LFA 208: Mecate vs. Reyes is an upcoming mixed martial arts event promoted by Legacy Fighting Alliance that will take place on May 9, 2025, at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Lightweight Chris Mecate vs. Javier Reyes
Welterweight Luis Francischinelli vs. Angelo Rivera Jr.
Bantamweight Allan Begosso vs. Davaajamts Batsuren
Women Strawweight Kendra McIntyre vs. Stephanie Nayen
Middleweight Joseph Kropschot vs. Adland Benson
Heavyweight Josh Hokit vs. Michael Garcia
Preliminary Card (LFA Fight Network)
Light Heavyweight Anthony Charles vs. Isaiah Pinson
Lightweight Jermaine Edwards vs. Temuujin Ulzii-Orshikh
Lightweight BeyNoah vs. Kohl Laren
Light Heavyweight Shealor Ladd vs. Roman Kiziuk
Bantamweight Roger Severson vs. Vinny Dias
Background
LFA brings a Lightweight Showdown to Northern California at LFA 208!
LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to Northern California in May. LFA 208 will feature a lightweight showdown when the promotion returns to the Golden State. This will be the twenty-third LFA event to take place in the state.
LFA 208: Mecate vs. Reyes takes place Friday, May 9th at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California. The main event will feature a lightweight showdown between top American prospect Chris Mecate and top Colombian prospect Javier “Blair” Reyes.
“We are excited to bring another international showcase to Northern California at LFA 208,” stated Soares. “Chris Mecate is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and a three-time LFA veteran. He returns to his home state to face top Colombian prospect, parkour expert, and former LFA title challenger Javier Reyes in an explosive main event. This bout features two of the most dynamic prospects in the sport and will cap another fantastic night of action for our fight fans in Santa Cruz.”
Mecate (10-2) is one of the greatest California natives to successfully transition from wrestling to MMA. Mecate won the California State Wrestling Championship as a senior at Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, California before placing third at Nationals the same year. He graduated with a 156-17 record and was later named the “Wrestler of the Year” by the San Bernardino County Sun newspaper. Mecate then became one of the most highly-touted wrestling prospects in the country and took his talents to the east coast where he became a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia. Mecate finished his college career with a 115-37 record, was a four-time NCAA Division I tournament qualifier, and became ODU’s thirteenth 100-match winner. In MMA, Mecate has joined forces with UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson and the results have been scary. Mecate is now a world-class wrestler with KO power, which he unleashed in his last bout at LFA 198.
Reyes (20-4) signed with the LFA last year to much fanfare in his home country of Colombia. After compiling a 30-0 record in amateur MMA, he emerged as the brightest MMA prospect to represent “Los Cafeteros” in MMA. Reyes continued his dominance after turning pro by winning and holding multiple regional titles. Hailing from his nation’s capital city of Bogotá, Reyes began practicing parkour with his group called “Warriors of the Street”. Parkour originated in France and has roots in military obstacle course training and martial arts, which includes flipping, running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, plyometrics, rolling, and quadrupedal movement. It involves seeing one’s environment in a new way and envisioning the potential for navigating it by movement around, across, through, over, and under its features. This has given Reyes excellent agility and spatial awareness in MMA. This was on full display in his LFA debut where he dismantled the hard-nosed LFA mainstay Chase Gibson at LFA 184.
