The Legacy Fighting Alliance returns to Southern California for LFA 74: Vanderaa vs. Ferreira at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, CA on August 30th.
LFA 74: Vanderaa vs. Ferreira, which is slated to air live on AXS TV, is set to be headlined by a main event heavyweight bout between Jared Vanderaa (MMA Record: 9-3) and Renan Ferreira (MMA Record: 5-2). In the co-main event, Kevin Wirth (MMA Record: 7-1) will face Ryan Lilley (MMA Record: 10-4) in a bantamweight fight. Plus Moses Murrietta (8-2) will face Lucas Rota (13-8) in a middleweight bout.
The LFA issued the following press release yesterday for LFA 74 Vanderaa vs. Ferreira:
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will be bringing a heavyweight showdown to southern California at the end of August. LFA title challenger Jared Vanderaa will return to the LFA Octagon to face hulking Brazilian heavyweight prospect Renan Ferreira in the main event of LFA 74.
The main event of LFA 74 will feature a heavyweight showdown between LFA title challenger Jared “The Mountain” Vanderaa and top Brazilian prospect Renan “Problema” Ferreira. LFA 74 – Vanderaa vs. Ferreira takes place Friday, August 30th at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“I am excited to have LFA return to my native southern California at LFA 74,” stated Soares. “Jared Vanderaa is a top American heavyweight prospect who has already challenged for our title. He returns after a dominant run competing in South Africa. He will face Renan Ferreira, who just competed in our four-man heavyweight tournament. Fight fans in the Inland Empire will get to see a showdown between two of the most exciting heavyweight prospects in the sport.”
Vanderaa (9-3) makes his highly-anticipated return to the LFA Octagon in the main event of LFA 74. He returns while riding a fresh wave of momentum created during a dominant title reign in South Africa. Vanderaa first signed with LFA two summers ago as one of the best prospects in a division that is hungering for the next big thing. Vanderaa came up short in his first shot at LFA gold, but has regrouped and found his groove on the other side of the planet.
The 27-year-old has strung together three consecutive TKO wins in South Africa. This includes defeating UFC veteran Ruan Potts for the EFC heavyweight title, which many consider to be the most prestigious title on the African continent. After a successful title defense against Ricky Misholas in March, Vanderaa returns to LFA looking to handle some unfinished business. The man known as “The Mountain” will get that chance in his own backyard of southern California at LFA 74.
Ferreira (5-2) signed with LFA this past spring with a fearsome reputation in his native Brazil. Standing 6 feet, 10 inches tall with an athletic 250-pound physique, the man known as “Problema” has been a huge problem for the heavyweight division. The Brazilian behemoth possesses physical gifts that create problems for everyone he faces.
The 29-year-old, who boasts the frame of an NBA all-star, has also been busy learning the ways of combat under the watchful eye of UFC Hall of Fame member Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira at Team Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ferreira made his debut for LFA at LFA 70 in June as a part of the four-man LFA heavyweight tournament. However, “Problema” ran into a problem of his own when he was disqualified due to illegal strikes he inadvertently landed on the back of Brett Martin’s head. Ferreira is now eager to right that wrong in his sophomore appearance for the promotion at LFA 74.
Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Jared Vanderaa (9-3) vs. Renan Ferreira (5-2)
Co-Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Ryan Lilley (10-4) vs. Kevin Wirth (7-1)
Middleweight Bout (185 lb)
Moses Murrietta (8-2) vs. Lucas Rota (13-8)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Vince Cachero (6-1) vs. Marvin Garcia (12-3)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Anthony Jimenez (4-0-1) vs. Leandro Gomes (3-1)
Heavyweight Bout (265 lb)
Irvins Ayala (2-0) vs. James Chapman (1-0)
In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA have launched the careers of over 160 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In May 2018, the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.
LFA 74 will be the eighth LFA event to take place in the state of California. RFA hosted eight events inside “The Golden State” before the merger. Further information will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 74 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.
The Legacy Fighting Alliance’s upcoming event will be the first time the promotion has held an event in Riverside and at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. In the past, the venue has hosted amateur MMA events promoted by Archangel Worldwide The venue has also hosted several WWE’s NXT Live events. While it hasn’t been updated since May 23rd, 2019 at the time of this article’s publication, the California State Athletic Commission’s event schedule currently has LFA events listed for October 11th and December 6th at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. No official announcements regarding those events have been made by the LFA at this time.
Tickets for LFA 74 are available now at www.lfatix.com.
