SANTA CRUZ, California (October 9, 2026) – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) returned to Santa Cruz on Friday night with LFA 243: Maximov vs. Santos, presented by Monster Energy, at Kaiser Permanente Arena. The ten-bout card produced six stoppages, including four first-round finishes, before top prospect Nick Maximov closed the night with a clear decision win in the light heavyweight headliner.
In the main event, Nick Maximov (15-2) went the full fifteen minutes with Wildemar Santos (14-6) and earned the unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. The victory moves Maximov into contention in the LFA light heavyweight division.
The co-main event saw Kevin Fernandez stop Enrique Pacheco by TKO at 1:38 of the second round in a flyweight bout. Fernandez missed weight on Thursday, and the bout proceeded as scheduled with a penalty applied.
The main card also featured a pair of quick finishes. Mason Hartshorn needed only 30 seconds to put away Kelvin Martinez by TKO at flyweight, and Joe Thurrott knocked out Ricky Miller at 3:12 of the first round at middleweight. Sophie Lang submitted Aysia Cortez with a rear-naked choke late in the second round, and Kyle Clark forced a technical submission via guillotine choke just 48 seconds into his light heavyweight bout.
Official LFA 243 Results
Main Card
- Light Heavyweight Main Event: Nick Maximov def. Wildemar Santos via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Flyweight Co-Main Event: Kevin Fernandez def. Enrique Pacheco via TKO – Round 2, 1:38
- Flyweight Bout: Mason Hartshorn def. Kelvin Martinez via TKO – Round 1, 0:30
- Middleweight Bout: Joe Thurrott def. Ricky Miller via KO – Round 1, 3:12
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Sophie Lang def. Aysia Cortez via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Round 2, 4:32
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Kyle Clark def. Ali Gazamatov via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) – Round 1, 0:48
- Heavyweight Bout: Lorenzo Figueroa def. Helton José Jr. via TKO – Round 1, 3:17
Preliminary Card
- Catchweight Bout (140 lb): Fernando Diaz-Marquez def. Ramon Cornejo via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Catchweight Bout (175 lb): Jacob Horton def. Mark Lozano via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Lightweight Bout: Chris Chapa def. Willy LaMacchia via Split Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
With Santa Cruz in the books, LFA heads east for LFA 244: Woodley vs. Havener on Friday, October 23, at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The LFA middleweight championship is on the line in the main event, as Jake Woodley (8-1) meets Zayne Havener (6-2). The title opened up after reigning champion Joe Kropschot earned a UFC contract.
LFA 244 airs live on VICE TV in the United States, ESPN Deportes and ESPN KnockOut in Latin America, and Fight Club in Russia and CIS countries. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
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