By Press Release

HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced earlier this month that LFA will host three consecutive weeks of LFA events in April. The first of the three will be LFA 8, which will serve as the first nationally televised MMA event to take place in the state of South Carolina. It will also be the eighth LFA event to take place after the strategic merger between leading developmental organizations Legacy Fighting Championship (Legacy FC) and Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA).

The main event of LFA 8 will feature a heated battle between two of the hottest flyweight prospects in the sport. The surging Legacy FC standout Cee Jay “The Autobot” Hamilton will look to defend his southern stomping grounds against unrelenting upstart Jesse Bazzi. LFA 8 – Hamilton vs. Bazzi takes place Friday, April 7th at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“I am proud to announce that LFA will bring the first nationally televised MMA event to the state of South Carolina,” stated Soares. “Cee Jay Hamilton and Jesse Bazzi are two of the top flyweight prospects in the world and will headline LFA 8 on April 7th.”

Tickets for LFA 8 – Hamilton vs. Bazzi are available for purchase NOW at NFC.ThunderTix.com.

Hamilton (10-4) has been unbeatable since making his Legacy FC debut in 2015. The two-time NCWA national champion wrestler used a brutal knee from the Thai Plum to break Brantley Furr’s nose en rote to scoring a highlight reel TKO win at Legacy FC 47. “Hamilton defeats Furr” was a headline that made history buffs take a double take that night and Hamilton has since enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom that parallels the success of the hit Broadway musical that shares his namesake. Hamilton now looks to give an encore performance as he returns to AXS TV in the main event of LFA 8.

“I’m excited to be a part of history in the biggest MMA event to ever come to South Carolina,” stated Hamilton. “This is my time and I will show the world what the south is all about when I get my hand raised at LFA 8.”

Bazzi (6-1) enters the LFA 8 headliner on the heels of a career defining victory in February. He faced Jared Scoggins, the younger brother of UFC star Justin Scoggins, in the main event of a local show in his native Michigan. Scoggins was a perfect 5-0 in MMA and is widely-regarded one of the most dynamic prospects in the division. Bazzi tallied the biggest win of his career over Scoggins that night and also gained a new friend and training partner. Bazzi and Scoggins are now training together in Bazzi’s home state of Michigan before they both head down to Scoggins’ home state of South Carolina to compete at LFA 8.

“I think it’s awesome to be competing for a really big organization like the LFA, which is a developmental organization for the UFC,” Bazzi explained. “It’s a little crazy, but I think it’s great that I will be headlining in my first fight for them. This is where I’m supposed to be at this point in my career. Hamilton is a tough opponent, but everyone has their holes, and I will take advantage of them on April 7th.”

Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):

Main Event | Flyweight Bout (125 lbs)

– Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Jesse Bazzi

Co-Main Event | Welterweight Bout (170 lbs)

– Dave Vitkay vs. Jeremie Holloway

Flyweight Bout (125 lbs)

– Jared Scoggins vs. Juan Puerta

Featherweight Bout (145 lbs)

– Keith Richardson vs. John Queiroz

Lightweight Bout (155 lbs)

– Joe Elmore vs. Ryan Jett

Middleweight Bout (185 lbs)

– Jay Gray vs. Roger Pratcher

Women’s Bantamweight Bout (135 lbs)

– Alexa Conners vs. Calie Cutler

In September, Legacy FC and RFA officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. Legacy FC and RFA have launched the careers of over 100 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.

LFA 8 will serve as the first nationally televised MMA event to take place in the state of South Carolina. It will also be the promotion’s first event to take place on the east coast. Furthermore, it will be the first time the LFA has traveled to “The Palmetto State” of South Carolina before or after the merger. The entire main card of LFA 8 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.