FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3
LFA 171: NEVES vs. CUNHA
MAIN EVENT:
CHAMPION
EDUARDO NEVES
vs.
CHALLENGER
HUGO CUNHA
HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
CO-MAIN EVENT:
“PITBULL”
GABRIEL COSTA
vs.
“TODDYNHO”
JEFFERSON NASCIMENTO
INTERIM LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
LIVE on UFC FIGHT PASS®
GINÁSIO DO POLVILHO
CAJAMAR, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion 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. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“We are excited to bring two championship fights to Brazil at LFA 171,” stated 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.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main Event | Heavyweight Title Bout (265 lb)
Eduardo Neves (7-2) vs. Hugo Cunha (7-1)
Co-Main Event | Interim Lightweight Title Bout (155 lb)
Gabriel Costa (8-0) vs. Jefferson Nascimento (10-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Alisson Murilo (9-1) vs. Marcos Degli (9-3)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
Jose Ochoa Oblitas (5-0) vs. Juscelino Pantoja (5-0)
Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)
Lany Silva (3-0) vs. Sarah Barwick (2-0)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Guilherme Uriel (4-0) vs. Lucas Camacho (4-0)
In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 290 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In 2018, the promotion joined the Imperial Family Companies group (formerly London Trust Media). In 2019, the promotion announced a broadcast partnership with UFC FIGHT PASS®. In 2021, the LFA expanded internationally by hosting multiple events in Brazil.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. Visit the official LFA YouTube page at @LFAfights. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly Twitter) at @LFAfighting.
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. LFA was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About IMPERIAL FAMILY COMPANIES:
The Imperial Family Companies maintains a diversified portfolio with one common theme: bringing power to the people. The IFC is proud to partner with the LFA management team to showcase the greatest talents of tomorrow. Learn more about the IFC at ImperialFamily.com.
About GINÁSIO DO POLVILHO:
The Municipality of Cajamar, through the Department of Public Works and Services, coordinated the complete renovation of the entire structure. of the Polvilho Gym. Maintenance and repairs were carried out in the entire infrastructure of the gym with new coverage, increase in the dimensions of the court, painting, accessibility to bathrooms, access ramp, installation of a new electronic scoreboard, new hydraulic basketball tables, renovation and installation of LED lighting in the entire indoor and outdoor area of the gym. The restructuring of the space will provide significant improvements for the court to host the numerous competitions held throughout the year and also for the sports projects in various modalities that the City Hall offers free of charge to the population. For more info visit the Cajamar official website.
