Tag Archives: Ian Heinisch

LFA, mixed martial arts, MMA

LFA HEADS TO VAIL, COLORADO TO CROWN INTERIM MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION AT LFA 39

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MAIN EVENT:
 
“THE HURRICANE”
IAN HEINISCH
vs.
“ZANGIEF”
GABRIEL CHECCO
 
INTERIM MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
 
CO-MAIN EVENT:
 
“THE BEVERLY HILLS NINJA”
JORDAN WRIGHT
vs.
“THE HYBRID”
HAYWARD CHARLES
 
MIDDLEWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
 
FRIDAY, MAY 4th LIVE on AXS TV
DOBSON ARENA in VAIL, COLORADO
Tickets are on sale NOW through TicketsWest.com
HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will crown an interim middleweight champion when it makes its first trip to Vail, Colorado in May at LFA 39. LFA middleweight champion Anthony Hernandez is currently taking time off to heal injuries, while also welcoming the birth of his fourth child. He is expected to face the winner of the LFA 39 main event later this year.

The main event of LFA 39 will crown an interim middleweight champion when Colorado native Ian “The Hurricane” Heinisch faces BJJ black belt Gabriel “Zangief” Checco for the interim strap.  LFA 39 – Heinisch vs. Checco takes place Friday, May 4th at Dobson Arena in Vail, Colorado. 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 beautiful Vail, Colorado,” stated Soares. “Our middleweight champion Anthony Hernandez is taking some time off to heal injuries, so we will crown an interim champion that will face Hernandez in a title unification bout later this year. Ian Heinisch and Gabriel Checco are the top two contenders for the title and they both have title fight experience. This will make a fantastic main event at LFA 39.”
Tickets for LFA 39 – Heinisch vs. Checco are available for purchase NOW at TicketsWest.com.
Heinisch (9-1) is widely considered one of the top middleweight prospects in the world. The two-time Colorado state wrestling champion from Ponderosa High School impressed many in his LFA debut last year, which served as the main event of LFA 10. “The Hurricane” overwhelmed his veteran Brazilian opponent Lucas Rota in less than a round and finished him with a rare Ude-Garami (Keylock) from Kesa-Gatame (Scarf Hold). The flashy submission win earned him a shot at the LFA middleweight title in September at LFA 22. Things did not go as he planned that night, but the 29-year-old quickly rebounded with a highlight reel one-punch knockout in January. Heinisch was able to showcase his underrated striking and big right hand that put away Daniel Madrid in the co-main event of LFA 31. The win earned him a second chance at LFA gold in front of his home crowd at LFA 39.
Checco (10-2) is a Brazilian powerhouse and dangerous BJJ black belt known as “Zangief”. This is due to his signature mohawk and jaw-dropping finishing ability much like the popular Street Fighter video game character of the same name. All ten of Checco’s wins have come via KO, TKO, or submission. That includes three highlight reel finishes under the RFA banner. The first was a blistering 74-second knockout of Joseph Henle in the co-main event of RFA 23 in southern California. The second was a beautiful Triangle-Armbar submission of Mike Jasper at RFA 31, which took place in downtown Las Vegas. The third was a comeback win via Heel Hook against Heinisch’s close friend and training partner Adam Stroup in the co-main event of RFA 43. Checco also brings the experience of two RFA title fights. He will need that when he faces an extra-motivated Heinisch for LFA gold at LFA 39.
Currently Announced Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Interim Middleweight Title Bout (185 lb)
– Ian Heinisch (9-1) vs. Gabriel Checco (10-2)
Co-Main Event | Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
– Jordan Wright (9-0) vs. Hayward Charles (15-10)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
– Brandon Royval (6-3) vs. Jerome Rivera (7-1)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
– Maycee Barber (3-0) vs. Audrey Perkins (1-0)
In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. RFA and Legacy FC have launched the careers of over 150 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.
LFA 39 will serve as the fourth LFA event to take place in the state of Colorado. RFA visited “The Centennial State” eight times before the merger. Further information about LFA 39 will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 39 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.
LFA, mixed martial arts, MMA, UFC

LFA LAUNCHING PAD: LFA SENDS 9 FIGHTERS TO UFC IN 30 DAYS

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THE SUMMER OF LFA

 
 
LFA ALUM IMPRESS IN THE UFC:
TITLE SHOTS, BONUSES and RECORD BREAKERS
 
 
4 SHOWS IN 4 WEEKS:
LFA SET TO VISIT 4 STATES IN 4 WEEKS 
HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) has had a busy summer. In last month’s newsletter, it was reported that LFA alum accumulated $200,000 in UFC bonus money in the month of June, former RFA headliner Zach Freeman secured an “Upset of the Year”  nominee in New York City, and three inaugural LFA titles were awarded to get the summer started.

LFA LAUNCHING PAD
The summer continued to heat up in July. The UFC hosted 5 events along with the first 3 episodes of UFC President Dana White’s new weekly web series titled “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series” throughout the month.
The number of LFA alum that participated in those events was staggering. 19 fighters that have fought for LFA or the two promotions that merged to create it (RFA and Legacy FC) competed in the UFC. UFC 213 headliner Valentina Shevchenko would have made that 20 fighters, but Amanda Nunes withdrew from their title fight on the day of the fight.
The presence of LFA alum on Dana White’s new show was just as impressive. In the first three episodes that aired in July, 17 of the 30 competitors (56.6%) had previously competed for LFA, RFA, or Legacy FC.  Each of the three episodes also featured two “LFA vs. LFA” matches. The most impressive stat, however, is the fact that an LFA fighter was signed by Dana White off of each episode.
That trend carried over into August with a fourth LFA fighter being signed to the UFC off of the fourth episode of “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series”. The four LFA stars signed off of the show so far are Boston Salmon (Week 1), Sean O’Malley (Week 2), Geoff Neal (Week 3), and Julian Marquez (Week 4). There are currently 32 fighters from LFA scheduled to compete on theTuesday might summer series. LFA also currently has 19 alum ranked in the latest UFC fighter rankings.
LFA ALUM IMPRESS IN THE UFC
While former LFA fighters impressed in the UFC last month with the sheer number of participants, what they accomplished in those bouts is even more important. Perhaps the biggest shining star of the bunch was former RFA featherweight champion Brian Ortega. The man known as “T-City” improved his perfect record to 12-0 and saw his UFC fighter ranking move up to #6 in the world.
Ortega did this by breaking his own UFC record at UFC 214 on July 29th. Going into his bout with fellow unbeaten star Renato Moicano, Ortega held the UFC record for most consecutive third round finishes. He extended that streak by submitting Moicano in the final frame with a $50,000 UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus winning Guillotine Choke.
The following Saturday at UFC Fight Night 114, RFA great Dustin Ortiz broke another UFC record to secure his own $50,000 UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus. Ortiz accomplished this feat by knocking out Hector Sandoval in 15-seconds to record the fastest finish in UFC flyweight history. His teammate and former RFA flyweight champion Sergio Pettis happened to headline the same card. Pettis won his marquee bout against Brandon Moreno unanimously in a pivotal battle between two Top 10 ranked UFC flyweights.
The UFC will be off for the next few weeks, but September looks to be just as big for the LFA greats competing inside the famed UFC Octagon. UFC 215 on September 9th will feature two LFA alum challenging for UFC world titles. Legacy FC great Ray Borg will headline the card for a shot at the UFC flyweight title, while Shevchenko will finally get a crack at the UFC women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event. Seven other LFA alum have UFC bouts already announced for next month as well.
4 SHOWS IN 4 WEEKS
LFA started August with the first title defense in the promotion’s history. Two of the inaugural LFA champions that were just crowned in June (Eryk Anders and Roberto Sanchez) have already made their UFC debut, but LFA featherweight champion Kevin “Angel of Death” Aguilar was able to defend his title in the main event of LFA 18 this past Friday. He did so by sweeping the scorecards against a very game challenger in #1 contender and world-class BJJ black belt Justin Rader.
LFA is now set to end the summer with four shows in four weeks in four different states. The quadruple-header starts next week in South Dakota at LFA 19. The promotion then heads east to Minnesota the following week at LFA 20. LFA kicks off first day of September in Missouri at LFA 21. Then the final leg of the four week trip will go down in Colorado at LFA 22.
LFA 19 – Michaud vs. Rodrigues takes place Friday, August 18th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The event will serve as the second LFA event to take place in the state of South Dakota. RFA visited “The Mount Rushmore State” four times before the merger. LFA 19 is headlined with a welterweight war between three-time UFC vet David “Bulldawg” Michaud (11-3) and Brazilian powerhouse Ciro “Bad Boy” Rodrigues (20-7).

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO LFA 19

LFA 20 – Curry vs. Barnes takes place Friday, August 25th at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The event will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of Minnesota. RFA and Legacy FC hosted a combined nine events in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” before the merger.  LFA 20 is headlined with a welterweight showdown between rising star Chad “Blitz” Curry and former RFA title challenger Nick “The Phoenix” Barnes.
LFA 21 – Noblitt vs. Branjão takes place Friday, September 1st at the Branson Convention Center in Branson, Missouri. The event will serve as the first LFA event to take place in the state of Missouri. RFA visited the “Show Me State” four times before the merger. LFA 21 is headlined with a light-heavyweight battle between undefeated American prospect Kyle James Noblitt (8-0) and undefeated Brazilian prospect Antônio Paulo “Montanha” Branjão (4-0).
LFA 22 – Heinisch vs. Perez takes place Friday, September 8th at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of Colorado. RFA visited “The Centennial State” eight times before the merger. LFA 22 is headlined with an LFA middleweight title fight between Colorado’s own Ian “The Hurricane” Heinisch (8-0) and Brazilian dynamo Markus “Maluko” Perez (8-0).
The entire main card of these four events will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. RFA and Legacy FC have launched the careers of over 100 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.
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.
mixed martial arts, MMA

LFA RETURNS TO COLORADO WITH  MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT:

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LFA 22 – HEINISCH vs. PEREZ

MAIN EVENT:
UNDEFEATED SUPER PROSPECT
IAN “THE HURRICANE” HEINISCH
vs.
UNDEFEATED SUPER PROSPECT
MARKUS “MALUKO” PEREZ
MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
CO MAIN EVENT:
GILBERT SMITH
vs.
ANDREW KAPEL
GILBERT SMITH’S FINAL FIGHT
WOMEN’S FEATURE BO

UT:
MAYCEE BARBER
vs.
MALLORY MARTIN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th LIVE on AXS TV
1STBANK Center in BROOMFIELD, COLORADO
Tickets are on sale NOW through AltitudeTickets.com
HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will crown a new middleweight champion in September when the promotion returns to Colorado.

The main event of LFA 22 will feature the top two middleweight prospects in the sport. Colorado’s own Ian “The Hurricane” Heinisch will face Brazilian dynamo and fellow undefeated prospect Markus “Maluko” Perez for the vacant LFA middleweight title. LFA 22 – Heinisch vs. Perez takes place Friday, September 8th at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“LFA will crown a new middleweight champion at LFA 22 in Colorado,” stated Soares. “Ian Heinisch and Markus Perez are the top two middleweight prospects in the sport. On September 8th, only one will walk away with their perfect record intact with the LFA middleweight title wrapped around their waist.”
Tickets for LFA 22 – Heinisch vs. Perez are available for purchase NOW at AltitudeTickets.com. You can also support your favorite fighter by purchasing your tickets at CombatTickets.com.
Heinisch (8-0) received plenty of fanfare when he signed with the LFA earlier this year. This was due to the fact that Heinisch is widely regarded as one of the top middleweight prospects in the world. The two-time Colorado state wrestling champion from Ponderosa High School lived up to media and fans’ lofty expectations, and then some, when he made his highly-anticipated LFA debut in the main event of LFA 10. Heinisch quickly dispatched the well-versed Brazilian powerhouse Lucas Rota in less than a round with a rare Ude-Garami (Keylock) from Kesa-Gatame (Scarf Hold). This positioned him at the front of the line for a title shot. The 29-year-old will now get the opportunity to fight for the vacant LFA middleweight title in front of his home crowd at LFA 22.
Perez (8-0) is perhaps the only middleweight prospect in the world that can match the intrigue surrounding Heinisch. This is due in large part to the fact that Perez has been just as dominant in his native Brazil as Heinisch has been stateside. The man known as “Maluko” will be making his highly-anticipated international MMA debut on the heels of back-to-back wins over UFC veterans Ildemar Alcântara and Paulo Thiago. Those wins saw Perez’s stock as a top prospect skyrocket as Alcântara and Thiago have a combined 20 fights in the UFC between the two of them. The 27-year-old is now eager to showcase his talents outside of Brazil for the first time. He will get that opportunity on September 8th when he fights for the vacant LFA middleweight title.
The co-main event of LFA 22 will feature the farewell fight of one of Colorado’s most beloved and accomplished fighters when Gilbert Smith gets his hands wrapped and throws down one last time in front of his adoring home crowd. The proud Coloradan has enjoyed an MMA career that has seen him reach the highest levels of the sport.
The U.S. Army veteran and Colorado Springs resident competed on two seasons of the UFC’s hit reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. Along with being a memorable cast member on TUF 17 and TUF 25, Smith competed for the UFC and Bellator, as well as both RFA and Legacy FC before the two promotions merged to form LFA at the beginning of the year. During his time with RFA, Smith won the welterweight world title.
The man standing across the Octagon from Smith at LFA 22 will be Andrew Kapel (11-6). Kapel is a longtime friend and teammate of  Benjamin Smith, who is the man that Gilbert Smith took the RFA title from two summers ago in the main event of RFA 26. Kapel, like Benjamin Smith, is a student of Greg Nelson at The Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will look to exact a bit of revenge in the same building where Gilbert Smith submitted Benjamin Smith. The budding grudge match in Gilbert’s farewell fight has one more layer. Kapel submitted Smith’s teammate Adam Stroup last month in less than a round.
In the always exciting women’s strawweight division, Maycee Barber (1-0) will return to the LFA Octagon against RFA vet and fellow top prospect Mallory Martin (1-1) at LFA 22. Barber burst on to the MMA scene in June with a dominant professional MMA debut at LFA 14. Barber submitted undefeated prospect Itzel Esquivel via armbar in the first round of a bout that took place in her opponent’s hometown. Now Barber will return to the LFA Octagon in her home state. She will face a fellow Coloradan prospect in Martin who is no stranger to the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield. It was in this same venue where Martin submitted the Gilbert Smith trained Melissa Parker via Rear Naked Choke at RFA 34. Now the table is set for a showdown between the top two strawweights in “The Centennial State” as the 19-year-old Barber faces the 23-year-old Martin on the main card of LFA 22.
Currently Announced Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Middleweight Title Bout (185 lb)
– Ian Heinisch (8-0) vs. Markus Perez (8-0)
Co-Main Event | Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
– Gilbert Smith (12-6) vs. Andrew Kapel (11-6)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
– Maycee Barber (1-0) vs. Mallory Martin (1-1)
In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. RFA and Legacy FC have launched the careers of over 100 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.
LFA 22 will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of Colorado. RFA visited “The Centennial State” eight times before the merger. Further information about LFA 22 will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 22 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at9 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.