The main event of LFA 34 will feature the return of LFA lightweight champion Robert “Contact” Watley when he defends his title against LFA #1 lightweight contender Brandon “The Human Highlight Reel” Jenkins. LFA 34 – Watley vs. Jenkins takes place Friday, March 2nd at the Minnetonka Ballroom inside the new Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, Minnesota. 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 the LFA lightweight world championship to the Minnetonka Ballroom inside the new Mystic Lake Center at LFA 34”, stated Soares. “We had four fantastic events at Mystic Lake last year. I am happy to announce that LFA and Mystic Lake Casino have an agreement in place to produce four live nationally televised MMA events at Mystic Lake’s world class facility in 2018. Mystic Lake has been a great partner and we are all looking forward to watching Robert Watley defend his lightweight title against Brandon Jenkins in Minnesota on March 2nd.”

Tickets for LFA 34 – Watley vs. Jenkins will be available available for purchase January 26 at MysticLake.com.

Watley (9-1) is widely considered the top lightweight prospect in the world. The man known as “Contact” was highly regarded on the east coast regional MMA scene before signing with LFA in 2017. His fight résumé consisted of multiple regional titles and a seven-fight win streak. That earned him an immediate shot at the inaugural LFA lightweight title against the final RFA lightweight champion Thiago Moisés at LFA 17. The Maryland native shut down the RFA champion on every score card. Watley then punctuated his championship reign with a dominant TKO victory over Daryl Wilson in his first title defense at LFA 27 in November. The champ now has his sights set on picking up his tenth straight victory and second successful title defense at LFA 34.

Jenkins (11-5) earned his shot at LFA gold after winning one of the most memorable fights of 2017. The man known as “The Human Highlight Reel” added further proof to that nickname with his three round thriller against Carl Wittstock at LFA 29. Jenkins battered his foe in a highly entertaining affair that many fans and pundits considered a “Fight of the Year” nominee. The win completed a successful 2017 for the Mystic Lake security guard, which started with a TKO victory over Billy Christianson at LFA 2. Interestingly, the lone setback of the year came on the score cards of LFA 20. While many felt that Jenkins had done more than enough to earn the decision, the local favorite dropped a split decision in his hometown. Jenkins wasted no time reflecting on the controversial decision and quickly rebounded with his epic win over Wittstock. Now he has his sights set on LFA gold at LFA 34.

The co-main event of LFA 34 will feature a battle between two of the LFA’s top lightweight contenders. Perzynski (22-9) made a big statement in his LFA debut at LFA 20 last summer, when he stopped RFA vet Carl Wittstock via Rear Naked Choke inside the first two minutes of the opening round. The Minnesotan set up the submission with a barrage of strikes that thrilled his home state fans. Perzynski now looks to repeat that feat with a man who made an equally impressive LFA debut just seven days after him last summer.

Ogden (9-2) needed less than a half a round at LFA 21 last summer to match Perzynski’s accomplishment one week earlier at LFA 20. Ogden, like Perzynski, also used a Rear Naked Choke to defeat an RFA vet in his LFA debut. The win came against T.J. Brown and set up a showdown with a man who made a nearly identical promotional debut. The Kansas City based fighter Ogden now meets Perzynski in the co-main event of LFA 34. The winner is looking to gain separation in a highly competitive and deep LFA lightweight division.

The main card of LFA 34 will also feature the return of women’s MMA pioneer “Machine Gun” Kelly Kobold. After a six and a half year hiatus from the sport, she made her return to MMA last summer at LFA 20.

Kobold (18-3-2) is one of the most respected women in the sport. She has enjoyed an illustrious professional MMA career that dates back nearly sixteen years. A true pioneer for women’s MMA, Kobold returned to the sport against Christine Stanley in a bout that was ruled a draw at LFA 20. Now she is back and ready to stake a claim at the top of the LFA women’s flyweight division at LFA 34.

Currently Announced Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):

Main Event | Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)

– Robert Watley (10-1) vs. Brandon Jenkins (11-5)

Co-Main Event | Lightweight Bout (155 lb)

– Travis Perzynski (22-9) vs. Trey Ogden (9-2)

Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

– Jordan Griffin (14-5) vs. Darrick Minner (20-7)

Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

– Nate Jennerman (10-3) vs. John DeVall (15-8)

Women’s Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

– Kelly Kobold (10-5) vs. TBD

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

– Bobby Lee (7-1) vs. Nate Ammerman (4-0)

Middleweight Bout (185 lb)

– Tim Hiley (5-0) vs. Willie Whitehead (2-1)

In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form LFA. This new powerhouse promotion would serve as the premier developmental organization in the sport of 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 34 will be the fifth 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. Six of those events took place under the RFA banner inside the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. The entire main card of LFA 34 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.