Legacy Fighting Alliance 117: Dias vs. Tanaka is an upcoming mixed martial arts event scheduled for November 5, 2021 at the Visalia Convention Center, Visalia, California, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Bantamweight Michinori Tanaka vs. Ricardo Dias
Flyweight Yuma Horiuchi vs. Mark Climaco
Catchweight (150 lb) Kaleio Romero vs. Ryan Fillingame
Catchweight (160 lb) Batsumberel Dagvadorj vs. Emilio Williams
Catchweight (140 lb) Jose Avalos vs. Luciano Ramos
Featherweight Hyder Amil vs. Robson Junior
Preliminary Card
Catchweight (175 lb) Christian Avalos vs. Jeffrey Craig
Catchweight (175 lb) Albert Gonzales vs. Dominic Sumner
Featherweight Brock Dias vs. Carlos Figueroa
Amateur Card
Catchweight (130 lb) Marcelino Silva vs. Liovardo Garfias
Lightweight Scott Hokit vs. Raul Mendoza
Lightweight Jadon Williams vs. Elijah Ozuna
Welterweight Xavier Chavez vs. Ramon Juarez
Background
Dias (10-4) is one of the hottest prospects in the sport after shining in his first two fights for the LFA. The dynamic Brazilian is a native of Niterói, which is known as “Cidade Sorriso” (Smile City) and Dias has been all smiles since signing with the LFA in 2020. In his promotional debut at LFA 89, he upset top Hawaiian prospect Desmond Torres with a hard-fought Split Decision victory. The 30-year-old Kings MMA product would then return at LFA 107 this past May against M-1 veteran George Garcia. Dias would play spoiler once again, when he recorded one of the most devastating knockout victories of 2021. Dias landed a perfectly timed flying knee that leveled his opponent before becoming a viral highlight on the Internet. He is now eager to headline his first LFA event at LFA 117.
Tanaka (13-3) is one of the most revered fighters in Japan, which is the birthplace of several martial arts and home to one of the most MMA-savvy fanbases in the world. The world-class Japanese fighter is a native of Yokohama, which has been the host city to many legendary MMA events for PRIDE FC as well as the K-1 World Grand Prix Final in 2008. This made the transition to MMA a natural move for the young judoka when he made his MMA debut for Shooto in 2010. In fact, Tanaka won his first five fights for Shooto, where he won the 2011 rookie 132-pound tournament. After compiling a perfect 10-0 record, Tanaka signed with the UFC where he fought five times. Tanaka has since earned two victories in Japan and the 30-year-old is ready to return to the world stage at LFA 117.