Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), one of the most recognizable names in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) hosted their first fight card of 2018 in Costa Mesa, CA. LFA 30 featured seven bouts on the main card including welterweights Curtis Millender (13-3) facing off against Nick Barnes (12-2) in the main event.
All fights tonight were three, five-minute rounds under the unified MMA rules.
Here are tonight’s fight results as follow:
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) Khadzhi Bestaev (4-2) vs. Blake Troop (6-5)
Round One: They touch gloves and instantly Troop sweeps Bestaev to the ground. Troop pulls his leg out of side-mount to stand up and drop hands, but Bestaev looks for a heel hook and transitions to an attempted knee bar. Troop takes has taken Bestaev’s back and finishes him off with punches.
Your winner in the very first round by TKO at 2:11, Blake Troop!
Bantamweight (135 lbs) Nohelin Hernandez (6-1) vs. Vince Cachero (3-0)
Round One: The fighters touch gloves and start feeling each other with low kicks. Cachero drops Hernandez with a right hand who’s quickly back to his feet and up against the fence, but escapes to the center cage. The two fighters are exchanging punches that has the crowd excited, both are in red trunks but Cachero is the one in control dropping Hernandez for a second time. Hernandez catches a flying knee on Cachero, but he is saved by the bell!
Round Two: this one starts off slow but the hands and feet start flying in the center of the cage. Cachero has better boxing skills than Hernandez, but Hernandez’s knees are dangerous. They slug it out to end the round in the center of the ring.
Round Three: The two fighters are a little hesitant to let anything go because a knock out can come quick. They start banging it out, but it can go either way at this point. However, it goes to the judges!
Your winner by unanimous decision Vince Cachero!
Welterweight (170 lbs) Christian Aguilera (8-4) vs. Maycon Mendonca (6-3)
Round One: Aguilera drops Mendonca quick with a right hand and it’s all over!
Your winner in the very first round by KO at 27 SECONDS, Christian Aguilera!
Middleweight (185 lbs) Jordan Wright (8-0) vs. Craig Wilkerson (7-3)
Round One: They touch cloves as quick couple of exchanges and Wright takes Wilkerson’s back and eventually gets the tap.
Your winner by rear naked choke at 1:21 of the very first round, Jordan Wright!
Flyweight (125 lbs) Maikel Perez (4-1) vs. Charlie Alaniz (11-2)
Round One: The two international fighters are feeling each other out, but Perez using his world clas wrestling skills to take down Alaniz, grinding him down with a front face lock. Alaniz is working his striking. After several minutes on their feet, Perez takes down Alaniz and finally his back looking for a finish, but instead goes to the second round.
Round Two: After a couple of striking exchanges, Perez takes Alaniz down again but both fighters keep grinding. Perez is pounding on Alaniz after another take down. Alaniz stands up but is taken down again.
Round Three: So far Perez’s grinding style of wrestling has dominated this bout, but Alaniz has the much better stand up, as this one could go to the judges. Perez leads off with low kicks as Alaniz uses his punches but gets taken down with a double leg. This one goes to the judges.
Your winner by unanimous decision, Maikel Perez!
Co-Main Event – Featherweight (145 lbs) Fernando Padilla (10-1) vs. Talison Soares (9-2)
Round One: The two fighters are feeling each other out with a lot of low kicks, but Soares begins to lead with his hands. Soares has taken Padilla’s back and they might get stood up if nothing happens from here.
Round Two: They touch gloves and Padilla needs to be more aggressive as he leads with his jab but gets pressed against the cage by Soares. Padilla is extremely wiry for his height and has put Soares in what can only be described as some rubbery positions. Soares has an arm triangle in, but instead of continuing to circle for the finish, he takes the mount position, confusing everyone in the crowd.
Round Three: Soares increases the pace, but closing the distance on the much taller Padilla might has been a problem until that single leg into half guard. Soares has taken Padilla’s back, but Padilla has excellent hand control, as he’s shown throughout the fight every time he’s been in this position.
Padilla has now taken the top position but is reversed by Soares. This one goes to the judges.
Your winner by unanimous decision, Talison Soares
Main Event – Welterweight (170 lbs) Curits Millender (13-3) vs. Nick Barnes (12-2)
Round One: They touch’em up and feel each other out. Millender lead with an uppercut followed by a low kick, the height difference could be a factor against Barnes, but only time will tell. Barnes lunges in with an overhand left but doesn’t connect. Barnes lands a kick to the body and an overhand left followed by a left hook, but takes a kick to the groin and the momentum has stopped. Barnes takes down Millender against the cage and is looking to work the ground and pound.
Round Two: Barnes leads with leg kick and after a few exchanged, Barnes is now poked in the eye allowing Millender to slow the momentum again. Barnes takes cage control but Millender escapes looking for a knock out with an uppercut that he missed again. Millender lands a big kick to the body and is finally able to gage his distance, landing a head kick that knocks out Barnes!
Your winner by KO at 2:51 of the second round, Curtis Millender!