMA & Fitness.

In 2019, Lawson lost his professional debut to Said Sowma, who is now with Bellator, via unanimous decision. In defeat, he also lost out on a slot on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 2. Since then, Lawson has won all three of his following professional fights via TKO or knockout with two victories in Ring of Combat prior to his LFA debut Friday.

The up-to-the-minute LFA 114 results include:

  • Jimmy Lawson def. Anthony Garrett via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:18
  • Joseph Holmes def. DeWayne Diggs via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:48
  • Ben Bennett def. Elmar Umarov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:58
  • William Starks def. Irfan Mulabitinovic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:16

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LFA 107 results: Kamuela Kirk shines, retires Daniel Swain on the stool – literally?

An action-packed LFA 107 main event ended with one fighter uttering the words, “I’m retired” on the stool.

Eleven finishes in as many pro victories, [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] kept his streak alive in the LFA 107 main event.

In his first LFA headliner, Kirk (11-4) defeated fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus [autotag]Daniel Swain[/autotag] via TKO due to retirement in between Round 2 and 3.

Swain (20-11-1), who had lost in between rounds on DWCS in 2020, uttered the words “I’m retired” to his corner, which indicated to the LFA commentary team that Swain’s fight Friday would be his last. Swain took off his gloves for the decision but was not interviewed post-fight and thus did not provide clarity on the situation.

The stoppage came after an action-packed opening 10 minutes. Kirk landed multiple flurries of significant strikes in Round 1 that appeared to have Swain in trouble. Just when it looked like he was in a bad spot, Swain shot up with an armbar – foreshadowing of the theme of Round 2. Much of the second round was spent with Kirk on top of Swain, who shot up and looked for submissions.

Kirk, 27, has now won back-to-back fights since losses to Bruno Silva and Billy Quarantillo temporarily halted his momentum toward a major promotional deal. After the victory, Kirk called for a meeting with his “business partner” Dana White, and expressed interest in fighting at UFC 263 in his home state of Arizona.

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The undercard was highlighted by [autotag]Ricardo Dias[/autotag], who landed a nasty flying knee on [autotag]George Garcia[/autotag] in the co-main event. Also, former collegiate football player [autotag]Jordan Heiderman[/autotag] kept his undefeated record intact against former [autotag]Jake Hager[/autotag] opponent [autotag]Anthony Garrett[/autotag].

In the women’s divisions, [autotag]Taylor Mauldin[/autotag] became the first female to end a fight via kneebar in LFA history after [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] confidant [autotag]Alandria Brown[/autotag] won her highly-anticipated professional debut by rear-naked choke.

LFA 107 took place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass after prelims on Facebook.

The full LFA 107 results include:

  • Kamuela Kirk def. Daniel Swain via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Ricardo Dias def. George Garcia via TKO (flying knee) – Round 2, 0:25
  • Allan Bergoso def. Samarbek Sabyrzhan via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:23
  • Jordan Heiderman def. Anthony Garrett via submission (arm-triangle) – Round 1, 3:40
  • James Wilson def. Daniel Jefferson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Taylor Mauldin def. Ambar De La Herran via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:30
  • Ray Waters def. L.J. Portee via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Corey Davis def. Thomas Powell via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:50
  • Alandria Brown def. Shania Arredondo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:54

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Kemran Lachinov, Davion Franklin among additions to Bellator 254 prelims

Two fights have been added to Bellator 254’s preliminary card.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator 254 is three weeks away and the preliminary card is filling up.

A welterweight fight between [autotag]Kemran Lachinov[/autotag] and [autotag]Shamil Nikaev[/autotag], as well as a heavyweight bout between [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Garrett[/autotag], has been added to the Dec. 10 event, a promotion official recently informed MMA Junkie.

Lachniov (10-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) made his Bellator return in October when he defeated the American Kickboxing Academy’s Kyle Crutchmer by unanimous decision. Turkey’s Lachinov has fought intermittently for Bellator since 2015. While he’s not a rostered fighter, Lachinov has remained undefeated through five appearances.

Nikaev (9-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with the promotion in late 2019, but has yet to debut. He was supposed to debut against Bobby Lee at Bellator 239 in February but the fight was canceled for unknown reasons. The 25-year-old welterweight fighter is an alumnus of ACB and holds a win over UFC lightweight Christos Giagos.

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Franklin (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is the second recipient of the JacksonWink-Mata Leon scholarship. A former junior college football and wrestling standout, Franklin has one win by TKO and a second by technical decision.

Garrett (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is most well-known for his lone Bellator appearance to date, in which he was kneed in the groin multiple times by former WWE superstar Jake Hager. The October 2019 fight was ruled a “No Contest” and Garrett has gone 1-0 since.

Bellator 254 takes place Thursday, Dec. 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the addition, the Bellator 254 lineup includes:

  • Ilima Lei-Macfarlane vs. Julianna Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Nate Andrews vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Matheus Mattos vs. Magomedov Magomedov
  • Jessica Borga vs. Marina Mokhnatina
  • Tyree Fortune vs. Grant Neal
  • Romero Cotton vs. Justin Sumter
  • Kemran Lachinov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Davion Franklin vs. Anthony Garrett

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