2/24/24: LFA Crowns Two New Champions In Niagara Falls
Also: Results from Cage Warriors and RIZIN.
Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today is the first of two very busy newsletters this weekend, following a hectic weekend for the sport. Coming up: Reports on three different MMA cards from the past 24 hours, plus a preview of today’s three big lineups. Let’s dive in.
Shamidkhan Magomedov Stops Devin Smyth With Ground and Pound To Earn Interim LFA Welterweight Belt
Shamidkhan Magomedov needed just a few minutes to beat Devin Smyth and capture the interim LFA Welterweight Championship on Friday night.
Magomedov used a controlling back position to unload with punches against Smyth, causing the referee to step in and end the fight in the opening round. Magomedov’s win headlined LFA 177 from the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York, USA.
Magomedov scored a takedown a minute into the title fight. He then got on the back of Smyth, where he would spend numerous minutes landing punches. The steady pace of shots from the prospect eventually caused the referee to stop the fight.
While the stoppage didn’t come after a specific moment where Smyth looked particularly hurt, it did occur following a long period where he didn’t fight to get out of a position where he was taking damage.
Magomedov has now picked up five consecutive wins as a pro. Previous victories include two LFA performances from 2023 and a pair of stoppages in Russian promotion Eagle FC.
LFA teased that Magomedov could unify his interim title with regular welterweight champ Geraldo Neto, who is expected to put his belt on the line next month against Vanilto Antunes at LFA 179.
Smyth was trying to complete an LFA comeback story of sorts on this card. The 28-year-old returned to MMA last year, coming back after suffering a pair of losses from 2019 to 2020. He was given a title shot this weekend after stopping Jonathan Piersman in just 51 seconds last year.
Undefeated Clark Secures Bulldog Choke To Win Flyweight Belt
Shannon Clark captured the vacant LFA Flyweight Championship in the co-main event, catching Thaiany Lopes in the second round with a rare bulldog choke to cap off a quick dominant performance.
Lopes scored numerous takedowns against Clark during the two rounds that the fight took place, but Clark was running away with the fight by being the more active fighter in all positions.
Clark was active with strikes on the feet and continued to do damage even when on her back.
Clark capitalized on a takedown attempt from Lopes to finish the fight early. She took the back of the 23-year-old Brazilian after a single-leg takedown attempt was shot on her. She moved to the side of Lopes and wrapped her left arm around her chin, applying the rare bulldog choke. Lopes was flattened out and choked unconscious before the referee stepped in to end the fight.
With her win on Friday, Clark is the fifth fighter to become the undisputed women’s flyweight champ in the LFA history. Previous titleholder Sabina Mazo vacated the belt last year ahead of a move up to bantamweight.
LFA 177’s co-main event was a clash of undefeated prospects. Clark entered the weekend with a flawless record of four wins, including regional performances in Canada and her LFA debut against Nejra Repp last year. Lopes was coming over to the promotion after putting together five wins in Brazil.
Earlier on the card, Liam Anderson scored a head kick finish against Maurice Morris. Here’s a full look at the results from Niagara Falls:
Main Card (9:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Shamidkhan Magomedov def. Devin Smyth via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:55) (Vacant Interim LFA Welterweight Championship)
Bout 8: Shannon Clark def. Thaiany Lopes via Submission, Bulldog Choke (RD 2, 2:12) (Vacant LFA Flyweight Championship)
Bout 7: Joe Taylor def. Gabriel Thimoteo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Sierra Dinwoodie def. Hope Chase via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Liam Anderson def. Maurice Morris via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:24)
Preliminary Card
Bout 4: Farman Hasanov def. Luke Roberts via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Luis Francischinelli def. Ken Burrs via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:12)
Bout 2: Levan Khabalaev def. Mykola Plazynskyi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:55)
Bout 1: Corey Norman def. Darryl Booker via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:17)
Wilson Reis Earns First-Round Finish At Cage Warriors 166
UFC and Bellator alum Wilson Reis picked up a win in his return to the featherweight division on Friday night, putting away Toby Misech in the first round with a combination of a knockdown and submission.
Reis’ win headlined Cage Warriors 166, which took place at the Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego, California, USA.
39-year-old former EliteXC champ Reis scored a knockdown halfway through the first round, connecting with a hard left hook that sent Misech flying to the canvas. Reis was quick to build off this moment: He immediately moved into full mount on the ground, where he would land punches to Misech.
It didn’t take long for Reis to earn a finish once he started focusing on submissions. He applied a head and arm choke from full mount, forcing a tap from Misech in just over three minutes.
Friday was only the second featherweight appearance for Reis since 2011. He was coming back up to the weight class after missing weight for a bantamweight fight against Ricky Bandejas late last year.
Reis’ last appearance before Friday was a split decision loss to former UFC talent Trevin Jones. He had a trio of wins in Cage Warriors before then.
Misech was on the hunt for his first promotional win this weekend. The “Dana White’s Contender Series” and Bellator vet lost his Cage Warriors debut last year to Roberto Hernandez, who stopped him in the second round.
Former UFC talent Mason Jones scored his third consecutive win in the co-main event, putting away Bryce Logan with strikes in the second round. The lightweight talent re-joined the Cage Warriors roster in 2023 after ending a four-fight UFC run.
The card lost a fight on Friday evening, as a contest between undefeated prospect Anthony Orozco and Craig Willingham was pulled from the show. In a social media post on Friday night, Orozco stated that he is hoping to compete at Cage Warriors’ events in Manchester, England next month.
Here are the quick results for Cage Warriors 166.
Main Card (11:00PM EST / 8:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Wilson Reis def. Toby Misech via Submission, Head and Arm Choke (RD 1, 3:02)
Bout 8: Mason Jones def. Bryce Logan via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:45)
Bout 7: Chasen Blair def. Orlando Sanders via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:09)
Bout 6: Devin Goodale def. Bobby Winther via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Corvan Allen def. Xavier Vines via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (9:15PM EST / 6:15PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Giovanni Sarran def. Elijah Harris via Decision, Majority
Bout 3: Miguel Peimbert def. Carlos Elizarraraz via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Diego Vazquez def. Sean Rose via Submission, Armbar (RD 2, 3:09)
Bout 1: Devon Simons def. Chadricc Kindle via Decision, Unanimous
Luiz Gustavo Advances Lightweight Winning Streak In RIZIN LANDMARK 8 Main Event
Luiz Gustavo kept his momentum going in RIZIN’s lightweight division on Saturday night, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win against Yoshinori Horie.
Gustavo’s win headlined RIZIN LANDMARK 8, which was the promotion’s debut in Japan’s Saga prefecture.
Gustavo had the bigger moments during a fight that primarily took place on the feet. The most notable early moment for the Brazilian talent was when he rocked Horie with a left hook in the opening round, sending him retreating to the cage.
Horie regained some control in the second round, taking Gustavo down and scoring with ground and pound for numerous minutes. This momentum seemingly carried into the final round, as he opened the final stanza by marching Gustavo down with punches.
Gustavo’s power returned later in the frame. His punches started to get through once again, resulting in Horie getting dropped with a minute left in the fight. Horie showcased his toughness by surviving these hard exchanges and making it to the final bell.
Gustavo is one of the most successful lightweight names in RIZIN as of late. He has now scored four consecutive wins since 2022, including previous victories over Koji Takeda and Juri Ohara.
Horie, a former UFC talent, now has a RIZIN record of four wins and two losses. He bounced back from his first promotional loss last year, beating Spike Carlyle on scorecards.
Veteran Masakazu Imanari picked up a submission win in his short-notice appearance in the co-main event, catching Kazumasa Majima with an armbar. Here are the quick results for Saturday’s show:
Main Card (12:00PM EST / 2:00PM JST) (RIZIN.tv)
Bout 14: Luiz Gustavo def. Yoshinori Horie via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 13: Masakazu Imanari def. Kazumasa Majima via Submission, Armbar (RD 2)
Bout 12: Yusuke Yachi def. Rikuto Shirakawa via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 5:00)
Bout 11: Saori Oshima def. Claire Lopez via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 3:18)
Bout 10: Hiroaki Suzuki def. Takahiro Ashida via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:29)
Bout 9: Daichi Abe def. Kota Ossman via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:35)
Bout 8: Shohei Nose def. Kenta Takizawa via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:48)
Bout 7: Yuki Ito def. Masatoshi Ueda via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Takumi Terada def. Takekiyo Tominada via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:54) (Kickboxing)
Opening Card (10:30PM EST / 12:30PM JST)
Bout 5: Ryuhei Sakai def RYOGA via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Daiki Yahiro def. Yuto Araki via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:36)
Bout 3: Reito Bravely def. Kyohei Furumura via TKO, Left Cross (RD 1, 1:49) (Kickboxing)
Bout 2: Rikito def. Hannya Hashimoto via Decision, Unanimous (Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Satoshi Katashima def. Keito Ishigo via Decision, Majority (Kickboxing)
Top Contenders At Flyweight, Featherweight Set For Five Rounds In UFC’s Return To Mexico
A wide variety of talent representing Mexico will be showcased this weekend when UFC heads back to Mexico City for the first time since 2019. Saturday’s “Fight Night” card from Arena CDMX will feature a pair of high-profile five-round bouts sitting atop a lengthy 13-fight lineup.
Two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno will try to get back on the right track this weekend when he faces Brandon Royval. Moreno has spent the past three years fighting in the title picture at 125 pounds. In fact, this weekend will be breaking a six-fight streak of championship bout appearances for him.
Moreno was bounced out of the 125-pound title picture after his second title reign came to an end in July of last year, dropping a split decision to incumbent champion Alexandre Pantoja. This weekend he is looking to pick up a big win to make a case for another fight against the Brazilian champ.
Royval is in a similar position to Moreno, as he is also trying to return following a loss to Pantoja. He had a three-fight winning streak broken by the champ late last year, losing a one-sided decision at UFC 296. Saturday’s main event not only gives Royval a chance to score a big win but also avenge a loss from 2020. A shoulder injury caused Royval to get stopped by Moreno at UFC 255 just over three years ago, in a fight that was an unofficial title eliminator for flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. A win on Saturday could be the first time that Royval has avenged any of his seven losses as a pro.
The co-main event will see high-ranked featherweight talents Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega fight for a maximum of five rounds. Both talents will be trying to put on a performance that could give them a case against new featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
The featherweight contenders lost to Alexander Volkanovski during his lengthy title reign in the division. However, with a new name at the top that neither of them has faced before, there might be a renewed argument for either fighter to get a shot, if successful in Saturday’s co-main event.
Ortega and Rodriguez previously fought in 2022, although that fight ended in the first round due to a shoulder injury that Rodriguez suffered.
A load of fighters representing Mexico will compete on Saturday night. Rising lightweight Daniel Zellhuber, 24-year-old strawweight prospect Yazmin Jauregui, Raul Rosas Jr., and many others are expected to appear on the main card.
Here’s a look at the full lineup:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 9:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 13: Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) vs. Brandon Royval (15-7) (Flyweight)
Bout 12: Yair Rodriguez (18-4) vs. Brian Ortega (15-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 11: Daniel Zellhuber (14-1) vs. Francisco Prado (12-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Yazmin Jauregui (10-1) vs. Sam Hughes (8-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 8: Manuel Torres (14-2) vs. Chris Duncan (11-1) (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EST / 6:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 7: Cristian Quinonez (18-4) vs. Raoni Barcelos (17-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Jesus Aguilar (9-2) vs. Matues Mendonca (10-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Edgar Chairez (10-5) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Claudio Puelles (12-3) vs. Fares Ziam (14-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Luis Rodriguez (15-2) vs. Denys Bondar (19-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Victor Altamirano (12-3) vs. Felipe dos Santos (7-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Muhammad Naimov (10-2) vs. Erik Silva (9-2) (Featherweight)
Francis Ngannou Fight On The Line At PFL vs. Bellator PPV Event
A promotion-versus-promotion-themed lineup will take place today as well, as PFL and their recently acquired brother promotion Bellator will come together for a lineup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The pay-per-view lineup, “PFL vs. Bellator: CHAMPS,” sees six different co-promotion fights go down. While the plan was for four different matchups between current champs in PFL and Bellator, some departures in recent weeks mean Saturday’s show will have just two champ-versus-champ fights.
2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira will compete in the main event against long-time Bellator heavyweight titleholder Ryan Bader. Some extra stakes were added to the fight this week, as PFL said that the winner of the fight will go on to face former UFC champ Francis Ngannou in his first MMA fight since early 2022.
Ferreira is coming off an incredibly active 2023, fighting four times to earn PFL’s heavyweight title. Bader had a less active year, appearing once last February to defeat Fedor Emelianenko.
The fight received some attention Friday, as a face-off between the fighters showed how there is a significant height discrepancy between them. Ferreira is clearly the much bigger fighter, towering over Bader.
The other champion versus champion fight will see PFL middleweight titleholder Impa Kasanganay take on undefeated Bellator talent Johnny Eblen.
Kasanganay, a former UFC talent, scored five consecutive wins last year to earn a PFL title. He’ll now take on a fighter who is undefeated through 14 bouts and has defended his title twice.
While there was a plan to match up Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull and Jesus Pinedo, news broke Friday that the fight fell off Saturday’s card. The bout was already a replacement booking for Pitbull, who was initially expected to face PFL champ Gabriel Braga.
Numerous notable PFL and Bellator names will compete on Saturday’s card. This includes Bruno Cappelozza, AJ McKee Jr., Jason Jackson, Ray Cooper III, and more. The TV prelims portion will also see boxing champion Claressa Shields aiming to bounce back from her sole loss in MMA.
Here’s how the full show looks:
Main Card (3:00PM EST / 11:00PM AST) (PPV)
Bout 11: Renan Ferreira (12-3) vs. Ryan Bader (31-7) (Champion vs. Champion Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 10: Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs. Johnny Eblen (14-0) (Champion vs. Champion Middleweight Bout)
Bout 9: Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs. Jason Jackson (14-7) (PFL vs. Bellator Catchweight 182 lbs Bout)
Bout 8: Bruno Cappelozza (15-6) vs. Vadim Nemkov (17-2) (PFL vs. Bellator Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 7: Thiago Santos (22-11) vs. Yoel Romero (15-7) (PFL vs. Bellator Light Heavyweight Bout)
Bout 6: Clay Collard (24-11) vs. AJ McKee Jr. (21-1) (PFL vs. Bellator Lightweight Bout)
Preliminary Card (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Bout 5: Aaron PIco (12-4) vs. Henry Corrales (21-7) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Biaggio Ali Walsh (0-0) vs. Emmanuel Palacio (1-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Claressa Shields (1-1) vs. Kelsey DeSantis (1-2) (Catchweight 165 lbs)
Bout 2: Abdullah Al-Qahtani (7-1) vs. Edukondala Rao (4-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Malik Basahel (17-2-1) vs. Vinicius Pereira (5-0) (Catchweight 129 lbs Amateur)
KSW Celebrates 20th Anniversary In Style
Polish MMA promotion KSW will present a special card on Saturday to celebrate 20 years of fights. “KSW EPIC” from the PreZero Arena in Gliwice, Poland will have boxing, grappling, Muay Thai, MMA under special rulesets, and a one-night tournament to crown a new champion.
The headlining spot of the night will go to a clash between two veterans of Polish combat sports: Three-time KSW champion Mamed Khalidov will take on former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Tomasz Adamek in a six-round boxing match.
Lower in the bout order, the promotion will crown a new light heavyweight champ with a four-man bracket. Rafal Haratyk, Marcin Wojcik, Damian Piwowarczyk, and Kleber Silva will look to take the champion spot that was previously held by Ibragim Chuzhigaev before he vacated his title last year.
There are numerous interesting specialty fights taking place on this card. Heavyweight champ Phil De Fries will take on multi-decade MMA vet Josh Barnett under submission grappling rules. Piotr Kacprzak and Adam Brysz will compete in gis in a fight being billed as “BJJ vs. Judo.”
KSW might not have the biggest card happening on Saturday, but they have a case for being the most unique event of the day.
Main Card (1:00PM EST / 7:00PM CET) (KSW PPV)
Bout 10: Mamed Khalidov vs. Tomasz Adamek (Catchweight 218 lbs Boxing)
Bout 9: KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Finals
Bout 8: Phil De Fries vs. Josh Barnett (Heavyweight Grappling)
Bout 7: Rafal Haratyk (17-5-2) vs. Marcin Wojcik (19-8) (KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Bout 6: Damian Piwowarczyk (7-2) vs. Kleber Silva (22-11) (KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Bout 5: Michal Krolik vs. Vaclav Sivak (Featherweight Muay Thai)
Bout 4: Ivan Erslan (13-3) vs. Bogdan Gnidko (10-1) (KSW Light Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix Reserve Bout)
Bout 3: Piotr Kacprzak (9-4) vs. Adam Brysz (2-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Darko Stosic (19-6) vs. Matheus Scheffel (17-10) (Heavyweight Pride Rules Bout)
Bout 1: Konrad Rusinski (6-1) vs. Muslim Tulshaev (10-3) (Catchweight 176 lbs Special No Holds Barred Rules)
Notes On: ONE Championship & LFA
ONE Championship
Two MMA bouts took place this weekend as part of ONE Championship’s “Friday Fights 53” card from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Chayan Oorzhak (8-2) had a competitive win over Babar Ali (7-3), earning a unanimous decision after three rounds. Oorzhak has pieced together a trio of wins since entering ONE Championship last year.
Nachin Sat (5-2) scored a submission win against Tural Askarov (4-2), catching him with a triangle choke while on his back late in the first round. The submission came after numerous minutes of Askarov in top control. Sat won his ONE debut two months ago, stopping Carlos Neyheban Alvarez with strikes.
LFA
LFA has announced a pair of events for April.
LFA 181 will take place on April 5th from The Mystic Lake Showroom in Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA. The event will already be the promotion’s second appearance at the venue this year.
LFA 182 has been announced for April 26th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. LFA 182 will be the promotion’s first time in Sioux Falls in more than a year. The Sanford Pentagon was an important venue for LFA during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they held eight events there from July to September 2020.