Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) returns to El Paso, Texas for LFA 164 on Friday night.
The main event will see Sabina Mazo, the former LFA women’s flyweight champion and UFC veteran, look to make history and become a two-time LFA champion when she takes on Peruvian prospect Sandra Lavado.
Fight fans can catch LFA streaming live on UFC Fight Pass with the main card set to get underway at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
Main Event — Lavado vs. Mazo
Former UFC flyweight Sabina Mazo is seeking to become a two-time LFA women’s flyweight champion on Friday night. Mazo cut her teeth in the LFA cage where she rolled to a 5-0 record before getting the call from the UFC. After her dropping her debut in a hard-fought fight with fellow striker Maryna Moroz, Mazo won each of her next three and began to look like a legitimate prospect in the division. However, Alexis Davis exposed a major grappling deficiency in her game, and she went on to drop her next two after that en route to being released from the promotion.
Dos latinas se enfrentarán por el título vacante de las 125 libras de @LFAfighting
La colombiana @sabinamazo1 enfrentará a la peruana Sandra Lavado #LFA164 #MMATwitter #MMA #FordewinMMA pic.twitter.com/DqL3zY4AfB
— FordewinMMA (@FordewinMMA) August 4, 2023
She won the LFA title as a -600 favorite in her last fight for the promotion. This time, she is being capped around a -500 favorite against her opponent, Sandra Lavado. Lavado has 12 wins in her career, and has been showcased in North America on multiple occasions on shows like Dana White’s Contender Series and the PFL Challenger Series. She dropped both fights to Karolina Wójcik and Shanna Young respectively, and her other two defeats have come to Karla Elizabeth Sanchez Lozano. She has been at her best when competing for FFC, but is now set to make her PFL debut against an opponent in Mazo who would be competitive with fighters like Wójcik and Young.
Both fighters are of the standup variety, and for that reason, the fight could play right into Mazo’s hands as she looks to make history in the LFA cage.
Rest of the Card
The co-main event will see debuting Romanian Daniel Frunza take on recent LFA welterweight title challenger Jalin Fuller. Fuller, 6-foot-2, engaged in one of the largest (literally) welterweight fights in LFA history when he took on 6-foot-3 Trey Waters, who won his UFC debut on short notice soon after. There is still plenty to like about Fuller despite the defeat, but the 30-year-old will need to stave off a tough customer in Frunza in order to avoid making it four defeats over his last six fights.
LFA is bringing the Women's Flyweight Championship to the Borderplex of Texas at #LFA164! 🏆@SabinaMazo1 🇨🇴
vs.@SDeLaga3 🇵🇪+ @TheGentlemanMMA 🇺🇸, #MyktybekOrolbai 🇰🇬, @Isaac_MMA_ 🇦🇺 & more! 💥
TONIGHT!#SouthwestUniversityPark#ElPaso, #Texas#MMA#LFANation@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/v3M3YLM4Hs
— LFA (@LFAfighting) August 4, 2023
Frunza comes into the LFA with a reputation as something of a knockout artist, with five of his six victories ending by way of KO or TKO. However, the one fight he had stateside ended with him falling to Gary Balletto Jr. in CES by way of first-round rear naked choke. He has won back-to-back fights since then, but a win over New Mexico’s Fuller would do wonders for his career, as it would stand out as his best win to date.
Also scheduled to take place on the main card is a welerweight fight between Myktybek Orolbai of Krygystan and Glaucio Eliziario of Brazil. Orolbai is looking like a nice find for LFA, and won his promotional debut against Fuller back in May of last year. However, he is coming off a 15-month layoff, so it will be interesting how quick he is able to shake off the ring rust against a game opponent in Eliziario.
Elsewhere on the main card, Isaac Thomson meets Lerryan Douglas in a battle of rising featherweights. Douglas is the more experienced MMA fighter of the two, but Thomson is an Australian import to Team Alpha Male and still just 21-years-old. The result will likely come down to the improvements the younger fighter has made since he knocked out Ben Hollier earlier in the year. Josiah Reyes is also scheduled for action against unbeaten Jordan Burkholder, and Ilay Barzilay will open the main card against James Pleasant II in the featherweight division.
With fights subject to change as always, be sure to stay locked in to MMA Sucka for up-to-the-minute results and updates!
LFA 164 Results
Main Card
Sabina Mazo def. Sandra Lavado via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) — For the Vacant LFA Flyweight Championship
Daniel Frunza def. Jalin Fuller via TKO (strikes) at 3:34 of Round 1
Myktybek Orolbai def. Glaucio Eliziario via TKO (strikes) at 1:33 of Round 2
Isaac Thomson def. Lerryan Douglas via TKO (Head Kick and Strikes) at 1:40 of Round 2
Josiah Reyes def. Jordan Burkholder via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ilay Barzilay def. James Pleasant II via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Nejra Repp vs. Mihaela Keller
Koery Windham vs. Travis Arrellano
Livio Ribeiro vs. Ricardo Ramirez
Ricky Maynez vs. Jeremy Alba
