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Thursday, May 24, 2018

LFA 44: Matthew “Thunder From Down Under” Frincu to Battle Christian “The Beast” Aguilera

By Press Release

LAS VEGAS, NV – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to Arizona at the end of June. Two of the promotion’s most feared knockout artists are set for a showdown in the Valley of the Sun when they clash at LFA 44.

The main event of LFA 44 will bring the fireworks five days early this summer. The headliner will see Australia’s aesthetic annihilator Matthew “Thunder From Down Under” Frincu battle southern California’s grim sleeper Christian “The Beast” Aguilera in one of the most explosive showdowns of the year. LFA 44 – Frincu vs. Aguilera takes place Friday, June 29th at the Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

“I am excited to bring LFA back to Arizona on June 29th,” stated Soares. “Matthew Frincu is a sensational striker. He will face fellow knock out artist Christian Aguilera in the main event of LFA 44. They are two of the most dangerous welterweight prospects in the world and will be looking to make a big statement at the top of one of our most competitive divisions.”

Tickets for LFA 44 – Frincu vs. Aguilera are available for purchase NOW at Ticketmaster.com

Frincu (12-3) came to LFA last year as one of the most exciting exports hailing from The Land Down Under. He wasted no time in making a huge splash in his promotional debut at LFA 5. The native of Gold Coast, Australia assaulted Kris Hocum with a diverse and brilliant display of striking. “Thunder From Down Under” taught a masterclass on how to effectively utilize range and Muay Thai technique to dismantle a high-level grappler. He offered a crash course on the same subject ten weeks later, when he knocked out Brazilian prospect Maycon Mendonça in 96-seconds at LFA 11. Most recently, Frincu stopped previously undefeated Mexican prospect Roman Alcantar via TKO in January at LFA 31. Now the awesome Aussie looks to derail one of the heaviest hitters in the division.

Aguilera (11-4) has earned a reputation for possessing some of the scariest one-punch knockout power in all of MMA. LFA officials caught a glimpse of his gift of putting people to sleep early in his career when he gave Timothy Quiroga a canvas nap in just 52-seconds at RFA 23. A lot has happened in the three years since that prophetic night in Orange County. To start, “The Beast” got older, he got bigger, and inconceivable to many, he became even more powerful. Not surprising to anyone, however, is his propensity to wield his gift like a young super-hero discovering his ability for the first time. This has left a path of destruction in 2018 trailing 83 miles in California from Costa Mesa (LFA 30) to Cabazon (LFA 36). Aguilera looks to extend that path to Phoenix, Arizona on June 29th.

The co-main event of LFA 44 will feature an intrastate superfight when two-time LFA standout Casey Kenney (8-1-1) battles three-time UFC veteran Roman Salazar (12-6). Last year, Casey won a regional flyweight title before signing with LFA. After making his LFA debut last May, he competed twice in front of UFC President Dana White on the UFC boss’ Tuesday Night Contender Series. Casey returned to LFA in January with a dominant Unanimous Decision victory over Kendrick Latchman at LFA 31. He now looks to make a bigger statement by moving up a weight class to face one of Arizona’s most seasoned bantamweight forces.

That would be the man known as “El Gallito”. Salazar was signed by the UFC in 2014 after winning multiple regional titles in Arizona in multiple weight classes. He competed three times for the industry leader, which includes a bout at UFC 184 against Japanese MMA legend Kid Yamamoto in Yamamoto’s final fight. Most recently, Salazar has reasserted his dominance in his home state with a pair of TKO victories. Salazar now looks to continue his resurgence with a  marquee win over one of MMA’s most highly-touted prospects. Salazar hails from Mammoth, Arizona and will face Kenney of Tucson, Arizona in one the state’s biggest showdowns of the year.

Currently Announced Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT):

Main Event | Welterweight Bout (170 lbs)

– Matthew Frincu (12-3) vs. Christian Aguilera (11-4)

Co-Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs)

– Casey Kenney (8-1-1) vs. Roman Salazar (12-6)

LFA 44 will serve as the fourth LFA event to take place in the state of Arizona. All of these events have taken place in the Grand Canyon State’s capital city of Phoenix. Further information about LFA 44 will be announced soon.  The entire main card of LFA 44 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Please visit LFAfighting.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.

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 130 athletes to reach the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.

In May of 2018 the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.

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posted by FCF Staff @ 8:00 am
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