LFA 171: Neves vs. Cunha is a mixed martial arts event promoted by Legacy Fighting Alliance and will take place on November 3, 2023 at the Ginásio do Polvilho in Cajamar, São Paulo, Brazil.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Heavyweight Eduardo Neves (c) vs. Hugo Cunha Heavyweight Championship
Lightweight Gabriel Costa vs. Jefferson Nascimento Lightweight Championship
Flyweight Alisson Murilo vs. Marcos Degli
Featherweight Márcio Barbosa vs. Gian Sarturi
Heavyrweight Jose Augusto vs. Richard Jacobi
Featherweight Icaro Brito vs. Demison Rodrigues
Preliminary Card
Flyweight Jose Ochoa vs. Juscelino Pantoja
Women's Strawweight Lany Silva vs. Sarah Barwick
Heavyweight Guilherme Uriel vs. Lucas Camacho
Welterweight Geovanis Palacios vs. Gabriel Ramos
Welterweight Michael Oliveira vs. Antônio Eduardo
Bantamweight Gabriel Silva vs. Carlos Henrique da Cruz
Women's Strawweight Gabriela Fujimoto vs. Thayla Martinelli
Background
LFA will return to Brazil in November with a Championship Doubleheader at LFA 171. The two title fights will take place in the heavyweight and lightweight divisions. This will be the sixth international event that the LFA has hosted in 2023. It is also the eighth LFA event to take place in the state of São Paulo, which is Brazil’s most populous state. LFA has also visited the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco.
LFA 171: Neves vs. Cunha takes place Friday, November 3rd at the Ginásio do Polvilho in Cajamar, São Paulo, Brazil. The main event will feature a heavyweight title fight when champion Eduardo “Bbzão” Neves defends his title against top contender Hugo “Silverback” Cunha. The co-main event will feature an interim lightweight title fight between top undefeated prospects Gabriel “Pitbull” Costa and Jefferson “Toddynho” Nascimento.
“We are excited to bring two championship fights to Brazil at LFA 171,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA heavyweight champion Eduardo Neves. He will face top prospect and fellow LFA standout Hugo Cunha. Then in the co-main event, we will crown an interim lightweight champion when top undefeated prospects Gabriel Costa and Jefferson Nascimento fight for the interim lightweight title. The winner will then get a chance to unify the title against current champion JaCobi Jones early next year.”
Neves (7-2) returns to the LFA for the fourth time looking for a fourth win, but this time he will arrive with his championship belt in tow. The proud Paraibano won the title in March by defeating top undefeated Brazilian prospect and decorated wrestler Hyago “BRT” Silva via first round TKO due to ground n’ pound in the co-main event of LFA 154. The impressive win earned the fighter from the Northeast Region of Brazil a return trip to Dana White’s Contender Series this past summer, but he was not successful in earning a UFC contract. The 23-year-old will now look to protect the title that earned him that opportunity as he jumped at the chance to defend his title and to compete in a third high-profile bout this year.
Cunha (7-1) is a highly-touted prospect from Brazil’s most famous city of Rio de Janeiro, which is located in the Southeast Region of Brazil. The formidable Fluminense won his LFA debut in May when the promotion visited the Brazilian coastal city of Caraguatatuba at LFA 159. Cunha easily defeated the seasoned veteran Fernando “Boiadeiro” Batista via TKO from the full mount midway through the opening round. The man known as “Silverback” lost his footing throwing a kick, but kept his composure and showcased his second-degree BJJ black belt with an immediate sweep. Once on top, the world-class grappler who is also a six-time Brazilian national champion in wrestling, punished his opponent with punches.
The co-main event of LFA 171 will feature an interim lightweight title fight between two of Brazil’s top undefeated prospects as Costa (8-0) and Nascimento (10-0) vie to become the LFA’s eighth lightweight champion. This interim opportunity became available to both men as the sitting champion JaCobi Jones just competed on a recent episode of Dana White’s Contender Series. The champion is expected to fight the winner of Costa vs. Nascimento in a title unification bout early next year. Costa and Nascimento have taken similar paths to their LFA title fight, which began for both men in the LFA in the first half of 2022. Over the past 18 months, both men have compiled perfect 3-0 records for the promotion, while showcasing their diverse finishing abilities. Now boasting a combined record of 18-0, the winner looks to claim supremacy in Brazil, while securing their spot in a showdown with Jones in early 2024.
