So this LFA 73 card had a lot of great fights on it. There were a couple of cancelled fights that I wanted to see, but… Oh well. Levi Mowles missed weight, and Yanez decided, “If I was able to make weight, you should too” and I think that was a wise move. More fighters should be doing that. I was also hoping to see Destiny Oldenkamp fight. She’s a legit prospect, and she’s made of tough stuff.
So, I almost drove out to Deep Ellum, to the Bomb Factory, to check the fights out, but, in the end I’m glad I didnt. Deep Ellum is an area in Dallas with a lot of bars, and live music, and the traffic would be ridiculous.
Great fights here
Main Event
Solo Hatley Jr. vs Austin Lingo – Featherweight
Round 1
Lingo lands an over-hand right and a left uppercut, and another right to put Hatley Jr. out and get the win. 🚩Lingo wins by KO
Hatley Jr. should’ve fought a lot smarter than that. You can’t just bang with a guy that has good technical striking. He paid for it in a bad way. Lingo is a dangerous fighter, and he just has a knack for finding that chin. He has great hand speed, and by the looks of it, he has a Jits game. This was a very big showcase for him. The LFA featherweight title is vacant right now, so Lingo can hunt it.
Hailey Cowan vs Jessica Middleton – Flyweight
Round 1
Cowan is dangerous in the clinch. She gets the take down and does some work in Middleton’s guard
Round 2
Cowan is able to get her down for a significant portion of the round. Middleton tries some armbars, but nothing doing.
Round 3
Cowan is able to get her down again, and there is more beatdown on the floor. 🚩 Cowan wins by unanimous decision
They gave Cowan a layup here. Cowan is a poor striker, Middleton is a poor striker, Cowan is strong in the clinch, Middleton is weak in the clinch. Cowan definitely improved her footwork. She moved around very well, her hands are still very slow, and her striking is still amateur. Cowan’s wrestling is very good, and she lets other girls pay when they clinch with her. She’s not fighting killers like Maycee Barber did though… so there’s that
Victor Altamirano vs Joao Camilo – Flyweight Camilo missed weight
Round 1
Altamirano lands some kicks, lands a knee and beats up Camilo on the ground
Round 2
Altamirano is seeing all of Camilo’s strikes. He see’s everything that’s coming and I feel he just downloaded Camilo. Altamirano lands a knee then starts whooping ass.
Round 3
Camilo gets Alamirano down, the Fort Worth fighter is able to get to his feet and take Camilo down. 🚩 Altamirano wins by unanimous decision.
Altamirano is a very smart fighter. I kinda wish he wasn’t at flyweight, because flyweights get no love. Maybe he’ll move up to Bantamweight. I was impressed that he was looking wolf-like in the first round and downloading his opponent. With a little more seasoning, I know that he’ll find the finish. I’m very glad I saw him as an amateur at LFA 67. Needless to say, I’ll be following him.
Kyle Estrada vs Cody Freeman – Bantamweight Freeman missed weight
Round 1
Estrada lands a solid punch and then scores with a leg kick. Kyle Estrada looks faster and continues to land leg kicks. Estrada also sprawls and survives some takedown attempts.
Round 2
Freeman has a little better gas tank and is looking to make it dirty. Freeman also loses a point for a low blow
Round 3
Freeman is looking for a way in with no urgency. 🚩 Estrada wins by Majority decision
Freeman looked that same way he looked last time I say him. He depends a lot on his physicality and can be a lazy fighter at times. He has great potential, but I saw no improvements. I wanted to see how Estrada does against a wrestler, and Freeman didnt even wrestle. Estrada is very solid and very technical. I think he has a very high ceiling.
Edmilson Freitas vs Brant Moore Jr – Lightweight, Freitas missed weight
Round 1
Moore touches Freitas a few times and the Brazillian goes for the takedown. Moore is able to reverse it with a Kimura, and as the fight plays out on the ground Moore looks very confident on the ground. They stand and clinch with Moore being in a more dominant position.
Round 2
Moore begins to assert himself more. He is able to get a big slam and full mount and ends the round on top.
Round 3
Both guys have very poor striking. a Low blow by Freitas pauses the action , then the Brazillian tries to take Moore’s head off. More is able to get up and take Freitas down. Moore lays and prays, for a little bit, and survives some of Freitas’ submissions. 🚩 Moore Jr. wins by unanimous decision.
Moore needs to improve his striking. If he plays the games that he was playing with Freitas, with other fighters, he’ll get punished. Moore looked very comfortable on the ground. It leads me to believe that Longview MMA has a banging BJJ school. Freitas has very poor hands, its also pretty disappointing that he didnt make weight
Elijah Johns vs Aaron Webb – Featherweight
Round 1
Johns lands a straight left then finishes Webb with knees from the clinch. 🚩 Elijah Johns wins by KO
I think Elijah Johns is more talented than his brother Miles Johns. The man is deadly with knees from the clinch. And you just cant bang with guys that come out of Fortis, you need to have technical striking when you face them. There is a lot more to come for Mr. Johns I’ll be watching. I still haven’t even really seen his full MMA game
Altamirano was unbroken
Here is a small post fight Austin Lingo interview
Thanks to @HeadkickAudio for a nice interview with the dangerous and talented @AustinLingo. Check out his Podcast.