SATURDAY, MAY 27
LFA 159: POLASTRI vs. CONCEIÇÃO
MAIN EVENT:
CHAMPION
JULIA POLASTRI
vs.
CHALLENGER
ROSE CONCEIÇÃO
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
CO-MAIN EVENT:
“TRATOR”
RODOLFO BELLATO
vs.
“PEQUENO”
ACÁCIO DOS SANTOS
INTERIM LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS®
CIDE CASA BRANCA SPORTS COMPLEX
CARAGUATATUBA, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
LAS VEGAS, Nevada —LFA CEO Ed Soares announced that the promotion will return to the Brazilian coastal city of Caraguatatuba in May with a Championship Doubleheader at LFA 159. This will be the third LFA event to be held on a Saturday and it will be the tenth LFA event to take place in Brazil after the promotion’s international expansion began in the summer of 2021.
LFA 159: Polastri vs. Conceição takes place Saturday, May 27th at the CIDE Casa Branca Sports Complex in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The main event will feature a women’s strawweight title fight when champion Julia “Psyco” Polastri defends her title against top undefeated challenger Rose Conceição. The co-main event will feature an interim light-heavyweight title fight between top prospects Rodolfo “Trator” Bellato and Acácio “Pequeno” Dos Santos. 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 two championship fights to the southeast coast of Brazil at LFA 159,” stated Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA women’s strawweight champion Julia Polastri. She will face top undefeated prospect and fellow LFA standout Rose Conceição. Then in the co-main event, we will crown an interim light-heavyweight champion when top prospects Rodolfo Bellato and Acácio Dos Santos fight for the interim light-heavyweight title. The winner will then get a chance to unify the title against current champion Bruno Lopes later this year.”
Polastri (11-3) returns to the LFA for the third time looking for a third win, but this time she will arrive with her championship belt in tow. The proud Fluminense won the title in January by defeating top undefeated Argentinian prospect Brenda Göttig with a first round Arm-Triangle Choke in the co-main event of LFA 151 in Cajamar. Now the newly crowned champion, affectionately known as “Psyco”, heads to the coast of São Paulo for her first title defense and first LFA main event. A win will see Polastri join elite company as the only three women to successfully defend their LFA titles were all signed by the UFC. Those women are Andrea Lee, Sabina Mazo, and Jaqueline Amorim. The 25-year-old will also, once again, be looking to gain bragging rights. After winning an international rivalry against an Argentinian opponent in her last fight, she is now set to face a rival from the north of her country in a classic southern Brazil vs. northern Brazil showdown.
Conceição (6-0) is a top undefeated prospect from the Natal, Rio Grande do Norte in the northeast of Brazil. The Norte-Rio-Grandense won her LFA debut in September when the promotion visited her region of the country at LFA 143. Conceição defeated Pernambuco fan favorite Mayara Thays with an impressive Unanimous Decision. The win kept her undefeated record intact and earned her a nominee for LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year. Now the 26-year-old has her sights set on a woman who was also nominated for the same award. More importantly, it will write the next chapter in the country’s north vs. south rivalry. This friendly rivalry has produced many of the country’s greatest fights and in turn the two regions have become two of Brazil’s biggest hotbeds for producing MMA talent. The stakes are high and Conceição is ready to challenge for the title in the first LFA event in Brazil headlined by women.
The co-main event of LFA 159 will feature an interim light-heavyweight title fight between two of Brazil’s top prospects as Bellato (9-2) and Dos Santos (15-5) vie to become the LFA’s seventh light-heavyweight champion. This interim opportunity became available to both men as the promotion await the return of its sitting champion Bruno Lopes. The undefeated champion is expected to fight the winner of Bellato vs. Dos Santos in a title unification bout later this year. Bellato and Dos Santos have taken similar paths over the past 12 months. After picking up wins early in 2022, both men were invited to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer. Now they are looking to get back on the UFC boss’ radar. That began earlier this year with both prospects earning dominant TKO wins. Now it continues as both men have their sights set on striking LFA gold at LFA 159.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main Event | Women’s Strawweight Title Bout (115 lb)
Julia Polastri (11-3) vs. Rose Conceição (6-0)
Co-Main Event | Interim Light-Heavyweight Title Bout (205 lb)
Rodolfo Bellato (9-2) vs. Acácio Dos Santos (15-5)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Fernando Laurenço (16-3) vs. Marciley Alves (11-3)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Geraldo Neto (16-6) vs. Argemiro Delmandes (15-8)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Lucas Rocha (15-1) vs. Matheus Da Silva (11-3)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Hugo Cunha (6-1) vs. Fernando Batista (11-7)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Vinicius Pires (6-1) vs. Kaua Fernandes (6-1)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Gabriel Silva (9-3) vs. Lerryan Douglas (8-4)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Marcos Degli (8-3) vs. Hugo Paiva (6-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Isaias Simões (8-5) vs. João Paulo Santos (11-3)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Rafaela Silva (0-0) vs. Aieza Bertolso (0-0)
In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 270 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In 2018, the promotion joined the Imperial Family Companies group (formerly London Trust Media). In 2019, the promotion announced a broadcast partnership with UFC FIGHT PASS®. In 2021, the LFA expanded internationally by hosting multiple events in Brazil.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. Visit the official LFA Youtube page at @LFA_Fighting. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. LFA was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston. 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 Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
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 IMPERIAL FAMILY COMPANIES:
The Imperial Family Companies maintains a diversified portfolio with one common theme: bringing power to the people. The IFC is proud to partner with the LFA management team to showcase the greatest talents of tomorrow. Learn more about the IFC at ImperialFamily.com.
About CIDE CASA BRANCA SPORTS COMPLEX:
The Municipality of Caraguatatuba, through the Secretariat of Public Works, restarted the works on the CIDE Casa Branca Sports Complex in 2021, after judicial approval. The purpose of the space is to meet the great demand for recreation and sports in the neighborhoods. The complex contains eight bathrooms, two locker rooms, two 21mx30m courts, seven multipurpose rooms, parking and a laundry room. When necessary, the two courts can be transformed into one, so that official and federated games of all modalities can be played in Caraguatatuba. For more information visit the Official Municipality of Caraguatatuba website.
