Friday night live on AXS TV and The Fight Network (9PM EST), Legacy Fighting Alliance returned with LFA 14: Allen vs. Anders. The card boasted a pair of title fights, with both the middleweight and flyweight titles up for grabs. On top of that, Colbey Northcutt, sister of UFC star “Super” Sage Northcutt, was set to make her professional MMA debut.
In the main event, Brendan Allen (7-1) faced undefeated Eryk Anders (6-0) to crown the inaugural LFA middleweight championship (check out our event preview here). In the co-main event slot, the 125lb title was on the line between Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight alum Robert Sanchez (6-0) and fellow undefeated flyweight Jerome Rivera (7-0). Someone would be handed their first L, while someone else would go home champion.
Lots of action was on tap: check below for a main card recap and results!
Check back come fight time for updates!
Itzel Esquivel vs. Maycee Barber
First up on the LFA 14 card, a strawweight battle between Itzel Esquivel and Maycee Barber, in her LFA and pro debut.
In the first, newcomer Barber opened with a number of kicks which Esquivel answered before rushing in with a combo. Esquivel countered a Barber throw attempt and worked at an arm-bar to no avail. Barber then chopped at Esquivel’s legs as she lay on her back. Esquivel briefly got the upper hand, but Barber was able to mount and drop some heavy elbows. Another escape followed but before long Barber was back on top landing serious ground n’ pound.
In all, Barber managed to gain full mount three times in the round, with the third time leading to the finish. Opening up her opponent with some hard shots, she then transitioned to the arm-bar and secured the tap!
Maycee Barber def. Itzel Esquivel by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:52
Colbey Northcutt vs. Courtney King
Colbey Northcutt made her pro debut in the second fight of the night, taking on Courtney King. Brother Sage was also on hand to support his sister, joining the LFA broadcast booth.
Northcutt opened with a side kick to start the action. She remained the more active fighter throughout the round, light on her feet, and managed to land a number of kicks throughout. King, for her part, did not back down and managed to continue moving forward for much of the opening frame. King was showing damage to her lead leg by the end of the round, but came close to catching a couple of Northcutt kicks – then did with just ninety seconds left, scoring the takedown. Northcutt worked for a triangle while King tried to stay active inside her guard, then came on with some solid punches just before the bell.
In the second, Northcutt opted to move inside and press the action against the fence, but that allowed King to cause a scare with a guillotine attempt. She was then able to drag the fight to the canvas and secure the back, landing some punches and flattening out Colbey. She then went to work trying to secure the choke, with lots of time left in the round. Northcutt turned to her side to prevent the choke, but was in an ugly situation.
King then began dropping bombs from the back with Northcutt covering up, with the ref eventually moving in to wave off the action. Thus Courtney King plays spoiler on the debut of the elder Northcutt sibling.
Courtney King def. Colbey Northcutt by TKO, Round 2, 3:27
David Acosta vs. Dulani Perry
Perry showed some hard kicks early, but got clipped and dropped under a minute in! Acosta followed and rained hammer fists, but Perry managed to sweep and escape. Perry was still clearing the cobwebs though, but managed to make it into half guard and slow the pace of the fight. Some more transitions would see Acosta gain control momentarily with about ninety seconds remaining, then Perry sweep against and land back on top.
In round two, Perry opened with a kick, and after taking the fight down, maintained top control for basically the entire round. He worked to pass Acosta’s guard, but really made little progress as Acosta managed to keep him in full guard. That said, while Perry wasn’t doing much damage outside some elbows late in the round, he was controlling the fight from a positional perspective. He also could easily have been up two rounds to none, as despite the early knockdown he controlled much of the first as well.
Between rounds, Acosta’s corner warned him not to wind up on the bottom again. The fight stayed standing through the first minute of the third, with Perry using his large reach advantage to control distance, while circling away from Acosta’s overhand attempts. Acosta blocked a jump knee and ate several shots while swinging for the fences with each and every punch, unable to land anything of significance. However, at the halfway point of the third, the action went to the ground and Acosta managed to find himself in full mount. Acosta stayed active, but couldn’t find a finish, with both fighters trying for leg locks at the end of the bout. Ultimately it went to the score cards for a split decision leaning towards Perry.
Dulani Perry def. David Acosta by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Danny Orr vs. Noel Ligon
Orr announced prior to the card that he’d be retiring after this one. Ligon and especially Orr looked huge for middleweights. Orr landed a head kick early, but Ligon managed to score some offense of his own. Ligon pushed the action against the fence only to eat some knees. Ligon then managed to connect with a kick to the head that Orr surely felt. With Ligon defending via a guillotine Orr to his opponent down, but they were right back up.
Eventually, it would go to the mat again with Ligon managing to control from the top. That took us to the second, where Ligon took control, kneeing and pummeling Orr against the fence. Orr looked exhausted, but managed to come back with some shots of his own, and the bout was starting to look like rock ’em, sock ’em robots. Amazingly, they made it to the bell.
Both men were exhausted through the third, but managed to keep going, with Ligon stalking down his opponent. Orr, bloodiest, continued to put up a fight, and it wound up a pretty even affair with a minute remaining. In the end, it would go the distance, and a split decision when to an exhausted but satisfied Orr, who took the win in his final pro fight.
Danny Orr def. Noel Ligon by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Roberto Sanchez vs. Jerome Rivera
The co-main event had the LFA flyweight title on the line! Sanchez immediately took the back against the fence and looked to take Rivera down. Rivera looked to throw an elbow while trying to keep things standing. At that he was successful, as the action stayed against the cage for the first half of the round with Sanchez driving for a double leg to no avail. Finally a Sanchez misstep just as he finally got Rivera down resulted in hammer fists from Rivera. However, following that, Sanchez was able to slowly begin to control his opponent on the ground, showing some fantastic grappling. Sanchez would later threaten an arm-bar, with Rivera escaping at the end of the round.
Sanchez scored another takedown early in the second, and worked within Rivera’s guard. Rivera was active and defended well from the bottom, looking for an arm-bar. Midway through the round, looking for a triangle and other possible submissions Rivera unloaded some slicing elbows from the bottom that opened Sanchez up. Those were likely the most significant strikes of the round.
Once again Sanchez took the action to the cage and sought the takedown early in the third, taking Rivera’s back and this time securing a body lock. From there, he looked to sink in the rear-naked choke. After that, it was just a matter of time. Rivera fought off the inevitable for a time, but in the end there was no stopping the submission game of Sanchez. He managed to lock in an arm-bar, and that was all she wrote! Roberto Sanchez claims flyweight gold!
Roberto Sanchez def. Jerome Rivera by submission (arm-bar), Round 3, 3:41
Brendan Allen vs. Eryk Anders
With the inaugural 185lb title on the line, Brendan Allen faced off against former football player Eryk Anders in the main event of the evening.
The first half of the round played out mostly on the ground, but a big shot by the powerful Anders dropped Allen just past the halfway mark. Some follow up strikes came next, and Anders was able to take the back of his opponent. He would look for a body lock but Allen managed to escape — only to be dropped back down. A knee and a combo of power shots, and Anders was then throwing bombs against the cage with Allen taking a lot of damage. He’d eat a hellish uppercut and answer back with a head kick as the round ended.
In the second Allen went for an arm early but couldn’t hold on. Anders then looked to take the back of Allen. Allen for some reason put a hand down, apparently to ground himself, but the fight was contested under the new unified rules. Anders apparently never noticed. Allen continued to look for takedowns and submission attempts, perhaps conceding that Anders had greater firepower. He’d wind up on his back however, eating shots from Anders.
The third round saw Allen come out with some kicks, and Anders score an early takedown followed by a knee to the body. However, Allen would managed to survive and later lock in a standing guillotine with two minutes to go in the round. Anders looked to be fading, but was able to hold on and escape thanks to smart wrist control. Surprisingly, this would go to the championship rounds.
Both men started off swinging in the fourth which may not have been the wisest approach for Allen. He would survive, and Anders would press him against the fence and work in some knees. Allen got his underhooks in and pushed off, then ate some big shots, one after the other only to score the takedown immediately after. He’d try to slow the pace, no doubt needing a rest, and look for submissions. Anders managed to escape towards the end of the round, however, and try to end the fight from the top. An accidental knee then connected just seconds before the bell sounded, and the doctor was called to check on Allen. Anders was warned, but no point taken, and the action went to a fifth and final frame.
Both men looked exhausted after twenty minutes. Allen was active with kicks early. Anders landed some heavy lefts then shot for the takedown. He secured it and took the back. Allen would manage to reverse and control the action from the top, with Anders unable to escape, but managing to roll around enough to avoid taking much damage. Allen then looked to sink in an arm triangle choke. With both men slick with sweat so late in the fight it was no easy feat. They would go the distance, with Anders power serving him well and earning him the unanimous decision — and the LFA middleweight title!
Eryk Anders def. Brendan Allen by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
LFA 14: Main Card Results
Eryk Anders def. Brendan Allen by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Roberto Sanchez def. Jerome Rivera by submission (arm-bar), Round 3, 3:41
Danny Orr def. Noel Ligon by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Dulani Perry def. David Acosta by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Courtney King def. Colbey Northcutt by TKO, Round 2, 3:27
Maycee Barber def. Itzel Esquivel by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:52
