Featherweight Roman Puga picked up a second-round TKO finish of Hamzeh Trad at LFA 227 on Friday, improving to 5-1 in the process.
The 29-year old turned pro in 2018 and appeared for Bellator MMA the following year, then spent some time working on his skills in the boxing realm, taking several fights in that sport before transitioning back to MMA.
He’s since been on quite a run in the California scene, and is 2-0 in LFA with the Contender Series in his sights.
“Absolutely. Dana White’s Contender Series, I’m willing to step up there and test my skill set against more top-notch competitors, more hungry fighters,” Puga told Cageside Press following his win on Friday, “and showcase that out of all the hungry fighters, I’m malnourished, I’m starving, and I want to prove my worth.”
Aside from his boxing, there were some slick scrambles on display in Puga’s fight at LFA 227, something he admitted he wasn’t entirely expecting. “No I wasn’t. We prepared for it, you can see it in there, but more or less I thought he was going to stand up and strike me, showcase his kickboxing and attempt to try to put me out at my own game, which is on the feet.”
The game plan, rather, was to “Just keep putting pressure on him. I see he’s breaking and I know as long as I’m clinical with my shots, I’m going to put him out.”
“I knew he was crumbling, because I was wobbling him with the jab. So he couldn’t take that power,” Puga later added.
Originally scheduled to face Victor Santos, Roman Puga has now won four straight bouts in MMA since making the jump back from boxing.
Watch our full interview with LFA 227’s Roman Puga above.
