FRIDAY, AUGUST 2
LFA 189: KUZIUTINA vs. ELLEN
MAIN EVENT
CHAMPION
NATASHA KUZIUTINA
vs.
CHALLENGER
BRUNA ELLEN
INTERIM WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6p.m. PT
SENECA ALLEGANY RESORT & CASINO
SALAMANCA, NEW YORK
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT TICKETMASTER.COM
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to New York in August with a Championship Headliner at LFA 189. In the main event, the interim women’s strawweight title will be on the line. This will be the ninth women’s 115-pound title fight in LFA history. LFA 189 will be the sixth LFA event to take place in the Empire State.
LFA 189 takes place Friday, August 2nd at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, New York, which is located 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border in western New York. The main event will feature an interim women’s strawweight title fight when interim champion Natasha “Kuzya” Kuziutina defends her title against longtime Bellator star Bruna Ellen. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“We are excited to bring another world-class title fight to New York at LFA 189,” stated Soares. “We have an incredible fan base in the Northeast that attend our events in New York and we are excited to debut at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, which is a world-class venue in western New York. The venue will now host two of our biggest international stars in the main event. Natasha Kuziutina is a three-time Olympian in Judo and the first woman from Russia to win an LFA title. She will defend her interim women’s strawweight title against Brazilian standout and former Bellator star Bruna Ellen. The winner will get a chance to unify the title against current champion Rose Conceição later this year depending on the outcome of her fight on Dana White’s Contender Series this summer.”
Tickets for LFA 189: Kuziutina vs. Ellen are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
Kuziutina (5-1) ended last year with the biggest win of her career at LFA 173, which was the LFA’s year-end show in Las Vegas. She did this by becoming the first and only woman to defeat five-time IBJJF champion and then reigning LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year, Giovanna Canuto. The win earned “Kuzya” the LFA interim women’s strawweight title, which made her the first woman from Russia to win an LFA title. Prior to that, Kuziutina had transitioned to MMA as the most decorated judoka to ever compete in the strawweight division of MMA. She has represented Russia at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 (took place in 2021) Summer Olympics. It was at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she earned an Olympic bronze medal. Kuziutina also won a silver medal at the World Judo Championships in 2019 and has won five gold medals at the European Judo Championships. She now looks to become just the second LFA women’s strawweight champion to successfully defend her title.
Ellen (7-4) will be the woman challenging for the title after spending the past eight years competing as one of the most respected names in the Bellator promotion. In that time, she fought for the promotion nine times. In fact, a tenth fight for the promotion was set to take place last year against Keri Melendez, the wife of Gilbert Melendez, but was canceled when Melendez withdrew with an injury. The popular Brazilian is widely known for her gameness as she has fought some of the biggest names in the sport, including bouts against former Bellator champions Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Juliana Velasquez. She also holds notable victories in the promotion over Ilara Joanne, Desiree Yanez, Elina Kallionidou, and Veta Arteaga. More impressively is the fact she gained this success and notoriety, while competing in a division 10-pounds heavier than her natural weight class due to flyweight being the lightest weight division that Bellator offered. Ellen is now excited to challenge for an LFA strawweight title at LFA 189.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main Card available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Main Event | Interim Women’s Strawweight Title Bout (115 lb)
Natasha Kuziutina (5-1) vs. Bruna Ellen (7-4)
Co-Main Event | Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Renato Valente (10-6) vs. Chermen Kobesov (8-2)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Alex Marro (2-0) vs. Matt Adams (2-1)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Jeff Craig (5-2) vs. Mirafzal Akhtamov (6-0-1)
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC in 2017. It has launched the careers of over 300 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the world including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. The promotion owns and operates LFA FIGHT NETWORK™, a premium YouTube channel that features live combat sports events alongside live LFA Prelims and historical fights.
Please visit LFA.com for updates and information. Visit the official LFA YouTube channel (LFA FIGHT NETWORK™) at @LFAfights. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly Twitter) at @LFAfighting.
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About SENECA ALLEGANY RESORT & CASINO:
Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is nestled among the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in the Southern Tier of New York State. This full-service resort attracts more than 3 million visitors each year and provides the perfect getaway destination any time of year, allowing them to take advantage of nearby skiing, camping, golf, hunting and other recreational opportunities. The real attraction is the AAA Four Diamond Award-winning resort itself, which offers world-class gaming and entertainment, fine and casual dining, a full-service spa and salon and 413 luxury hotel rooms – all surrounded by incredible views of nature’s beauty. More information is available by calling 1-877-8-SENECA (1-877-873-6322) or visiting SenecaAlleganyCasino.com.
