FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9
LFA 176: JOHNS vs. WALKER
Presented By:
ARIZONA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
MAIN EVENT:
“BABY”
ELIJAH JOHNS
vs.
“FREIGHT TRAIN”
ALFRED WALKER
FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
ARIZONA FINANCIAL THEATRE
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Tickets are available NOW at LiveNation.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced that the promotion will have a new championship headliner when it returns to the “Valley of the Sun” on Super Bowl weekend at LFA 176. This will be the fourteenth LFA event to take place in the state of Arizona. Twelve of these events have taken place at the Arizona Financial Theatre in the state’s capital city of Phoenix.
LFA 176: Garcia vs. Walker, presented by the Arizona Army National Guard, takes place Friday, February 9th at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.
The new main event will feature a featherweight title fight when top contender Elijah “Baby” Johns faces fellow LFA standout Alfred “Freight Train” Walker. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets for LFA 176: Johns vs. Walker are available for purchase through LiveNation.com.
“We are excited to bring the Featherweight Championship to Arizona at LFA 176,” stated Soares. “The new main event will crown a new 145-pound champion, when Elijah Johns and Alfred Walker fight for the LFA featherweight world title. Johns was originally scheduled to run it back with Javier Garcia for the title after the controversial ending to their title fight at LFA 163. However, Garcia decided to vacate his title with a goal of being selected for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. Johns will now fight Walker, who is coming off the biggest win of his career against Landry Ward in the main event of LFA 169. Johns vs. Walker will give sports fans an exciting title fight to kick off Super Bowl weekend.”
Johns (9-3) is the younger brother of former LFA bantamweight champion and current UFC star Miles Johns. The younger Johns brother, affectionately known as “Baby” Johns, will be looking for redemption after a controversial ending brought a premature ending to his first shot at the title last summer at LFA 163. After getting caught in an Arm-Triangle Choke by Garcia, the referee stopped the fight without Johns ever tapping. Johns immediately jumped up to protest and the decision left many fans and viewers confused. The Fortis MMA product began his journey toward an LFA title all the way back at LFA 1 and now his career culminates with him fighting once again for the title in what will be a record-tying eleventh professional fight for the LFA. Johns will also become the only fighter in LFA history to fight in all eight years of the LFA’s existence from 2017 to 2024. More importantly, Johns is looking to continue the Johns brothers’ winning ways and championship legacy at LFA 176.
Walker (12-6) is a modern day Renaissance Man with a life that involves being a professional MMA fighter, professional kickboxer, entrepreneur, business owner, promoter, trainer, role model, and motivator. However, on February 9th, he will look to add LFA world champion to his lengthy list of accolades. Walker is a native of Muskogee, Oklahoma, which is also home to eight-time GRAMMY Award winning singer Carrie Underwood. Walker now looks to give their hometown its next American Idol, when he fights for his first world title in MMA. Walker earned this opportunity with a hard fought victory against highly-touted prospect Landry Ward in the main event of LFA 169. Walker then told Cub Swanson in his post-fight interview that he is coming for the title. “I got me against the world on my back. Me and my family, we put in work. My team, ‘Freight Train’ team, we going to the top, baby. There’s levels to this game… and we jumping over obstacles and obstacles and obstacles… and we gonna keep coming.”
Main Card (Available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS®):
Main Event | Featherweight Title Bout (145 lb)
Elijah Johns (9-3) vs. Alfred Walker (12-6)
Co-Main Event | Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
An Tuan Ho (5-0) vs. Miguel Sanson (4-1)
Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Alik Lorenz (3-1) vs. Monte Morrison (3-2)
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Mansur Abdul-Malik (3-0) vs. Allan St-Gelais (1-0)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Leslie Hernandez (2-1) vs. Brittany Camozzi (1-2)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Robson Junior (4-2) vs. Carlo Ricci (3-3)
Preliminary Bouts (Select Bouts Available Worldwide on LFA FIGHT NETWORK™):
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Chance Ikei (1-0) vs. Keynan Davis (1-0)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Grace DiFrancesco (1-0) vs. Aline David (0-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Jared Braun (1-0) vs. Nicholas Gjelaj (0-0)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Johan Rodriguez (1-0) vs. Jeremiah Humphrey (0-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Paul Marghitas (3-0) vs. Lucas Hightree (1-1)
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 300 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 ARIZONA FINANCIAL THEATRE:
Sitting in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Arizona Financial Theatre provides unique versatility for groups from 10 to 5,000 guests. From upscale award ceremonies, corporate events, private concerts, dance competitions, social gatherings or VIP concert suites, Arizona Financial Theatre offers unlimited opportunities to exceed expectations. For more information, visit their website.
