Johns, brother of UFC alum Miles Johns, was coming off a loss to Javier Garcia in a previous title fight, and had been expected to meet his rival in a rematch. Instead, it was Alfred Walker stepping into the championship bout on Friday night.

Walker, a pro since 2012, had won his last three fights, including his promotional debut last time out.

Where to Watch LFA 176

LFA 176 takes place on Friday, February 9, 2024 at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card airs live on UFC Fight Pass following a preliminary card on the official LFA Youtube channel starting at 8:30PM ET. Those follow a handful of non-televised fights. Full results from the event can be found below.

LFA 176: Johns vs. Walker Results

Main Card

Elijah Johns def. Alfred Walker by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) — for the vacant LFA featherweight championship
An Tuan Ho def. Miguel Sanson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Allan Saint-Gellais by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 1:40
Leslie Hernandez def. Brittany Camozzi by TKO, Round 1, 4:58
Robson Junior def. Carlo Ricci by submission (arm-triangle), Round 1, 2:01

Featured Preliminary Card

Chance Ikei def. Keynan Davis by TKO (rib injury), Round 1, 3:29
Aline David def. Grace DiFrancesco by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Paul Marghitas vs. Lucas Hightree
Nicholas Gjelaj def. Jared Braun by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Johan Rodriguez def. Jeremiah Humphrey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

The post LFA 176: Johns vs. Walker Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

While he recognizes the value it has brought to others, he’s interested in a different kind of value.

“It’s not that important for me, to be honest. It seems cool walking that path and getting that belt,” Ho said. “But I’ve been in this game for like 10 years now. This is my 10th year of grinding and not getting paid. And I literally fought 14 or 15 fights, just for free.”

And that’s the portion of his career he’s looking to change at this point. Having spent so much time trying to ‘make it’, the LFA flyweight is ready to take that next step.

“If you know anything about fighting, the hardest part is the poverty part, the beginning, the grind,” he said. “My goal this year is to get into the UFC and I want to start making some real money.”

While making a living is at the top of his list right now, it isn’t all about money for him. There are obviously other things he hopes to achieve as well.

“I don’t want to make it seem like money is all I’m after. Of course I’m after legacy as well,” Ho said. “But right now I feel like I need to be able to provide for myself and be a full-time fighter.”

The next step towards reaching those goals comes this Friday at LFA 176. Although it may be one of the biggest tests of his career, Ho isn’t worried about the challenge of facing Miguel Sanson.

“I know how good I am. Everyone around me and everyone at the gym knows how good I am,” he said. “This is just another opportunity for me to showcase to the world how good I am – that I’m ready to take that next step.”

You can catch his bout with Sanson as the co-main event of LFA 176. That fight card begins at 10pm EST on UFC Fight Pass.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 27:41.

The post LFA 176’s An Ho Wants Legacy, Money – Not Titles appeared first on Cageside Press.