LFA 57 Preview: What You Need to Know
Legacy Fighting Alliance will make their fifth appearance in Colorado on Friday, January 18, with an 11-fight event packed with rising young talent.
The event, which will take place at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO, will air its main card live and free on AXS TV beginning at 10:00 PM (EST).
Here’s what you need to know about LFA 57’s main card.
Taylor Johnson vs. Aaron Chambers
Middleweight (185-pounds)
Two undefeated middleweights will put their zeros on the line in the AXS TV main card opener, as Taylor “Tombstone” Johnson (4-0) takes on Aaron “AJ” Chambers (2-0).
Johnson, 28, has picked up three lightning quick, first-round KO/TKO wins under the LFA banner, quickly asserting himself as a prospect to watch.
In order to watch Johnson fight, though, you must be careful not to blink: despite four professional fights, Johnson has only been in the cage for a combined 8 minutes and 14 seconds, with 6 minutes and 34 seconds of those minutes coming from his debut fight. His debut excluded, Johnson has finished each of his fights in the first round. One such finish happened just eight seconds into the fight.
Looking to withstand this crushing power of Johnson is Aaron Chambers.
Chambers turned pro this August after a two-year, 4-2 record as an amateur.
While this will be Chambers’ LFA debut, he, too, has accrued consecutive first-round knockouts.
Keep an eye on this middleweight clash, as it is likely to end quickly – and violently.
Madaline Meacham vs. Pauline Macias
Strawweight (115-pounds)
In the second fight of the main card, two top female prospects will fight in LFA’s strawweight division. Madaline Meachem (0-0, 3-1 Am.) makes her professional debut against Pauline “Pita” Macias (1-0, 3-0 Am.).
Meachem, 23, is turning pro following a three-fight winning streak as an amateur. She dropped her debut via first-round submission but has looked better and better in subsequent fights, winning by unanimous decision, third-round TKO, and first-round knockout, respectively.
In her professional debut, Meachem will face the stiffest test of her career against Macias.
Macias, who is ranked second in Tapology’s women’s rankings in Tennessee, has yet to taste defeat inside the cage.
Although Macias turned pro in June, her final amateur fight was certainly memorable. At Valor Fights 46, Macias officially won after her opponent vomited – twice – leading to a referee’s stoppage in the second round.
Interestingly, this will be Macias’ strawweight debut; all of her other fights were contested at flyweight. However, Macias should have no trouble making the weight, as she competed at 114 lbs as a judoka.
Judo was Macias’ martial arts foundation, a martial art in which she competed at the highest levels. In fact, Macias is a longtime friend and teammate of legendary former UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey. Macias credits Rousey with her transition to MMA.
Jonathan Wyderko vs. Matt Johnson
Lightweight (155-pounds)
Two of Colorado’s own clash at lightweight, as a fight between Jonathan “Jonny Tsunami” Wyderko (3-1) and Matt Johnson (4-0) takes place next.
Both Wyderko and Johnson fight out of Colorado, and both are highly touted in LFA’s lightweight division.
Wyderko fought in RFA prior to the RFA/LFC merger, losing his RFA debut by second-round submission. He rebounded from the loss with an impressive stoppage win at LFA 22, in which he stopped Juan Gonzalez with a crippling body kick and vicious, subsequent ground and pound.
Johnson, 36, turned pro in 2015 after a two-year, 5-3 campaign in the amateur ranks. Since turning pro, Johnson has gone on a tear, winning all four of his fights.
Most recently, Johnson scored a unanimous decision victory over Le’Ville Simpson at LFA 5 back in February of 2017.
Calen Born vs. Austin Jones
Welterweight (170-pounds)
The fourth fight on the main card is a welterweight tilt between Calen Born (6-0) and Austin “Osmosis” Jones (6-4).
Born, 30, is a fighter to watch in LFA’s welterweight division. Fighting out of Kansas City, Kansas, Born has finished five of his six professional fights to score a perfect, undefeated record.
As an amateur, Born amassed a 5-1 record with four submissions, losing his lone defeat to UFC competitor Cance Rencountre.
Per Tapology, Born is the third-ranked welterweight in Oklahoma, fifth-ranked in the Kansas and Missouri area, and ninth-ranked in the U.S. Southwest.
Born will face a stiff test against Colorado’s own, Austin Jones.
Jones, 29, will fight in his home state in his second fight with LFA.
Before turning pro in 2015, Jones compiled a 6-1 record in the amateur ranks with three stoppage victories.
Though Jones has battled adversity inside the cage early in his career, he has strung together a three-fight winning streak of late as he enters this fight.
Josh Cavan vs. Anthony Adams
Middleweight – 185
In the co-main event of the night, the battle-tested Josh Cavan (15-7) takes on Anthony “Sugafoot” Adams (7-1) in a middleweight matchup.
Cavan, 35, has been fighting professionally since 2011. While Cavan has fought in the past for RFA, this will be his LFA debut.
The twenty-two fight veteran is Tapology’s third-ranked middleweight. While Cavan has put together an impressive four-fight winning streak with four finishes in his last several fights, he has yet to compete inside the cage since October of 2017.
In his first fight back, Cavan will face Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS) veteran, Anthony Adams.
Adams, Colorado’s first-ranked middleweight, saw his undefeated record spoiled in July of 2018 by a split-decision loss to Chibwikem Onyenegecha on DWTNCS.
With the loss, Adams UFC aspirations – which had been elevated by a seven-fight winning streak – were temporarily dashed.
The Philadelphia native will look to get back to his winning ways and reassert himself as a fighter worthy of a UFC contract against Cavan.
Youssef Zalal vs. Jose Mariscal
Featherweight (145-pounds)
The main event of the night is a fight that has MMA fans buzzing with excitement, as two highly-touted featherweight finishers square off at LFA 57. Youssef “The Moroccan Devil” Zalal (6-0) puts his undefeated record on the line against the dangerous Jose “Machine Gun” Mariscal (8-3).
Zalal, 22, is one of the hottest prospects in mixed martial arts. At such a young age, Zalal’s undefeated, all-finish record has caught the eyes of numerous pundits.
In what will be his third fight under the LFA banner, Zalal will look to continue his winning – and finishing – ways against a tough, talented competitor in Mariscal.
Mariscal, 26, aims to derail the Zalal hype train at LFA 57.
The fight will be Mariscal’s first with LFA, and he will bring a two-fight winning streak into the cage.
Mariscal has finished five of his eight wins and has shown the ability to end the fight both on the feet and on the mat.
Zalal and Mariscal are expected to put on an exciting, high-level fight in the main event of LFA 57, and the winner of this fight is likely to catapult their status as a top prospect in the featherweight division.
LFA 57: Zalal vs. Mariscal takes place in Broomfield, Colorado, on January 18. The main card will air live and free on AXS TV at 10:00 PM (EST).