Legacy Fighting Alliance makes its return to Brazil on the heels of last week’s UFC 283 with LFA 151. The show, which emanates from Ginásio do Polvilho in Sao Paulo, will be headlined by a pair of vacant title fights. Jose Delano will take on unbeaten Gabriel Santos for the vacant featherweight strap, while Julia Polastri contends for the strawweight crown against Argentina’s unbeaten Brenda Gottig.
Fight fans can catch LFA 151 streaming live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 6:45 p.m./3:45 p.m. PT for the prelims. The main card, meanwhile, is set to get underway at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The prelims will also be streaming live on the promotion’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Vacant LFA Featherweight Championship
Delano vs. Santos
Delano and Santos’s fight represents the conclusion of the LFA featherweight tournament that saw both men dispatch their semifinal opponents in dominant fashion. Delano won his fight against Jair Jesuino with a first-round knee, while Santos delivered a head kick that dropped Marcio Barbosa in the second round of their fight at LFA 126. At the conclusion of Santos’ win back in late November, it was announced that a fight between Santos and Delano, two of the most impressive Brazilian prospects not working for a major organization, would face off for the LFA featherweight crown in January.
Oddsmakers are backing Santos (8-0) as a sizeable favorite, but Delano, the Brazilian Top Team product, has put together an impressive resume himself. “Ze” is unbeaten in his last 11 fights dating back to the beginning of his career in 2015. He overcame a 1-2 start to blossom into a fighter capable of holding his own wherever the fight goes. His LFA experience should also be an asset, as Santos is just one fight removed from his LFA debut. However, Santos’ fight was a headlining tilt and he too has shown a level of versatility becoming of a future Brazilian star. The winner will surely land themselves on the radar of a major organization, likely the UFC as Dana White’s Contender Series season looms later this summer.
Vacant LFA Strawweight Championship
Polastri vs. Gottig
The co-main event will be contested between a pair of South American strawweights in Polastri and Gottig. Brazil’s Polastri spent the majority of her career competing exclusively in her home country. She received a taste of the primetime when he took on Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius on a 2021 episode of DWCS, her first fight away from friendly confines. She dropped the fight by way of unanimous decision, but she responded with a pair of wins since and has successfully righted the ship. Her most recent win came in LFA when she knocked off Bianca Sattelmayer with a third-round TKO at LFA 146.
Polastri stands out as a convincing favorite over Gottig, who is unbeaten in her mixed martial arts career. After going 3-0 as an amateur, Gottig has continued her high success rate in the professional ranks, with five of her six wins coming by way of finish. Her power, as well as her ground and pound will be assets against a tested fighter like Polastri. Such as the case in the main event, the fighter to be crowned LFA strawweight champion should also find themselves in the crosshairs of a major promotion.
Rest of the Card
The fans in Brazil will be getting a showcase of some of the country’s top regional talent, as an additional 10 fights will make up the prelims and early prelims. Milson Castro will meet Anderson Ferreira in the featured fight. Castro is coming off a loss to Mamuka Usubyan in kickboxing, but is riding a 13-fight winning streak dating back to the early beginnings of his career in 2017. Coincidentally, Ferreira’s best winning streak in MMA also sat at 13 fights, so he will be looking to do unto Castro what was once done onto him.
Jonas Bilharinho, a DWCS vet, will return to the LFA cage against Caio Machado. The featherweight matchup will be a clash of exciting veterans who boast the strength of schedule fans have come to expect out of top LFA talent. A flyweight bout between Marciano Ferreira is also tapped for main card status Mateus Brauns and a middleweight fight between Marco Tulio Silva and Well Oliveira is scheduled to kick off the main card fare. Oliveira, a fighter who has made the walk 55 times in his career, will be making his LFA debut after fighting seven times in 2022.
The prelims will be headlined by an intriguing lightweight matchup between Brazilian prospects Matheus Rocha (5-0) and Jefferson Nascimento (8-0). Both men are proven finishers, with Rocha preferring to stand and Nascimento preferring to take his opponents down to the mat. A victory for either fighter will put them one step closer to an LFA title shot. Every fighter made weight for their respective bouts except for Manuel Robson Minoto, who is scheduled to compete on the early prelims against Joabson Alves. Minoto will forfeit a portion of his purse to his opponent Alves, but the fight will proceed at a 156.2-pound catchweight.
LFA 151 Results
Main Card
Gabriel Santos def. Jose Delano via TKO (punches) at 0:51 of Round 3 — For the vacant LFA featherweight championship
Julia Polastri def. Brenda Gottig via Submission (Arm Triangle) at 4:48 of Round 1 — For the vacant LFA strawweight championship
Anderson Ferreira def. Milson Castro via TKO (strikes) at 4:37 of Round 1
Jonas Bilharinho def. Caio Machado via Knockout (Front Kick) at 0:38 of Round 2
Marciano Ferreira def. Mateus Brauns via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Marco Tulio Silva def. Well Oliveira via TKO (strikes) at 4:26 of Round 1
Preliminary Card
Jefferson Nascimento def. Matheus Rocha via TKO (punches) at 1:18 of Round 1
Cassio Barão vs. Lucas Barros ends in a Majority Draw (28-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Gabriel Souza def. Lucas Escobar via Submission (Guillotine) at 1:02 of Round 1
Manuel Robson Minoto def. Joabson Alves via TKO (Leg Kicks) at 3:17 of Round 1
Michael Oliveira def. Clever Souza via TKO (Strikes) at 0:49 of Round 1
Gabriela Fujimoto def. Laryssa Leila via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
