LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares introduced that the promotion will return to Brazil in July with a Championship Doubleheader at LFA 162. This occasion might be part of UFC Worldwide Battle Week and can happen on the eve of UFC 290. This would be the eleventh LFA occasion to happen in Brazil after the promotion’s worldwide growth started two summers in the past. This may even be the sixth LFA occasion to happen within the state of São Paulo, which is Brazil’s most populous state. LFA has additionally visited the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco.
LFA 162: Neto vs. Antunes takes place Friday, July seventh on the Ginásio do Polvilho in Cajamar, São Paulo, Brazil. The principle occasion will characteristic a welterweight title battle between dynamic Brazilian finishers Geraldo “Luan Santana” Neto and Vanilto Antunes. Then within the co-main occasion, prime contenders Rose Conceição and Elaine Lopes meet for the interim ladies’s strawweight title. All the predominant card might be out there worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“We’re excited to carry a Championship Doubleheader to Brazil at LFA 162 as a part of UFC Worldwide Battle Week,” acknowledged Soares. “The principle occasion will see Geraldo Neto and Vanilto Antunes sq. off for the vacant LFA welterweight title. Antunes was initially scheduled to battle Carlos Prates for the title in the primary occasion, however Prates is now set to compete on Dana White’s Contender Collection. Neto will now obtain the title shot after securing a powerful submission win towards Argemiro Delmandes final month at LFA 159.
“Then within the co-main occasion, Rose Conceição faces Elaine Lopes for the LFA interim ladies’s strawweight title,” Soares added. “Conceição was scheduled to problem our ladies’s strawweight champion Julia Polastri for the title in the primary occasion of LFA 159, however Polastri withdrew from the bout attributable to an harm. Polastri is now set to return to Dana White’s Contender Collection, which created this interim title battle in her absence.”
Neto (17-6) knew his LFA debut bout towards Argemiro Delmandes would have heavy implications using on the end result of their bout at LFA 159. He simply didn’t understand how excessive the stakes have been till it was all mentioned and carried out. Neto got here into that bout with a fearsome status for his unbelievable ending capability and wasted no time displaying his killer intuition by locking in a Rear Bare Choke within the first spherical. That was the seventeenth win of his profession and sixteenth coming by way of stoppage to extend his ferocious ending price to simply over 94%. Extra importantly, it secured the person referred to as “Luan Santana” an LFA title shot as Carlos Prates had simply signed on to compete on Dana White’s Contender Collection. The 32-year-old Mato-Grossense, who trains below UFC and PRIDE veteran Cristiano Marcello at CM System, will now return to the LFA Octagon searching for LFA gold.
Antunes (15-6) is a person that earned his shot on the LFA welterweight title the nice old style means. This occurred when the Muay Thai stylist left zero doubt about who the brand new King of Rio was by rising victorious in a “winner takes all” double title battle this previous December. This occurred when two of Brazil’s prime regional promotions The Conqueror and Favela Kombat squared off within the state of Rio de Janeiro with the winner of the primary occasion taking house each promotions’ titles. The Tata Battle Staff product defeated UFC and TUF veteran Wendell Oliveira by way of TKO. The top got here when a physician referred to as a cease to issues after two rounds and Antunes walked away with each The Conqueror and Favela Kombat welterweight titles. Now the 28-year-old Fluminense appears to be like so as to add his first world title to his assortment when he battles Neto throughout UFC Worldwide Battle Week.
The co-main occasion of LFA 162 will characteristic an interim ladies’s strawweight title battle between two of Brazil’s prime prospects as Conceição (6-0) and Lopes (6-1) vie to grow to be the LFA’s sixth ladies’s strawweight champion. This interim alternative grew to become out there to each ladies because the promotion awaits the standing of its sitting champion Julia Polastri. The reigning champion was initially set to defend her title towards Conceição in the primary occasion of LFA 159, however withdrew attributable to harm. Polastri is now set to return to Dana White’s Contender Collection later this summer time.
Conceição vs. Lopes now represents probably the most intriguing grappler vs. striker championship matchups to happen in MMA this 12 months. Conceição is a Brazilian nationwide wrestling champion that’s excellent after a half dozen fights in professional MMA. The newest win got here towards Mayara Thays in Thays’ house state of Pernambuco at LFA 143. That occasion drew the most important crowd in LFA historical past with almost 10,000 followers in attendance. She is going to now face a lady with a pedigree simply as superior, however it occurs to be within the hanging division as a substitute of grappling.
Lopes made her debut for the promotion at LFA 112, which was a part of two occasions in a single weekend for the LFA because it expanded internationally in July 2021. Then in the summertime of 2022, Lopes would then characterize the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Worldwide Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) Senior World Championships, which came about in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Lopes would obtain the silver medal, however is greatest identified within the hanging world for one more motive. She can also be the primary lady to defeat Aline Pereira (sister of Alex Pereira) in professional kickboxing.
LFA 162 battle card – Neto vs. Antunes:
Foremost Card:
Foremost Occasion | Welterweight Title Bout (170 lb)
Geraldo Neto (17-6) vs. Vanilto Antunes (15-6)
Co-Foremost Occasion | Interim Ladies’s Strawweight Title Bout (115 lb)
Rose Conceição (6-0) vs. Elaine Lopes (6-1)
Featherweight Bout (145 lb)
Wellington Prado (13-2) vs. Márcio Barbosa (13-2)
Light-weight Bout (155 lb)
Jefferson Nascimento (9-0) vs. Italo Gomes (12-3)
Ladies’s Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Fernanda Barbosa (8-5) vs. Estefani Almeida (8-2)
Mild-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Rafael Tobias (7-0) vs. Miguel Porto (4-1)
Preliminary Card:
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Bruno Suema (13-4) vs. Alisson Murilo (8-1)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Danilo Adreani (11-3) vs. Igor Taylon (7-2)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Cassio Arduini (4-0) vs. Renildo Monteiro (6-0)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Guilherme Uriel (3-0) vs. Abner Rodrigues (2-1)
Ladies’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Nawira Ferreira (1-0) vs. Lany Silva (2-0)
Ladies’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Karla Yasnara (2-1) vs. Gabriela Fujimoto (2-0)
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Govt Author, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a ardour for Fight Sports activities and in addition a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s additionally a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
