Aaron McKenzie Edges Lucas Clay, Captures Vacant Lightweight Title at LFA 128

No promo, no tough talk, all honesty from the champ.

Good night from #LFA128!! pic.twitter.com/qEC3D1ttaT

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 9, 2022

The Legacy Fighting Alliance put on quite a show for the fans attending the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as seven out of eight fights ended inside the distance.

The LFA 128 main event featured Aaron McKenzie and Lucas Clay colliding for the vacant lightweight championship. McKenzie (11-2-1, 4-0 LFA) imposed his suffocating grappling style over Clay early in Round 1, taking his opponent on the mat and keeping him there for the whole frame while teasing submission attempts. In turn, Clay (8-2, 3-1 LFA) made the proper adjustments when he returned for a much better second round where "Cassius" showcased sharp boxing skills that stopped McKenzie’s takedown attempts and punished his opponent's face in the process. In Round 3, Clay gave McKenzie some of his own medicine after taking his adversary on the mat, capturing his back, and attempting to choke him out with an unsuccessful rear-naked choke attempt.

While his foe looked ahead on the scorecards as the fight went into the championship rounds, McKenzie caught a second wind in Round 4 and implemented a strategy similar to the one seen in the opening frame, pinning Clay with his back on the canvas once more. The contestants grappled for most of the fifth stanza, where McKenzie seemed to have an edge over his opponent, taking a significant lead in control time. Clay attempted a last-minute assault with a flying knee followed by a nice punch, but the clash went the distance. After 25 minutes of action, two officials gave 48-47 nods to McKenzie, while the third judge sided with Clay winning 48-47. It was enough for the Rafael Lovato Jr.-protegé to become the sixth 155-pound titleholder in promotional history.

A heavyweight clash between Jimmy Lawson and Marino Eatman served as the event’s co-headliner, which was solved in a matter of seconds. Lawson (4-1, 2-0 LFA) moved the action on the floor right out of the gate thanks to a successful takedown. Once he pinned Eatman (5-5-1, 0-1 LFA) with his back on the canvas, he unleashed his punches. Eatman put on a shy attempt to defend himself, but “Greedy” was relentless in his offensive attack. Referee Aaron Menard stepped in to stop the action when he noticed that Eatman wasn’t defending himself intelligently anymore. The official stoppage came 34 seconds into the first frame.

Elsewhere, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship alum Richie Miranda (4-0, 1-0 LFA) choked out Devon Dixon (4-1-1, 0-1 LFA) thanks to a guillotine that ended the contest at the 2:07 mark of the third stanza in a 160-pound catchweight; three-time All-American wrestler Bryce Meredith (2-0, 2-0 LFA) stopped 47-year-old Jay Viola (3-4, 0-2 LFA) with punches 64 seconds out of the gate in Round 3 of their 140-pound catchweight; bantamweight Jalen Jackson (0-2, 0-1 LFA) with relentless ground-and-pound action at the 2:02 of the first frame; Thad Jean (3-0, 1-0 LFA) wrecked Sarek Shields (2-1, 1-1 LFA) thanks to a heavy combination that stopped their 172-pound catchweight bout at 3:40 of the second stanza; Adamu Isah (1-0, 1-0 LFA) induced Andrew Triolo (0-1, 0-1 LFA) to tap to due to strikes at the 2:24 mark of Round 1. In amateur action, Cheyanne Bowers submitted Kaeley Fenhaus due to armbar at 2:50 of the second round.