FRIDAY, MAY 19
LFA 158: LEBOSNOYANI vs. JONES
MAIN EVENT:
BJJ BLACK BELT
JEAN-PAUL LEBOSNOYANI
vs.
3x ALL-AMERICAN WRESTLER
JACOBI JONES
LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
GILA RIVER RESORTS & CASINOS – WILD HORSE PASS
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 return to the “Valley of the Sun” in May with a lightweight title fight at LFA 158. This will be the LFA’s second visit to the city of Chandler, Arizona. The LFA 158 headliner will crown the promotion’s seventh 155-pound champion in what will be the LFA’s twelfth trip to the Grand Canyon State.
LFA 158: Lebosnoyani vs. Jones takes place Friday, May 19th at the Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The main event will feature a lightweight title fight between BJJ black belt Jean-Paul “Mufasa” Lebosnoyani and three-time All-American wrestler JaCobi “Big Toe” Jones. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets for LFA 158: Lebosnoyani vs. Jones are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
“We are excited to bring the Lightweight Championship to Arizona at LFA 158,” stated Soares. “Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani and JaCobi Jones are young fighters that both made their professional debut in our Octagon and have since developed into the top two lightweight prospects in the world. The timing for them to meet for the belt is now perfect with our former champion Aaron McKenzie vacating the title to compete on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. The winner will become the seventh man to be crowned LFA lightweight champion.”
Lebosnoyani (5-1) was born into jiu-jitsu royalty as his father is Nono Lebosnoyani. Nono is a black belt in jiu-jitsu and hapkido. In fact, he learned jiu-jitsu from Helio Gracie and then coached Helio’s son, UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie, during his legendary career. Nono also began teaching Jean-Paul jiu-jitsu by the time he was 3-years-old and Jean-Paul began competing himself at age 5. The younger Lebosnoyani would win age-group titles for IBJJF, NAGA, and the Gracie Nationals. In high school, he would compete four years on the successful Mira Costa High School wrestling team in Manhattan Beach, California. That would make his transition to MMA the next logical progression in his martial arts journey and a year later he made his professional debut at LFA 54. He won that bout with UFC star Brian Ortega in his corner and has never looked back. Now he looks to add an LFA world title to his extensive trophy case.
Jones (5-1) grew up in Nebraska, halfway across the country from Lebosnoyani, but their paths do share several similarities. The man known as “Big Toe” also succeeded in sports at an early age. Growing up in the Midwest, Jones was drawn to and excelled at both wrestling and football. During his senior year, he went 46-5 and became the 170-pound Class A Nebraska State Champion for the state champion Omaha North High School wrestling team in Omaha, Nebraska. Jones was also a member of his high school’s state championship football team. Upon graduation, he moved to Colorado to wrestle collegiately at CSU Pueblo. Jones had a fantastic wrestling career for the ThunderWolves as he became a three-time All-American, four-time RMAC Champion, and four-time All-RMAC First Team. Now after competing for the LFA in his first 6 professional MMA bouts, he is eager to capture his first world title at LFA 158.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main Event | Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (5-1) vs. JaCobi Jones (5-1)
Co-Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Kevin Natividad (9-4) vs. Matheus Silva (8-2)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
Ray Waters (3-0) vs. Tyler Veal (3-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
An Tuan Ho (3-0) vs. Edwin De Los Santos (2-1)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Humberto Duarte (5-2) vs. Braden Pagaoa (3-1)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
Alex Martinez (0-0) vs. Tyler Jones (0-0)
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 270 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 @LFA_Fighting. 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.
