THURSDAY, MARCH 6
LFA 203: SATYBALDIEV vs. SOARES
Presented By MONSTER ENERGY
MAIN EVENT:
CHAMPION
URAN SATYBALDIEV
vs.
CHALLENGER
LEON SOARES
LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
PALMS CASINO RESORT
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
Tickets are available NOW at Ticketmaster.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to the “Fight Capital of the World” at LFA 203. The sophomore LFA event in Las Vegas will feature a World Championship headliner in the light-heavyweight division. This event will take place at the Palms Casino Resort on the week of UFC 313, which also takes place in Las Vegas just two nights later. LFA 203 will be the first LFA event to be held on a Thursday. The event will be the second LFA event to take place in the state of Nevada.
LFA 203: Satybaldiev vs. Soares, presented by Monster Energy, takes place Thursday, March 6th at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature a Light-Heavyweight Title Bout when champion Uran “Gorilla” Satybaldiev defends his title for the first time against top contender Leon “Ogro” Soares. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 11 p.m. ET /8 p.m. PT.
Tickets for LFA 203: Satybaldiev vs. Soares are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
“We are excited to bring a World Championship headliner to Las Vegas at LFA 203,” stated Soares. “Uran Satybaldiev is the reigning LFA light-heavyweight world champion and the first person from Kyrgyzstan to win an LFA crown. He will return to defend his title against top Brazilian prospect and professional kickboxer Leon Soares. This is a big week for the 205-pound division in Las Vegas as former LFA star Alex Pereira will also defend his title just two nights later in the main event of UFC 313.”
Satybaldiev (7-1) is ready to return to defend his Light-Heavyweight World Title for the first time after winning his first two bouts on American for the promotion in Northern California. This came after the top Kyrgyz fighter made a name for himself fighting in his native Kyrgyzstan as well as Kazakhstan and Russia. During his time competing in Central Asia, Satybaldiev became a regional champion in his home country and quickly emerged as an undeniable talent from a nation that has produced all-time great Valentina Shevchenko and rising star Mykytybek Orolbai. Satybaldiev now looks to take the same path as them by excelling in the LFA before becoming a star in the UFC. The first step on that journey was accomplished when he defeated Brazilian veteran Gabriel Thimoteo at LFA 165. The man known as “Gorilla” won the fight by utilizing his strong Sambo base to control the fight. He then raised the stakes by finishing former LFA title challenger and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Bruno Assis to take the title at LFA 178. Now the decorated grappler and Kok Boru expert looks to earn his third straight win over a Brazilian for the promotion.
Soares (9-2) is looking to become the LFA’s ninth light-heavyweight champion and just its third 205-pound champion from Brazil. In order to accomplish this feat, he will have to do something that two other Brazilians failed to do and that is defeat Satybaldiev. Soares hails from Goiânia, which is the capital city of Goiás in the Central-West Region of Brazil. This is the state in the middle of Brazil that surrounds the Federal District of Brazil, which is where the nation’s capital Brasília is located. Brasília is where Soares trains alongside Ismael and Gabriel Bonfim. The Bonfim brothers were stars in the LFA before signing with the UFC with Gabriel winning the LFA Welterweight World Title. In fact, both Bonfim brothers will be competing in Las Vegas at UFC Vegas 102 just three weeks before Soares’ title fight. Soares is a dynamic prospect cut from the same cloth as the Bonfim brothers and supplements his MMA career with professional kickboxing experience. The man affectionately known as “Ogro” (Ogre) will need to channel all of his combat sports experience as he has a chance to capture LFA gold on a monster weekend for his division.
Currently Announced Fight Card (Main Card on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Light-Heavyweight Title Bout (205 lb)
Uran Satybaldiev (7-1) vs. Leon Soares (9-2)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Stav Koren (5-0) vs. Chase Whitmer (3-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Azizbek Temirov (5-0) vs. Daniel Araújo (5-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
An Tuan Ho (6-1) vs. Micah Haas (6-0)
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 PALMS CASINO RESORT:
Palms Casino Resort is making history as the first resort in Las Vegas fully owned and operated by a Native American Tribe. Palms Casino Resort features two distinct towers with 766 hotel rooms and suites, a diverse mix of bars, restaurants, live entertainment venues, and immersive lifestyle experiences across a 95,000-square-foot reimagined casino. Offering free valet and self-parking, the resort also includes over 190,000 square feet of meeting, convention, and event space; the Pearl, a 2,500-seat theater; an expansive pool, The Spa & Salon at Palms; a wedding chapel; the Brenden Theatre 14-screen cinema and nearly 600 units at Palms Place condominiums. Palms is located just west of the center of the Las Vegas Strip off I-15 at 4321 West Flamingo Road. Palms Casino Resort is owned by The San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority (“SMGHA”) an affiliate of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. For more information visit Palms.com or the Palms Press Room. Follow Palms on social media Facebook, X, and Instagram.