Headlining the card, Canada’s Adam Assenza, a longtime veteran of the regional circuit, looked to make it seven straight wins when he took on Brazil’s Junior Melo. The lightweight battle was key for Assenza, now 34, who had collected a number of regional titles and was looking to break into the UFC.

On his win streak leading up to LFA 139, Assenza had defeated UFC vet Cody Pfister, and Pancrase standout Kazuma Maruyama.

Melo, meanwhile, was entering the fight off a single win, which came in his LFA debut earlier this year.

The co-feature on Friday was to feature another Canadian standout, Tony Laramie. However Laramie, whose brother T.J. had a brief stint in the UFC, failed to weigh in for the fight.

Niagara Top Team standout Teshay Gouthro was also in action on Friday’s LFA 139 card.

LFA 139 takes place Friday, August 19, 2022 at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. Full results from the event can be found below. The main card airs live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 9PM ET.

LFA 139: Assenza vs. Melo Results

Main Card

Junior Melo def. Adam Assenza by TKO, Round 3, 0:59
Teshay Gouthro def. Arnold Jimenez by unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Logan Urban def. Ryan Charlebois by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Dylan Budka def. Lydell Poag by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Freddie Rodriguez def. Gavin Teasdale by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Liam Anderson def. Robert Gidron by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 4:48
Luke Roberts def. Derrick Patterson by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:59
Austin Ross def. Matt Smith by TKO, Round 3, 2:12 – amateur bout
Alex Moher def. Kevin Hixson by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 1:46 – amateur bout

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Gouthro has gone 3-0 to start his pro career, with a pair of wins under the BTC banner sandwiching a victory at PFC 11. Two of those wins came via stoppage. Fighting at bantamweight, Gouthro is looking ahead to another busy year in 2020.

Teshay Gouthro (Breakthrough Fighter of the Year)

2019 Run: “Went exactly how I planned. Just a lot of success. I learned a lot about myself. Learned that I have to keep working hard. Just work hard, if anything.”

Next Fight: “I always have a plan. I was looking at March/April. Right now I’m looking at March, King of the Cage, Seneca Casino… Then I’m looking at maybe BTC Burlington. See if the right fight comes. Then somewhere down the line, like if they came back to Niagara in November, that would be beautiful.”

The Ontario MMA scene being revitalized: “We’ve got so many big names out there. I can just name so many people that are undefeated and we all train together in Ontario. We’re a tight group. We’re just taking over. We might not be known now but this year, I think everyone’s going to understand this is the year for everyone to shine.”

Cross Training: “I’m just waiting to get paid. Get paid then traveling is definitely key. My coaches want me to go out there, travel, and learn from all the best….I’m looking at probably going Alpha Male some time probably not this camp but probably after this camp…..They have the best bantamweights, featherweights, flyweights.”

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Burlington, ON — Opening up the BTC 6 card on Saturday in Burlington was Welland’s own Teshay Gouthro. Gouthro was making his pro debut, taking on another 0-0 fighter in Paul Fisher. The featherweight battle went two rounds, with Gouthro opening up a nasty cut on his opponent. In fact, both sides of Fisher’s face was showing damage by the end of round two, and between rounds, the doctor pulled the plug.

That gave Gouthro a TKO win in his debut, and he discussed the bout and how he got to this point with Cageside Press post-fight.

For a debuting fighter, he certainly didn’t show any nerves. “I don’t get nervous. I actually get excited and happy,” he told us. “The way I grew up in life, it’s been a fight ever since. I was young. Hard life, right? I was short, fat, got picked on a lot. It’s not like I got bullied, because I don’t get bullied, I fight back. Every time, I fight back.”

“This is the easy part. This is the fun part. I shine,” he added.

An extensive amateur career might have helped as well. Going pro wasn’t much different, really. “The same, the same. The only thing that’s different is that I get an extra two minutes to smash. Two extra minutes to zone in,” Gouthro said.

Asked if he was wondering if the fight might be stopped mid-round due to the cut, he added that “when I see a cut, I don’t even care. I just keep doing what I do.”

Gouthro splits his time between Niagara Top Team and Para Bellum, and it is clearly paying dividends. With the debut win under his belt, expect to see him back in action before too long. “I’m going to start training right away. Probably hit it back up in August, see how I feel. See if they can find me an opponent.”

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