BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
On Friday, September 20th, 2024, the LFA will host LFA 193: Bowers vs. Borisova in Prior Lake, Minnesota in what will be the promotion’s tenth year promoting events in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The main event will crown an interim champion in the women’s flyweight division.
It all started back when the promotion operated under the name RFA and it hosted its first event at RFA 19: Collier vs. Checco in Prior Lake, Minnesota on October 10th, 2014. In the decade since, the promotion has hosted 30 events in the state with all but four of the events taking place at the Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Twenty of the events took place at the promotion’s staple venue under the LFA banner, six were hosted under the RFA banner, three were hosted under the Legacy FC banner, and one LFA event took place in downtown Minneapolis.
In total, the promotion has hosted 402 fights in the state. The breakdown is as follows: LFA (286), RFA (77), and Legacy FC (39). The sheer quality and quantity of fights has made the LFA the busiest international MMA event to visit the state. Now in honor of the promotion’s 10 years of excellence in Minnesota, we will take a look back at some of the biggest statistics and moments that have happened in the state in that time. We will also spotlight some of the key numbers surrounding the 31st event in the state (22nd as LFA).
Get your tickets for LFA 193: Bowers vs. Borisova
Jacqueline Cavalcanti (right) and Sabina Mazo got the Minnesota crowd on their side by wearing Minnesota Vikings jerseys at LFA 157. Cavalcanti won the LFA women’s bantamweight title in the Main Event and is currently undefeated in the UFC.
In the 30 events that LFA has hosted in Minnesota, 47 fighters have moved on to reach the pinnacle of the sport by competing in the UFC.
Those 47 fighters include some of the biggest names in the sport. The full list consists of Jake Collier, Carl Deaton III, Dan Moret, Jordan Griffin, Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, John Castañeda, Zak Ottow, Blake Bilder, Darrick Minner, Bobby Moffett, Bojan Veličković, Lando Vannata, Terrion Ware, Gerald Meerschaert, Raoni Barcelos, Jamey Simmons, Maurice Greene, Nick Roehrick, Ricardo Ramos, Antonio Trócoli, Augusto Mendes, Brandon Jenkins, Derrick Krantz, Julian Marquez, Drako Rodriguez, Christian Rodriguez, Ricky Simón, Jason Witt, Trey Ogden, Thiago Moisés, Kevin Croom, Thomas Petersen, Brendan Allen, Raphael Pessoa, Mike Breeden, Austin Hubbard, Ange Loosa, Youssef Zalal, Angel Pacheco, Jamey-Lyn Horth, Quang Le, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Hyder Amil, Dylan Budka, Jaqueline Amorim, Jacqueline Cavalcanti, and Marnic Mann.
33 additional fighters from the LFA’s events in Minnesota were also invited to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series.
The 33 fighters that have competed on the UFC boss’ popular Tuesday night proving ground include Jordan Griffin, Darrick Minner, Bobby Moffett, Ricky Steele, Kali Robbins, Blake Bilder, Chase Waldon, Alex Gilpin, Lazar Stojadinović, Julian Marquez, Cameron Olson, Drako Rodriguez, Alton Cunningham, Thiago Moisés, Brendan Allen, Mike Breeden, Ange Loosa, Thomas Petersen, Joey Hart, Chad Johnson, Manny Vazquez, Jamal Pogues, Pauline Macias, Korey Kuppe, Nate Smith, Angel Pacheco, Wes Schultz, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Hyder Amil, Dylan Budka, Marnic Mann, An Tuan Ho, and Bailey Schoenfelder (who competes next Tuesday).
Furthermore, four fighters have become cast members on various seasons of the UFC reality television show The Ultimate Fighter (Ricky Steele, Helen Peralta, Nate Jennerman, and Austin Hubbard), one fighter competed in the Road to UFC tournament (Mark Climaco), and two fighters won Bellator titles (Logan Storley and Raufeon Stots). That number could grow to three as Leandro Higo fights for a Bellator title later this fall.
Strength in Numbers: The LFA has produced at least one UFC fighter on each of the 30 events it has hosted in the state of Minnesota over the past decade. Many of these events produced multiple future UFC stars with the promotion producing 17 more fighters that have gone on to fight in the UFC than it has produced events in the state. In other words, when you attend an LFA event in Minnesota, you know you are witnessing tomorrow’s stars in the present. One other added bonus is that the LFA has been producing talent from around the world at these events. Fighters from 10 different nations have fought for the LFA before signing with the UFC, but the local representation has been just as good. 8 fighters from Minnesota have signed with the UFC after competing for the LFA in their home state.
Top prospects Cheyanne Bowers and Veronika Borisova fight for the
LFA Interim Women’s Flyweight Title in the Main Event of LFA 193.
The OG Women’s Division: On February 17th, 2017, one month after the RFA and Legacy FC merged to create the LFA, the promotion hosted its first female title fight in the women’s flyweight division. Andrea Lee won the title that night to become the inaugural 125-pound champion. There have since been a total of six women that have won the title with all six moving on to fight for the UFC or Dana White’s Contender Series. However, Lee was the first and only American woman to win the title, while there has never been a Russian champion in the division. This will change Friday when top American prospect Cheyanne bowers faces top Russian prospect Veronika Borisova for the LFA interim women’s flyweight title.
Flyweight Queens: Andrea Lee (USA), Sabina Mazo (Colombia), Jamey-Lyn-Horth (Canada), Gabriella Fernandes (Brazil), *Sabina Mazo (Colombia), and **Shannon Clark (Canada).
* Mazo won the title twice.
** Clark is the current LFA women’s flyweight champion.
International Showcase: Fighters from four MMA superpowers will compete Friday night with top prospects from the USA, Russia, Canada, and Mexico all in action. In the Main Event of LFA 193, Veronika Borisova looks to become the fourth LFA champion from Russia. The first three Russian champions are still with the promotion. That pantheon includes LFA middleweight champion Azamat Bekoev, LFA interim welterweight champion Shamidkhan Magomedov, and LFA interim women’s strawweight champion Natasha Kuziutina.
Thomas “The Train” Petersen is the first and currently only Minnesota native to win an LFA championship.
You Never Forget Your First: There has only been one Minnesota native to win an LFA title. That was Thomas Petersen, who won the LFA heavyweight title at LFA 113 on July 30th, 2021.
However, that fight took place in Belton, Texas. That means Cheyanne Bowers has the opportunity to become the second Minnesota born fighter to become an LFA champion. In doung so, she will also become the first female LFA champion from Minnesota and the first Minnesota native to win a title in the state.
Crown Me: The LFA has produced 20 champions in its 30 events in Minnesota over the past decade. The breakdown of champions crowned in the state looks like this: LFA (14 champions), RFA (4 champions), and Legacy FC (2 champions). On Friday night, the promotion will crown its 21st champion in the Land of 10,000 Lakes when Cheyanne Bowers and Veronika Borisova square off in the Main Event of LFA 193.
Minnesota Golden Gopher Royalty: Michael Blockhus, Mitch McKee, and Logan Storley are all NCAA Division I All-American wrestlers from the University of Minnesota. Blockhus and McKee return to the LFA Octagon at LFA 193.
Stack The Deck: LFA 193 will feature 30 fighters competing in a stacked 15-bout fight card. 9 of the 12 fighters that will be fighting on the televised main card are LFA veterans with half of the main card holding undefeated records. Then finally and perhaps of most interest to the local fanbase, there will be two former University of Minnesota All-American wrestlers in action when Mitch McKee and Michael Blockhus return to action. They are following in the footsteps of another Minnesota All-American Logan Storley, who went 5-0 in the LFA before winning a Bellator title. Two of those wins took place in Minnesota. Overall, former Golden Gopher wrestlers have been dominant in the promotion. Storley (5-0), McKee (5-0), Blockhus (1-0), and Joel Bauman (6-0) have a combined 17-0 record in the LFA (and former RFA).
You can watch LFA 193: Bowers vs. Borisova this Friday, September 20th. This will be the twenty-second LFA event to take place in the state of Minnesota. LFA 193 will emanate live from Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and will be available to watch worldwide. The Preliminary Card will be available on YouTube and the LFA Fight Network and starts around 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The Main Card airs LIVE on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
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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 MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL:
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.
