Legacy Fighting Alliance 188: Sweeney vs. do Nascimento is a mixed martial arts event promoted by Legacy Fighting Alliance that will take place on July 12, 2024 at the Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler, Arizona, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Bantamweight John Sweeney (c) vs. Rafael do Nascimento Bantamweight Championship
Bantamweight Kasey Tanner vs. Thiago Belo
Featherweight Jose Delgado vs. Lucas Faria
Women's Strawweight Leslie Hernandez vs. Jade Jorand
Lightweight Cedric Katambwa vs. Stanley Dorsainvil
Lightweight Chris Renteria vs. Ilay Barzilay
Preliminary Card (LFA Fight Network)
Flyweight Chance Ikei vs. Ryan Kim
Women's Strawweight Quinn Williams vs. Miriam Nazar
Welterweight Johan Rodríguez vs. Jeremiah Robinson
Heavyweight Leon Mackey Jr. vs. Brent Campbell
Middleweight Eric Fimbres vs. Montè Deon Ogbonna-Morrison
Flyweight Mauro Gutierrez vs. Lívio Ribeiro
Light Heavyweight Kory Moegenburg vs. Alik Lorenz
Background
LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to the “Valley of the Sun” in July with a bantamweight title fight at LFA 188. This will be the fifteenth LFA event to take place in the state of Arizona. The LFA 188 headliner will feature just the second title defense in LFA bantamweight history as all nine previous champions went on to sign with the UFC and Bellator.
LFA 188: Sweeney vs. Do Nascimento takes place Friday, July 12th at the Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The main event will feature a bantamweight title fight when champion John “Hollywood” Sweeney defends his title against top contender Rafael “Mulisha” Do Nascimento.
“We are excited to bring the Bantamweight Championship to Arizona at LFA 188,” stated Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA bantamweight champion John Sweeney. He will face top contender and former LFA title challenger Rafael Do Nascimento. The winner will cement their status as the top 135-pound fighter in the world that is currently fighting outside of the UFC. The fight fans in Arizona always create an electric atmosphere and we look forward to bringing another explosive world title fight to the Valley of the Sun this summer.”
Sweeney (13-3) will be defending his title for the first time after winning it last summer. The champion knows a win will tie him for the most title defenses in LFA bantamweight history and cement his status as the top prospect in the division. Sweeney is a Karate black belt and protégé of UFC star Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The man known as “Hollywood” also shares the same striking skills and star qualities as his legendary mentor. Sweeney began his career by winning his first two professional bouts for the LFA in the first year of its inception. However, he really made his mark after returning to the promotion in 2022. After re-signing with the LFA, Sweeney defeated a fellow striker in Ricardo Dias. He then started 2023 by upsetting seven-time BJJ world champion Ary Farias. That win earned him a shot at the title, which he won via Unanimous Decision against Allan Begosso. The flashy karateka now looks to defeat a fourth consecutive Brazilian standout in his first title defense at LFA 188.
Do Nascimento (9-2) entered 2023 at the top of every MMA pundit’s “can’t miss” prospect list. This was a complete 180 from how he started 2022, when he signed with the LFA as a relatively unknown entity and took the division by storm. The dynamic Brazilian began his career by winning six fights (five by submission) in his home country. The man known as “Mulisha” then took his talents abroad and made his way to Los Angeles, where he found the Machida Karate dojo, which is home to former UFC champion Lyoto Machida, Bellator veteran Chinzô Machida, and former LFA featherweight champion Bruno Souza. That move was followed by him signing with the LFA and enjoying a career-year, which saw him finish two of the division’s top prospects en route to his first title shot. After dropping a narrow decision, Do Nascimento immediately bounced back three months later with a dominant win. Now he looks to address some unfinished business by capturing the LFA world title.
