LFA 199: Farias vs. Visconde is a mixed martial arts event promoted by Legacy Fighting Alliance that will take place on January 10, 2025, at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, California, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Featherweight Ary Farias vs. Erick Visconde
Heavyweight Josh Hokit vs. John Lopez
Lightweight Enkhtur Bayartsogt vs. Shovkhal Churchaev
Middleweight Said-Magomed Abdulgaziev vs. Theo Haig
Heavyweight Larry Gonzales vs. Billy Ray Valdez
Featherweight Rafael do Nascimento vs. Brandon Altomore
Preliminary Card (LFA Fight Network)
Bantamweight Julio Larrave vs. Allen Silhanek
Lightweight Shelden Struble vs. Edmund Kwan
Women's Flyweight Esmira Mammadova vs. Gabrielle McComb
Light Heavyweight Shealor Ladd vs. Tylando Mattress
Catchweight (150 lb) Abraham Del Toro vs. Jermaine Edwards
Welterweight Ueslei Alves vs. Sczar Charles
Background
LFA kicks off 2025 with a stacked International Showcase in Central California at LFA 199!
LFA announced recently that the promotion will kick off its 2025 schedule in one of the most influential venues in MMA history. This will happen when the LFA hosts its first event at the iconic Tachi Palace Casino Resort in California at LFA 199. LFA 199 will be the twenty-first LFA event to take place in the Golden State.
Tachi Palace Casino Resort is Central California’s premier event venue for live MMA. It has a history in the sport dating back to WEC 1 in June of 2001. In fact, this event took place just two months after the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports created the Unified Rules of MMA, which laid the groundwork for the sport to become legally regulated in the United States and abroad.
In the nearly two and half decades since, the venue has been the home to WEC, PFC, and Tachi Palace Fights. These are promotions that started the careers of many MMA legends including Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Karo Parisyan, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen, and Urijah Faber. LFA commentators Ron Kruck, Gilbert Melendez, and Alan Jouban also got their start at Tachi Palace Casino Resort. Kruck made his broadcasting debut at WEC 9, while Melendez (WEC 5) and Jouban (Tachi Palace Fights 8) both made their professional MMA debut at this venue.
LFA 199: Farias vs. Visconde, takes place Friday, January 10th at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, California, which is located 35 minutes south of Fresno. The main event will feature an international featherweight showcase when seven-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion Ary Farias faces fellow Jiu-Jitsu black belt and LFA standout Erick Visconde.
“We are excited to kick off our 2025 schedule with an International Showcase at LFA 199,” stated LFA CEO Ed Soares. “Ary Farias is a seven-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion from Brazil. His original opponent Sabit Zhusupov was forced to withdraw due to injury, but this has created an equally intriguing headliner. Farias will now face Erick Visconde, who is a fellow Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Brazil. These two have made six combined appearances for the LFA and both fought for the promotion on two continents. Tachi Palace Casino Resort has a long and storied history in MMA dating back to the turn of the century when the sport was still in its infancy. Many of the biggest legends in MMA got their start at this venue and we are excited to add another chapter to its history with a stacked international event to start the new year on January 10th.”
Farias (14-4) is on a short list when it comes to debating who is the most decorated Jiu-Jitsu practitioner to ever compete in MMA. The seven-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion was born into the world of combat sports in Manaus, the state capital of Amazonas in northwestern Brazil. At the age of 11, Farias signed on to ASLE, one of the top Jiu-Jitsu academies in the world. This is the same academy where UFC great Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and UFC star / LFA great Jaqueline Amorim were developed prior to making the move to MMA. Farias lived and trained with Jacare for the next five years at the ASLE training camp. He would eventually make the move to Rio de Janeiro and has trained extensively with some of the biggest names in Jiu-Jitsu such as Ricardo Vieria, Rogerio Camões, Yuri Simoes, and Ramon Lemos. Farias has competed four times under the LFA banner and is the owner of one of the flashiest submission wins in the promotion’s history when he submitted Devante Sewell in his LFA debut.
Visconde (14-3) jumped at the opportunity to headline the first LFA event of 2025. The charismatic Brazilian has endeared himself to LFA fans by being just one of eighteen fighters in LFA history to fight for the promotion on two continents. His opponent Farias was the first fighter to accomplish this feat, but Visconde was able to do it in just one calendar year. This sets up the first fight in LFA history, where two intercontinental promotional mainstays will clash. On paper, Visconde and Farias may appear virtually identical. They both fought for the LFA in the United States and Brazil, they are both Jiu-Jitsu black belts from Brazil with huge personalities, and they both possess nearly indistinguishable fight records. However, once their fights begin, they are polar opposites. While Farias is known as a master technician that methodically dismantles his opponents, Visconde thrives in the chaos. The Mato-Grossense loves to create a frenetic pace and crash the pocket, where he overwhelms his opponents.
Jan 7 - Updated fight card & background
