The top regional promotion in the United States will return to the Valley of the Sun for LFA 220 on October 25th, at Arizona Financial Theatre. This card will be stacked with both prospects and talented veterans, and during the LFA 218 broadcast on September 27th the promotion announced the first batch of matchups for their return to Arizona.
Headlining the card will be top local prospect Kasey Tanner (8-1), taking on fellow LFA veteran Michael Cyr (8-1). This will be Tanner’s second main event for the promotion, securing a unanimous decision victory in his last headline feature vs Micais Urena. Tanner is one of the most skilled bantamweights in the southwest, and although he suffered his only loss on Dana White’s Contender Series, there is no doubt with a win here the UFC could come calling.
His opponent Michael Cyr, is a submission ace who also comes in with an 8-1 record. Cyr has finished two fighters by twister, which is nearly unheard of in mixed martial arts. He will no doubt be looking to take Tanner down and drown him with his adept submission skills.
In the currently scheduled co-main event, Christian “Hawaiian Punch” Natividad (7-0) will be taking on El Salvador’s Jostin Quilca (9-2). Natividad is undefeated as a professional, with a collegiate wrestling background and fantastic striking. What makes this even more special, is Christian’s brother Kevin Natividad will also be returning to the cage for the first time in over 2 years, following his stint with the UFC.
Kevin Natividad (9-4) was scheduled to face Ryan Kuse at United Fight League 7 on October 10th, but the event was suddenly cancelled, leaving both men without a fight. Luckily the LFA stepped in and rebooked this matchup, for 2 weeks later in the same city. Natividad had great difficulty finding opponents since his UFC stint, suffering multiple cancellations of bouts on the regional scene. “Quicksand” is looking to remind LFA fans what made him so exciting in his first run with the promotion, a well rounded game with fantastic power and strong wrestling. This will be the first time the Natividad brothers will be on the same card since Iron Boy MMA 7 in 2017. On that night, both won by KO.
LFA veteran Kyle Estrada (14-8) will be taking on streaking Mexican fighter Ernesto Ibarra (10-1). Ibarra is riding a five fight winning streak coming into this matchup, primarily on the Mexican regional scene. Estrada is coming off a fantastic third round TKO victory at UFL 6 over Joao Camilo, and looks to prove his is among the elite flyweights in the world. Estrada trains with both the Natividad brothers at both Fight Ready and Arizona Combat Sports.
Chance Ikei (5-0) returns to the LFA cage after winning a fight for California’s 559 Fights promotion. The MMA Lab product is one of the most talented and highly touted prospects from Arizona, with most of his career taking place in the LFA octagon. Currently riding a 10 fight winning streak including his amateur career, there is no doubt “The Typhoon” has his eyes set on the next level. He will be facing Jordan Burkholder (6-2), a fighter out of Jackson Wink who will be returning for his 4th LFA appearance. Burkholder is the reigning Flyweight Champion for the Idaho based Front Street Fights promotion.
Making his LFA debut will be the Yuma, AZ based grappler Richard Mahan, taking on the Brazilian Livio Ribeiro. The homestate favorite Mahan secured a fantastic submission victory at his last bout at UFL 6, and his only professional loss has come to Yevgeni Shinkarevsky, another highly regarded young fighter. He will have his hands full with the undefeated Brazilian Ribeiro, but with a win here Mahan can secure himself as a name to watch on the national stage.
Rounding off the fight accouterments will be Leslie Hernandez (4-3) taking on Flor Hernandez (4-3). Leslie is another representative of the MMA Lab, but has had some difficulty as of late, losing to Julieta Martinez on the contender series and suffering a submission loss at LFA 207 in her last bout. Despite this, she remains extremely talented and one of the most entertaining female strikers to watch on the regional scene. She looks to get back to her winning ways vs Flor Hernandez, who is currently riding a four fight losing streak across MMA and Muay Thai.
The LFA remains a breeding ground for some of the top MMA prospects, and without a doubt will deliver more action when the promotion touches down in Phoenix, Arizona on October 25th. You can buy tickets at Arizona Financial Theatre’s website, and watch the prelims live on YouTube with the main card airing on UFC Fight Pass.