LFA 129 HIGHLIGHTS

LFA 129 Highlights

Written By: Garey Symington | ig: @gare57

Photo Credit: Austin Hilgenberg | ig: @austinhilgenberg 

An electric LFA 129 fight card lit up the cold April night at Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota on Friday as local up and coming heavyweight and friend of The Fighting News, Thomas “The Train” Petersen, took on Dominican boxing specialist, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, in the main event. It was cool to see UFC #5 Light Heavyweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith in the building as well on color commentary!

I love the LFA – it’s an organization that consistently develops talent and brings the energy that true fight fans are looking for in an event. Young prospects, returning vets and true “fighter’s fighters” are all over this roster, many of whom will go on to do great things – whether inside the LFA or in promotions like UFC, Bellator and PFL.

Let’s get into it.

The main card kicked off with a Bantamweight bout between Vietnamese born, The Academy MN trained Quang Le vs the slightly favored Sam Paneitz – who was coming off a full camp, as opposed to Le who had a quick turnaround after missing the Bantamweight limit by 2 lbs a couple weeks back. After a strong start by Paneitz, Le won a close second and a dominating third in this wrestling-heavy exchange, notching a unanimous 29-28 decision victory. Big win for The Academy, a team that’s seen the likes of Rose Namajunas and Brock Lesnar pass through its doors.

Next up was a Middleweight bout between ex-bareknuckle brawler Tee Cummins and Dylan Budka. I’ll be honest, I expected punches in bunches from this one, it turned out to be a bit of a clinch fest but Budka did score a Khamzat-style walk & slam in the second round. He brought Cummins to his corner before securing the takedown and locked in the submission victory by rear naked choke. Budka was a slight dog and had a tough weight cut from LHW, so props to him and his corner on the finish.

After that, Tyus “The White Mamba” White, one of the youngest fighters and biggest favorites on the card, made quick work of Jeff Jepsen in the Flyweight division with a first-round submission win by darce choke. Tyus was one of the most highly touted prospects on the card and he delivered – he’s a guy to keep an eye on as he keeps building momentum in the LFA ranks, especially with organizations like the UFC desperately needing flyweights right now.

Now on to the co-main event in the Featherweight division, which was an absolute barn burner. As a heavy underdog, Devante Sewell showed up and showed out, nearly securing a guillotine victory later on in the match. I had the opportunity to speak with him backstage after the fight and I’m confident he’ll be back & hungry for a victory. He’s notably fought Cody Durden and Aaron Phillips, both with UFC experience. Unfortunately for him, he fought an extremely well rounded Bellator veteran in Hyder Amil who, upon winning by split decision (29-28 Sewell, 29-28 Amil, 30-27 Amil) called for a title shot. Not sure if he’ll get it, but if he does, I know I’ll have to be there because that was the fight of the night for me.

Finally, we arrive at the main event, and there’s nothing like two Heavyweights closing out a card with Dana White’s Contender Series implications on the line. It’s somewhat rare for LFA champions to defend their belts, but after round 1 ground & pound TKO victory over Vernon Lewis in July of last year, Thomas “The Train” Petersen stepped in Friday night as the incumbent champion and betting favorite. We interviewed Thomas a few months back, and what makes him a special fighter is the fact that he leads with extremely heavy hands despite his background being in wrestling. This makes him a tough draw for someone like Dominican challenger Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who brings a more traditional boxing style to his fights. Waldo also turned down an opportunity with Singapore-based promotion, ONE Championship, in the interest of taking this fight for a potential shot at the UFC. 

I scored it 20-18 Petersen after two, but Cortes-Acosta certainly had his moments and wasn’t going anywhere. As round three began, the energy in the Showroom was palpable as “TOMMY” chants erupted from the crowd, fans on their feet, fixated on this clash of titans. As a Tommy fan, it was tough to see the fight ultimately come to a close late in the third by TKO after a solid straight right by Cortes-Acosta landed flush, wobbled the Minnesotan, ultimately leading to a stoppage by punches. Cortes-Acosta earned this victory, showed great sportsmanship and made history as the first Dominican (and Caribbean in general) champion in the LFA. I had a chance to catch up with him after the show and he greatly looks forward to taking his new gold back home to share with the community. That’s what it’s all about!

All in all, tremendous show, and I thank the LFA for having The Fighting News there to cover it. Can’t wait for the next one, and to see where a lot of these prospects may head to next in their careers.

#LFA129 Results: #TyusWhite def. Jeff Jepsen via #Submission (D'Arce Choke ) at 4:44 of Round 1.@Drink9mm@ShellsDotCom@RealChefRush@BetOnline_AG@WWP@NeuroTrackerCSi@bonspeedWheels@HowlerHead@MysticLake@UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/u6oTkAOxT1

— LFA (@LFAfighting) April 16, 2022