LFA 1 results: Leandro Higo wins inaugural 135 title against gritty, won't-go-away Steven Peterson

Leandro Higo had to survive a scary moment against Steven Peterson late in the first round. And though he may have thought he was on his way to an easy LFA inaugural bantamweight title win, he had to put in some work to get the belt.

Higo (17-2) busted Peterson (14-5) up on the feet in the first round and bloodied him up – but then went for a takedown seemingly out of nowhere. Peterson took advantage and caught him in a guillotine choke that looked tight. But Higo stayed patient, worked out of it, got to the second round, then went back to work. And though he did solid work each round the rest of the way, Peterson never quite went away in Higo’s unanimous decision sweep.

LFA 1 took place at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. The main card aired on AXS TV. It was the promotion’s inaugural event after the merger of RFA and Legacy FC in 2016.

In the second, Higo threw quick flurries of punches against “Ocho,” landing his hands from all angles. With 75 seconds left, Peterson managed to get some good work in thanks to some muay Thai knees, and it started to look like he might have a cardio advantage – especially considering Higo had a tough weight cut on Thursday.

The fighters spent much of the third trading low kicks, but Higo continued to get some solid punches off. He dropped Peterson with a right hand – but had to contend with Peterson, the underdog, coming forward and not going away. In the final few seconds of the frame, Higo got a takedown and quickly popped to mount, though there was no time to do anything with the position.

Higo tied things up with Peterson quickly in the fourth, but got surprised when Peterson took him down, then took his back. When Higo got back to his feet, Peterson stuck on him and looked for a standing rear-naked choke. He never could get under the chin, but squeezed on his jaw. Higo survived it, then finally slipped out. Higo went right after his opponent, knowing his arms were likely burned out from the lengthy choke attempt. With two minutes left, the referee broke them apart and Higo went to work. He stalked Peterson down and landed punches and kicks, leaving Peterson to throw lazy spinning attempts trying to keep distance.

In the final frame, Higo’s striking was on point. And though he appeared to hurt Peterson several times in the first couple minutes, the American wouldn’t go away. Despite bleeding all over the place, Peterson stayed in teh fight and threw punches and kicks of his own. But all they seemed to do was prolong his fate – and get him to the judges.

Once there, Higo took the fight with a unanimous decision with scores of 50-45 across the board – though the fight certainly was more competitive at times than those tallies might indicate.

Higo, the final bantamweight champion in Legacy FC history, now is the first 135-pound champ in LFA history. Peterson was the final bantamweight champ for RFA. Higo won for the eighth straight time and strengthened his case for a coveted phone call from the UFC. Peterson had a six-fight winning streak snapped.

UFC vet Jackson has no problem with Cheeks

Three-fight UFC veteran Damon Jackson (11-1-1) had no problem in his featherweight co-main event against Charles Cheeks III (11-6), finishing him at the 1:24 mark of the second round with a rear-naked choke. It was evident Jackson wanted to bring the fight to the canvas and finish it there, content to be the better fighter on the ground and stay away from Cheeks’ power on the feet. And not long into the second, Jackson took Cheeks’ back, then tapped him with the choke for a relatively easy night of work.

Tamez returns from lengthy layoff, dominates Aguila

Five-fight Legacy FC veteran Eli Tamez (10-0) hadn’t fought in nearly two years. But if there was any kind of cage rust, Tamez didn’t show it in the bantamweight fight. When he’s not fighting, Tamez is a hairdresser. With his hair dyed partially red, he had to have figured he was leaving little doubt against Ulyses Aguila (6-2). He appeared to be dominating the fight wherever it went. Yet when the scores were read, he had a pair of 30-27s, but had to settle for a split decision thanks a dissenting 29-28 scorecard for Aguila from one judge. Still, that put Tamez at a perfect 10-0, and he called for a shot at the UFC for his next assignment.

Team Alpha Male’s Calvillo cruises through Stewart

Cynthia Calvillo (3-0) was on cruise control all night against Montana Stewart (6-4) – but that doesn’t mean she was taking it easy. She just wasn’t getting much resistance. Calvillo, who trains at the esteemed Team Alpha Male camp in Sacramento, Calif., alongside the likes of Paige VanZant, was a powerhouse on the feet in the flyweight fight. And when the fight hit the canvas, she was dominant, as well. She worked for several submissions, but couldn’t get them – leaving her to ultimately finish Stewart with punches on the ground at the 2:54 mark of the final round.

Miller rips through Ramirez in 29 seconds

Cameron Miller (4-0) left absolutely no doubt, and he didn’t even break a sweat with a quick and easy submission win over Oscar Ramirez (2-1). Miller needed just 12 seconds to put Ramirez on the canvas in their 130-pound catchweight fight. A perfect left hook dropped Ramirez, and Miller pounced with heavy ground-and-pound. When Ramirez managed to get back to his feet, Miller locked up a standing rear-naked choke, and by the time he dropped to his back, Miller was already out cold. The end came just 29 seconds into the fight.

Butler taps out Vasquez, Holden splits with Servin
When Rob Butler (2-0) took Jessie Vasquez (2-2) down three minutes into their featherweight fight, he had to have gotten the feeling the fight was his for the taking. Vasquez was visibly wiped out, and Butler bided his time and earned a submission finish with 24 seconds left in the first round in an historic bout – the first in LFA history. Vasquez threw kicks early. But after only a couple of them, Butler caught one, then held on to Vasquez’s right leg while he landed right hands to his face. A few seconds later, he dropped Vasquez to the canvas and landed some more punches. Vasquez got back to his feet and again worked kicks, but Butler landed a few big lefts, then a right, then scooped Vasquez up for a slam. That pattern continued, and after the third takedown, Butler was on cruise control and heading toward the tapout win.

In a welterweight fight, Sean Holden (5-2) survived Armando Servin’s (4-5) solid first round, then went on to do good work in the second and third to take a split decision.

LFA 1 results:

• Leandro Higo def. Steven Peterson via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – to win inaugural bantamweight title
• Damon Jackson def. Charles Cheeks III via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:24
• Eli Tamez def. Ulyses Aguila via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
• Cynthia Calvillo def. Montana Stewart via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:54
• Cameron Miller def. Oscar Ramirez via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:29 – 130-pound catchweight
• Sean Holden def. Armando Servin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Rob Butler def. Jessie Vasquez via submission (neck crank) – Round 1, 4:36

For more on LFA 1, check out the MMA Events section of the site.