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HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will continue its tradition of MMA excellence in South Dakota at LFA 19. This is a rich and exciting history that began three years ago at RFA 17, which served as the state’s first sanctioned MMA event.
The main event of LFA 19 will feature a welterweight war between three-time UFC vet David “Bulldawg” Michaud and Brazilian powerhouse Ciro “Bad Boy” Rodrigues. LFA 19 – Michaud vs. Rodrigues takes place Friday, August 18th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“LFA 19 will add to an exciting MMA history in South Dakota that began three summers ago with the RFA,” stated Soares. “We brought the first sanctioned MMA event to the state at RFA 17, we hosted the first MMA world title fight in the state, and ten of the fighters that competed for us in South Dakota have gone on to fight in the UFC.”
Tickets for LFA 19 – Michaud vs. Rodrigues are available for purchase NOW at Ticketmaster.com. You can also support your favorite fighter by purchasing your tickets at CombatTickets.com.
Michaud (11-3) is one of the most beloved and successful fighters to hail from the state of South Dakota. Born and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on the western side of the state, Michaud won a state title in wrestling for Pine Ridge High School during his senior season. He went on to wrestle at the NCAA Division I level for South Dakota State University (SDSU) before crossing over into MMA. The man known as “Bulldawg” has competed at the highest level of MMA as well. Michaud was a contestant on the sixteenth season of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 16) and fought three times for the UFC. Since leaving the UFC, Michaud has earned dominant wins for the RFA and LFA. The MMA LAB product now returns to his home state in the main event of LFA 19.
Rodrigues (20-7) has run roughshod over the MMA scene in Brazil for the past 11 years. The Brazilian known as “Bad Boy” made his professional MMA debut when he was only 17-years-old. He has since made an indelible mark on the fight scene in his home country. The Nova União trained fighter won one of Brazil’s most prestigious titles, when he captured the Jungle Fight world title in 2015. That win came during an impressive streak, which has seen Rodrigues win seven of his last eight fights over the past four years. Rodrigues is now looking to make his name known on a global scale when makes his highly-anticipated international debut on August 18th. That will happen when he faces his toughest and most accomplished opponent to date in the main event of LFA 19.
LFA 19 will continue a rich and fascinating history of MMA greatness in the state of South Dakota. This history began three summers ago at RFA 17. That event was the first sanctioned MMA event in the state’s history. RFA 17 hosted the first two world title fights in South Dakota history and also served as the first MMA event in the state that was televised worldwide. RFA 37 was the final RFA event in the state of South Dakota and it was featured on UFC President Dana White’s hit reality show Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight. Five fighters from that event were signed to the UFC and another two signed with Bellator. That includes every fighter that won on the main card and another fighter that won on the undercard.
RFA visited South Dakota a total of four times and produced an incredible amount of talent at those four events. Ten fighters went on to compete for the UFC and five more would go on to fight for Bellator. Christos Giagos, Luke Sanders, Devin Clark, Geane Herrera, Khalil Rountree, Matthew Lopez, Terrion Ware, Jordan Johnson, Joe Gigliotti, and Brian Camozzi are the ten fighters that competed for the RFA in South Dakota before signing with the UFC. Justin Lawrence, Mark Dickman, Francisco France, Leandro Higo, and Logan Storley are the five fighters that competed for the RFA in South Dakota before signing with Bellator.
Currently Announced Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
– David Michaud (11-3) vs. Ciro Rodrigues (20-7)
Feature Bout | Welterweight Bout (170 lb)
– Clarence Jordan (9-3-1) vs Marcus Edwards (12-5)
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 19 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. That includes RFA 17, which was the first sanctioned MMA event to take place in the state of South Dakota. Further information about LFA 19 will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 19 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.
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