There were a lot of reasons to pay attention to Friday night’s LFA 147 card, even on a night stacked with action from Bellator MMA and ONE Championship.
In the main event, you had a lightweight showdown between Junior Melo and Melquizael Costa, with the fight thrown for a loop when Melo missed weight.
Further down the card, meanwhile, Askar Askar, once briefly signed to the UFC, returned to face Rickey Furar in a bantamweight bout. And less than a week removed from her brother’s historic win at UFC 281, Aline Pereira — sister of new UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira, who dethroned Israel Adesanya over the weekend — made her MMA debut.
And not just againt anyone, either. Pereira’s first fight came against battle-tested Invicta FC and Ultimate Fighter veteran Helen Peralta.
Aline Pereira, like her brother before her, was crossing over to MMA after starting her combat sports career as a kickboxer. She previously competed under the GLORY kickboxing banner, where she challenged for a title last year.
Also on the main card, the return of Haris Talundzic, looking for redemption after suffering defeat in a main event opportunity last time out. We caught up with Talundzic prior to his return, and he admitted to struggling for a time when coping with the loss.
LFA 147: Melo vs. Costa takes place Friday, November 18, 2022 at the WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Iowa. The event’s main card streams live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 9PM ET; full results can be found below.
LFA 147: Melo vs. Costa Results
Main Card
Melquizael Costa def. Junior Melo by TKO, Round 3, 2:00
Rafael Do Nascimento def. Justin Wetzell by knockout, Round 2, 0:26
Askar Askar def. Rickey Furar by TKO, Round 2, 4:37
Helen Peralta def. Aline Pereira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Haris Talundžić def. Omoyele Gonzalez by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:34
Ryan Leininger def. Jeremiah Curtright by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Will Starks def. Ben Halder by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 4:55
Leslie Hernandez def. Jasmine Pouncy by TKO (punches), Round 1, 0:47
Amanda Macioce def. Jasmine Montoya by TKO (right hook/ground n’ pound), Round 1, 0:20
