Ricky Steele – Syndication Server

LFA 90 results: Zviad Lazishvili wins vacant bantamweight title, moves to 13-0

Zviad Lazishvili is the new LFA bantamweight champion after an impressive performance at LFA 90.

[autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] is the new LFA bantamweight champion.

The native of the Republic of Georgia picked up a dominant win in the main event of Friday’s LFA 90 card in Sioux Falls, S.D. to capture the vacant 135-pound title. Lazishvili (13-0 MMA) submitted [autotag]Ricky Steele[/autotag] with a rear-naked choke at 3:42 of the first round.

Lazishvili was nothing but dominant at LFA 90. The 28-year-old took down Steele early, secured the back mount against the cage, and from there worked relentlessly for the rear-naked choke. Steele did a good job defending the choke multiple times, but Lazishvili eventually secured the submission once and for all and got the tap.

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Lazishvili revealed in his post-fight interview he battled with three injuries in the training camp leading up to the fight, but he’s grateful he went trough it. He hopes the UFC takes notice of his performance and gets an offer to join the promotion.

The undefeated Lazishvili picked up his ninth submission win with the victory over Steele. This was also Lazishvili’s second win under the LFA banner, as he outpointed Josh Huber back in November 2019 at LFA 79.

Full results from LFA 90 below:

Zviad Lazishvili def. Ricky Steele via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:42.
[autotag]Maycon Mendoca[/autotag] def. [autotag]Devin Smyth[/autotag] via knockout – Round 2, 4:21
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] def. [autotag]Chris Brown[/autotag] via split decision
[autotag]Mo Miller[/autotag] def. [autotag]Mando Gutierrez[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:26
[autotag]Allan Begosso[/autotag] def. [autotag]Sen McPadden[/autotag] via TKO – Round 1, 0:48
[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] def. [autotag]Kelsey Arneson[/autotag] via unanimous decision
[autotag]Daniel Argueta[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jackson Filho[/autotag] via unanimous decision
[autotag]Alden Coria[/autotag] def. [autotag]Calvin Harbaugh[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:20

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LFA announces second string of four events in four weeks starting Aug. 21 in South Dakota

LFA is ready to keep rolling with closed-door events.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced that it will return Aug. 21 with LFA 88 and four consecutive weeks of events at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

In addition to LFA 88, the promotion also will host LFA 89 (Aug. 28), LFA 90 (Sept. 4), and LFA 91 (Sept. 11). All four events will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.

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Sanford Pentagon was the site of LFA’s July return from hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion crowned four new champions during that run. In this second phase of events, two title fights have been booked. Only main events were announced for its next four shows, except for LFA 91, which is expected at a later date.

The three other headliners include:

LFA 88

[autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] – for vacant welterweight title

LFA 89

[autotag]Joe Giannetti[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brant Moore[/autotag]

LFA 90

[autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricky Steele[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title

10 bantamweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series is right around the corner. Check out 10 bantamweights who could be featured.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the bantamweights…

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Jose Johnson

Record: 11-5
Age: 24
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: Flint, Mich.

In November 2019, [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag] made his presence felt with a single, vicious elbow. At LFA 78, Johnson took on Rafael Costa, a top Brazilian prospect. As the fight approached the two-minute mark, Johnson landed a clean elbow that flattened Costa to the ground. The brutal manner in which the fight ended created a big-time highlight – one that went viral in a matter of hours. The knockout was Johnson’s fifth in as many fights. Eight of his 11 victories have come inside the distance. The UFC brass stresses how much they enjoy exciting fighters on DWCS. Johnson fits the mold.

Taylor Lapilus

Record: 16-3
Age: 27
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: France

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]’ four-fight UFC tenure ended in surprising fashion. The French fighter went 3-1 in the UFC from 2015-2016 with wins over Rocky Lee, Ulka Sasaki, and Leandro Issa. His lone promotional loss came to Erik Perez. A training partner of Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane under coach Fernand Lopez, Lapilus is angling for a 2020 UFC return. With French MMA legalization going into effect in February, Lapilus seems like a layup signing for a home-country UFC return. What better way to get his foot back in the door than DWCS?

More fighters on the next page:

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