LFA kicks off 2023 with a Flyweight World Title Fight in the Valley of the Sun at LFA 149

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6
LFA 149: BUNES vs. HORIUCHI

MAIN EVENT:

TOP BRAZILIAN PROSPECT
FELIPE “FELIPINHO” BUNES
vs.
TOP JAPANESE PROSPECT
YUMA “ICHIBAN” HORIUCHI

FLYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT

GILA RIVER RESORTS & CASINOS – WILD HORSE PASS CASINO
CHANDLER, ARIZONA

LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 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 the New Year with a flyweight title fight in the “Valley of the Sun” at LFA 149. This will be the LFA’s first visit to the city of Chandler, Arizona. The LFA 149 headliner will crown the promotion’s tenth 125-pound champion in what will be the LFA’s eleventh trip to the Grand Canyon State.

LFA 149: Bunes vs. Horiuchi takes place Friday, January 6th at the Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler, Arizona, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The main event will feature a flyweight title fight between top Brazilian prospect Felipe “Felipinho” Bunes and top Japanese prospect Yuma “Ichiban” Horiuchi. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Tickets for LFA 149: Bunes vs. Horiuchi are available for purchase NOW through Ticketmaster.com.

Please note, this is a Special Engagement event with very limited tickets available.

“We are excited to kick off 2023 by bringing the Flyweight Championship to Arizona at LFA 149,” stated Soares. “Felipe Bunes and Yuma Horiuchi are two of the top flyweight prospects in the world and they have been on a collision course. They were supposed to fight last month, but an injury delayed the inevitable. In that time, LFA flyweight champion Carlos Mota signed with the UFC. Now the stakes are even higher as the winner of Bunes vs. Horiuchi will become the 10th man to be crowned LFA flyweight champion.”

Bunes (12-6) will be getting his first shot at LFA gold after signing with the LFA in 2022. The Pitbull Brothers product, who is also a main training partner of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, was immediately booked for headlining and co-headlining bouts in his first two appearances for the promotion. In his debut for the promotion, he was slated to face former UFC flyweight star Jussier Formiga at bantamweight, but Formiga missed weight badly at 139-pounds. In his second bout for LFA, Bunes went back to his natural weight class of 125-pounds. It was there that the BJJ black belt shined in the co-main event of LFA 135, where he defeated Dominican standout Wascar Cruz via Unanimous Decision. He was then set to face Horiuchi at LFA 144 last month, but an injury delayed their encounter. He will now get to face his Japanese rival with LFA gold on the line at LFA 149.

Horiuchi (10-5) became the first professional fighter from Japan to fight for the LFA, when he signed with the promotion in 2020. The man known as “Ichiban” quickly became a fan favorite due to his flashy kickboxing prowess, but it was his long-awaited drop to flyweight that created the biggest commotion. This happened when Horiuchi made quick work of Dana White’s Contender Series alum Donavon Frelow via armbar in his 125-pound debut for the promotion. That led to his first title fight for the promotion against Charles Johnson in what was a back-and-forth affair that had fans and judges alike torn at LFA 110. The official result was a Split Decision in favor of Johnson, who then defended the title twice before signing with the UFC. Meanwhile, Horiuchi has picked up a pair of scintillating stoppage finishes for the LFA over top prospects Mark Climaco and Juan Puerta.

Currently Announced Fight Card:

Main Event | Flyweight Title Bout (125 lb)
Felipe Bunes (12-6) vs. Yuma Horiuchi (10-5)

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
An Ho (2-0) vs. Edwin De Los Santos (2-1)

Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Eric Fimbres (1-0) vs. Tony Charles (2-1)

Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Luciano Ramos (8-7) vs. Marcus McGhee (5-1)

Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Billy Elekana (4-1) vs. Eric McConico (5-2-1)

Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Adam Garcia (1-0) vs. Cedric Katambwa (2-0)

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 260 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. 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 GILA RIVER RESORTS & CASINOS:
Gila River Resorts & Casinos has been operating three locations in Arizona for over 25 years, all owned by the Gila River Indian Community: Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva. The resorts at Wild Horse Pass and Vee Quiva are Four-Diamond accredited. All three casinos offer a combination of slots, table games, poker and more, and are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additional information is available at 1-800-946-4452 or at PlayAtGila.com.