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BANTAMWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
CO-MAIN EVENT:
UNDEFEATED
MILES JOHNS
vs.
BJJ BLACK BELT
LEVI MOWLES
BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE
FRIDAY, JULY 14th LIVE on AXS TV
THE BOMB FACTORY in DALLAS, TEXAS
Tickets are on sale NOW through TheBombFactory.com
HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion has a new main event at LFA 16, which takes place this Friday, July 14th at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.
LFA 16 will feature a new main event when six-time UFC veteran “Brutal” Johnny Bedford faces former Legacy FC title challenger Jimmy “The Brick” Flick in a bantamweight showcase. The change came when original headliner Davina Maciel was forced off the card due to visa issues, which has prevented her from traveling from her native Brazil. Andrea Lee was set to defend her flyweight title against Maciel, but will now defend her title at a later date. LFA 16 – Bedford vs. Flick takes place this Friday, July 14th at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“Johnny Bedford is an experienced and dangerous UFC vet that is on an impressive four-fight win streak,” stated Saores. “He will make his LFA debut against former Legacy FC title challenger Jimmy Flick in the new main event of LFA 16. Andrea Lee is a great champion and will defend her title at a later date since her opponent was unable to take the fight due to visa issues. We are all looking forward to the return of Andrea Lee as well as Johnny Bedford vs. Jimmy Flick this Friday night in Dallas, Texas.”
Tickets for LFA 16 – Bedford vs. Flick are available for purchase NOW at TheBombFactory.com.
Bedford (23-12-1) brings more cage experience into his LFA debut than perhaps anyone in LFA history. Bedford made his Bellator debut in May of 2010 at Bellator 19. The following year, he found himself competing on the fourteenth season of the hit UFC reality television show The Ultimate Fighter. Bedford advanced to the semi-finals of TUF 14 and earned a UFC contract. Bedford fought in the UFC for three years and had six memorable fights for the promotion. After leaving the UFC, Bedford won a regional title in Michigan and defended it three times via stoppages. He now looks to continue his winning ways in the LFA 16 headliner.
Flick (9-3) is no stranger to big-time competition and headlining status on AXS TV. Coincidentally, the man known as “The Brick” made his Legacy FC debut in December of 2012 in the main event of Legacy FC 16. Now an older, more experienced, and bigger Flick will be making his LFA debut in the main event of LFA 16. In both headliners Flick was matched against seasoned UFC veterans, but he is now four and half years older with twice the fighting experience under his belt. Flick will look to use that experience to continue the momentum he started earlier this year when he stopped Argentinian fighter Ben Vasquez in just 50 seconds in regional action.
The co-main event of LFA 16 will feature a good old fashioned Texas showdown between two of Legacy FC’s most popular fighters. Undefeated Miles Johns (4-0) will lock horns with BJJ black belt and fellow Legacy FC standout Levi Mowles (6-2) in a bout between two fighters looking for a signature win to catapult them to the top of one of LFA’s most stacked divisions. Johns returns to the cage thirteen months after winning his Legacy FC debut via TKO. He will face Mowles who is a six-time Legacy FC vet and a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Brandon Quick just like LFA 16 headliner Johnny Bedford and LFA welterweight champion Derrick Krantz.
Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Johnny Bedford (23-12-1) vs. Jimmy Flick (9-3)
Co-Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Miles Johns (4-0) vs. Levi Mowles (6-2)
Catchweight Bout (140 lb)
– Steven Peterson (5-1) vs. Ryan Hollis (12-10)
Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
– Geoff Neal (6-2) vs. Bilal Williams (8-3)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Damon Jackson (11-2-1) vs. Eliazar Rodriguez (7-6)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Cameron Miller (3-0) vs. Brandon Lewis (3-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Fernando Salas (4-1) vs. Jessie Vasquez (2-2)
In September 2016, Legacy FC and RFA officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. Legacy FC and RFA have launched the careers of over 100 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.
LFA 16 will be the second LFA event to take place in the City of Dallas. It will also be the fifth time that the LFA has traveled to “The Lone Star State” of Texas. Further information about LFA 16 will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 16 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Please visit LFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting. |
Past M-1 Challenge events have featured leading Finnish fighters over the years such as Marcus “Caveman” Vanttinen (pictured on left), Juha-Pekka Vainikainen, Niko Puhakka, Janne Tulirinta, Toni Valtonen and Lucio “Spartan” Linares. Some of these fighters will be competing
Mikael “Hulk” Silander (16-5-0, M-1:0-0-0), 31, has an appropriate nickname. Powerfully built and possessing explosive physical force, he puts pressure on his rivals from the first second of the battle, using his grappling skills to his full advantage. Having won 15 of his 20 fights, Silander is matched against M-1 Challenge title challenger Viali Branchuk (22-6-0, M-1: 2-2-0), of Ukraine,
Valtonen (27-15-0, M-1: 6-2-0) returns to M-1 action against Ukrainian heavyweight Boris “Bora” Polezhay(16-6-0, M-1: 1-1-0. Valtonen has been an MMA fighter for 14 years and for much of that time-period he has been one of the stars of Finnish MMA-promotion, Fight Festival, which was successful at the 2009 M-1 World Championship Challenge. Valtonen fought in KSW and Shooto competitions. Another Helsinki native on the M-1 Challenge 82, Valtonen figures to have tremendous support at Hartwell Arena.
Binh is always in great physical shape and he has very good stamina. All eight of his fights went the distance but none were boring. In a contest against another Swedish prospect, Bilal Musa, Bing fractured his leg at the beginning of the second round, yet fought through the paid to earn victory by way of a three-round decision. In his very interesting M-1 debut against Emin Guseyov, who has an excellent strike technique. Binh used his wrestling and grappling skills, which he was taught by coach Babak Nejad, who also trains UFC star Anthony Johnson, to win a three-round decision.