SATURDAY, MARCH 22
LFA 204: CUNHA vs. FREEMAN
Presented By MONSTER ENERGY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO
MASHANTUCKET, CONNECTICUT
MAIN EVENT:
CHAMPION
HUGO CUNHA
vs.
CHALLENGER
DENZEL FREEMAN
HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PLUS THE MMA DEBUT OF:
REYLAN GRACIE
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS®
Tickets available Friday, January 24th at Ticketmaster.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced ten fights that will take place at LFA 204 next month, when the promotion hosts its first event in Connecticut with a fight card stacked with a world title fight, international stars, and top local talent. The event will take place immediately following the UFC’s first European event of the new year, which features LFA great Sean Brady in the main event. LFA 204 will be the first LFA event to take place in “The Constitution State” and the twenty-ninth U.S. state that the promotion has visited.
LFA 204: Cunha vs. Freeman, presented by Monster Energy, takes place Saturday, March 22nd at Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The main event will feature a heavyweight world title fight when champion Hugo “Silverback” Cunha defends his title against U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Denzel “Luke Fox” Freeman. 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 the Heavyweight World Championship to Connecticut at LFA 204,” stated Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA heavyweight champion Hugo Cunha. He will face top contender and active U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Denzel Freeman. LFA 204 will also feature the return of Hawaiian stars Christian Natividad and Chance Ikei, who have won all 10 of their combined fights in the LFA. The event will also host the MMA debut of Reylan Gracie, who is the son of Rorion Gracie and the grandson of Hélio Gracie. New England has a long and storied history in combat sports and we look forward to bringing our first event to the region and the state of Connecticut in March.”
Tickets for LFA 204: Cunha vs. Freeman are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
LFA 204 will feature several intriguing fighters including the return of a pair of undefeated Hawaiian prospects in Christian “The Hawaiian Punch” Natividad (6-0) and Chance “The Typhoon” Ikei (4-0), who now live and train in Arizona after wrestling collegiately. The two flyweight stars and longtime friends are a combined 10-0 with all 10 wins coming inside the LFA Octagon.
The fight card will also feature the return of a pair of lightweights, who will be competing in separate bouts. Ednilson “Cai Cai” Santos (13-6-1) looks to keep the “Chama Show” going. The teammate of UFC champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira returns after defeating UFC veteran Kamuela Kirk in his LFA debut in November. The win came in the co-main event of LFA 196 and was named the “Fight of the Night.”
Also returning to the LFA Octagon is UFC veteran and TUF 27 finalist Joe “Skeletor” Giannetti (16-6-1). The Massachusetts standout competed twice for the LFA in the fanless bubble of 2020, but is now excited to compete in front of his large fan base in the LFA’s first trip to New England.
LFA 204 also features the MMA debut of Reylan Gracie (0-0), who is a member of the most famous family in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu history. Reylan is the son of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie and the younger brother of Ryron Gracie, Rener Gracie, and Ralek Gracie. His grandfather Hélio Gracie is the co-founder of Jiu-Jitsu and his uncle Royce Gracie is in the UFC Hall of Fame after winning three UFC tournaments dating back to UFC 1.
Currently Announced Fight Card (Main Card on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Heavyweight Title Bout (265 lb)
Hugo Cunha (8-2) vs. Denzel Freeman (5-1)
Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Ednilson Santos (13-6-1) vs. Dylan Mantello (8-4)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Joe Gianetti (16-6-1) vs. Leonardo Limberger (16-9)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Justin Sumter (11-5) vs. Luis Henrique Barbosa (15-9)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Haris Bonfiglio (7-1) vs. Christian Natividad (6-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Christian Norton (5-2) vs. Chance Ikei (4-0)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Levan Khabalaev (3-0) vs. Alix Fisher (2-0)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Quentin Pasley (1-0) vs. Reylan Gracie (0-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Kelvin Sterling (0-1) vs. Rodrigo Brauna (0-0)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Melvin Jovel (4-1) vs. Gates Cook (4-2)
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 330 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 FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO:
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