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LAS VEGAS, Nevada – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will head deep in the heart of Texas in October with a high-stakes bantamweight showdown at the top of LFA 52.
The main event of LFA 52 will feature a good old-fashioned showdown between Texas natives and top LFA bantamweights Ray “The Judge” Rodriguez and Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez. LFA 52 – Rodriguez vs. Gutierrez takes place Friday, October 19th at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I am excited to bring LFA to the Centroplex of Texas at LFA 52,” stated Soares. “Ray Rodriguez and Chris Gutierrez are two of the top prospects in Texas and they both looked great in their LFA debuts. Now they have the chance to gain Texas bragging rights, while establishing divisional dominance. They will face each other in the main event of LFA 52 at the Bell County Expo Center on Friday, October 19th.”
Tickets for LFA 52 – Rodriguez vs. Gutierrez are available for purchase NOW at LFATIX.com
Rodriguez (13-4) is a San Antonio native that is arguably one of the most accomplished fighters to hail from Alamo City. Over the past three years, he has defeated eight consecutive opponents, but ironically the man known as “The Judge” only let those eight fights go to the judge’s scorecards twice during the streak. Rodriguez now has his sights set on winning gold on a global stage. In order to jump into the title picture in a stacked LFA bantamweight division, the talented Texan is looking to make an example of an intrastate rival in the biggest MMA event to hit Central Texas this year. Judgement Day for “The Judge” comes Friday, October 19th at LFA 52.
Guiterrez (11-2-1) is perhaps the only Texan to experience a similar level of success as Rodriguez within the ultra-competitive LFA bantamweight division. Both men picked up marquee wins over top-tier Brazilian opposition in their promotional debuts. The wins took place 6 months apart from each other and chatter within the “Lone Star State” reached a fever pitch about a possible clash between the state’s two bantamweight kingpins. “El Guapo” expects to be rewarded handsomely with a second straight win over an LFA main event victor. Gutierrez, a Greenville native, will meet the surging San Antonian in an epic I-35 showdown in Belton, Texas.
Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
– Ray Rodriguez (13-4) vs. Chris Gutierrez (11-2-1)
Co-Main Event | Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
– Jonathan Martinez (9-1) vs. Cee Jay Hamilton (13-6)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
– Vernon Lewis (5-3) vs. Jeremy Hardy (6-3)
Lightweight Bout (155 lb)
– Le’Ville Simpson (8-3) vs. Kolton Englund (6-2)
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
– Jhonoven Pati (4-1) vs. Puna Soriano (4-0)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
– Itzel Esquivel (3-2) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (1-0)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
– Cameron Graves (7-2) vs. Peter Stanonik (5-4)
LFA 52 will be the first LFA event to take place in the Centroplex of Texas. It will also be the thirteenth time that LFA has traveled to “The Lone Star State” of Texas. The entire main card of LFA 52 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.
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 150 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In May 2018, the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.