FRIDAY, JANUARY 12
LFA 174: JONES vs. GENNRICH
Presented By: TUFFSHED
MAIN EVENT:
CHAMPION
JACOBI “BIG TOE” JONES
vs.
CHALLENGER
KEGAN “MACHINE GUN” GENNRICH
LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL
PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Tickets are available NOW at Ticketmaster.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will kick off its 2024 schedule in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” in January with a lightweight title fight at LFA 174. This will be the twentieth LFA event to take place in the state of Minnesota. Nineteen of these events have taken place at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, which is located just 25 minutes southwest of the Twin Cities.
LFA 174 takes place Friday, January 12th at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The main event will feature a lightweight title fight when champion JaCobi “Big Toe” Jones defends his title against top contender Kegan “Machine Gun” Gennrich. 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 kick off our 2024 schedule with the Lightweight Championship at LFA 174,” stated Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA lightweight champion JaCobi Jones. He will face top ranked prospect and fellow LFA standout Kegan Gennrich. The winner will then get a chance to unify the title against newly crowned interim champion Jefferson Nascimento, who is taking time to heal an injury. The fight fans in Minnesota are incredible and we look forward to bringing another world title fight to the state to start the new year.”
Tickets for LFA 174: Jones vs. Gennrich are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
Jones (6-2) returns to the LFA Octagon, which is the stage he has called home in the first seven bouts of his career. During his illustrious tenure with the promotion, “Big Toe” would become one of the greatest lightweights in LFA history. That run culminated with him winning the LFA lightweight title this past May at LFA 158. Jones defeated fellow top prospect Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani via TKO in the second round to become the seventh 155-pound champion in LFA history. Now he will return just 12 days into 2024 as he looks to kick off the new year in style by defending his championship belt for the first time. The three-time All-American wrestler from CSU Pueblo will look to join Robert Watley as the only LFA lightweight champion to successfully defend his title. In order to do so, he will have to defeat another promotional mainstay.
Gennrich (7-2) is a man that took a similar path to Jones on his way to earning a shot at the LFA lightweight title. Just like Jones, Gennrich made his debut for the promotion in the LFA bubble that was created without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Wisconsin native has since won four of his five bouts for the promotion and is tied with An Tuan Ho for the most wins in the promotion since May of 2022. That includes a pair of wins in 2023 that garnered worldwide attention. Gennrich started the year by becoming the first and only man to defeat top prospect Richie Miranda at LFA 157. He then ended the year with a dominant and bloody submission win over Donald Bush at LFA 168. Now the former University of Wisconsin wrestler looks to continue his run by dethroning the champion in the main event of LFA 174.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main Event | Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)
JaCobi Jones (6-2) vs. Kegan Gennrich (7-2)
Catchweight Bout (140 lb)
Quang Le (6-0) vs. Cody Peterson (6-1)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Steven Asplund (1-0) vs. Billy Ray Valdez (2-0)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Coty Milhausen (3-2) vs. Kelton Sneve (1-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Dylan Smerillo (0-0) vs. Taner Trembley (0-0)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Mervin Miller (4-0) vs. Kory Moegenburg (3-6)
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 300 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 @LFAfights. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly 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 MYSTIC LAKE CASINO:
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, the premier gaming facility in the Midwest, continually creates new, fun and exciting entertainment experiences for its guests. Mystic Lake® offers gaming, three lively bars, exceptional dining at seven restaurants, headline performers, unique special events and luxurious accommodations. Located 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis / St. Paul in Prior Lake. Please visit MysticLake.com for more information.
