By Press Release

HOUSTON, Texas – Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will bring a championship doubleheader to South Dakota at LFA 37. The promotion will crown its king and queen of the flyweight division as both the men’s and women’s vacant 125-pound titles will be on the line.

The main event of LFA 37 will crown a new LFA flyweight champion when South Dakota native Sid “Vicious” Bice battles Cuban Olympic wrestler “Super” Maikel Perez for the vacant strap. The co-main event of LFA 37 will crown a new LFA women’s flyweight champion when Colombian knockout sensation Sabina Mazo faces Colorado powerhouse Shannon Sinn for the vacant women’s title.  LFA 37 – Bice vs. Perez takes place Friday, April 20th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“LFA 37 will continue our exciting history in South Dakota that began with the RFA in August 2014,” stated Soares. “We brought the first sanctioned MMA event to the state at RFA 17, we hosted the first MMA world title fight in the state, and now we will bring the first women’s world title fight to ‘The Mount Rushmore State’ at LFA 37.”

Tickets will go on sale at 10 am cst on Tuesday 3-20-18 through Ticketmaster.com.

Bice (8-1) is widely considered one of the top flyweight prospects in MMA as well as one of the best fighters to hail from “The Mount Rushmore State”. The Winner, South Dakota native, who wrestled collegiately in Sioux Falls at Augustana University, made a successful return to his homestate after signing with LFA last year. “Sid Vicious” won both of his fights for LFA in Sioux Falls by establishing his signature frenetic pace that he uses to outclass his opponents with movement, dominant wrestling, and precise striking. The 28-year-old Factory X Muay Thai product, who is based in Denver, now looks to win gold in his home state at LFA 37.

Perez (6-1) is a former Olympian and Cuban national wrestling team member. The 34-year-old began competing on Cuba’s national team at international tournaments when he was 17-years-old. This included competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. “Super Maikel” also represented Cuba at the 2009 World Championships and the 2006 and 2009 Pan American Championships. Perez took the gold medal at 60 kg at the 2009 Pan American Championships. Perez, who trains at Kings MMA in southern California, now looks to add more gold to his trophy case at LFA 37. He will get that chance in front of the same fans he impressed last summer at LFA 19.

Mazo (4-0) is one of MMA’s breakout stars of 2017. The 20-year-old Colombian signed with LFA when she was 19-years-old and quickly burst onto the global scene last April at LFA 9. This happened when she knocked out 82nd Airborne Army veteran Jamie Thorton with a jaw-dropping head kick that went viral and was featured on every major MMA website as well as mainstream outlets such as USA Today. The Kings MMA product, who trains alongside Perez, then doubled-down in her sophomore appearance for LFA by knocking out Minnesota National Guard member Linsey Williams with another first round head kick. The “Colombian Queen” is now looking for her crown and perhaps a hat trick head kick KO courtesy of one of the most lethal high kicks in MMA.

Sinn (5-5) is one of the most physically imposing women in the flyweight division. Her statuesque physique, aggressive fighting style, and technical grappling have made her a fan favorite. The Colorado native also happens to train alongside two of the best female fighters in the world, UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and UFC women’s flyweight #1 contender Valentina Shevchenko. Sinn’s world-class training partners, take-on-all-comers mentality, and relentless work ethic has allowed the 38-year-old Coloradan to enjoy a career resurgence that includes back-to-back wins over the 2016 RFA Fans’ Choice “Prospect of the Year” Katy Collins as well as former LFA title challenger Heather Bassett. She now looks for her crowning moment by capturing LFA gold.

LFA 37 will feature the fourth championship doubleheader to take place in the state of South Dakota as well as the first-ever women’s world title fight to take place inside “The Mount Rushmore State”. The first three championship doubleheaders (six overall title fights) were contested under the RFA banner.

RFA visited South Dakota a total of four times and produced an incredible amount of talent at those four events. Ten fighters went on to compete for the UFC and five more would go on to fight for Bellator. Christos Giagos, Luke Sanders, Devin Clark, Geane Herrera, Khalil Rountree, Matthew Lopez, Terrion Ware, Jordan Johnson, Joe Gigliotti, and Brian Camozzi are the ten fighters that competed for the RFA in South Dakota before signing with the UFC. Justin Lawrence, Mark Dickman, Francisco France, Leandro Higo, and Logan Storley are the five fighters that competed for the RFA in South Dakota before signing with Bellator.

RFA 37 was the final RFA event in the state of South Dakota, before the merger, and it was featured on UFC President Dana White’s hit reality show Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight. Five fighters from that event were signed to the UFC and another two signed with Bellator. That includes every fighter that won on the main card and another fighter that won on the undercard. LFA 37 looks to continue this tradition of success in the state.

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

Main Event | Flyweight Title Bout (125 lb)

– Sid Bice (8-1) vs. Maikel Perez (6-1)

Co-Main Event | Women’s Flyweight Title Bout (125 lb)

– Sabina Mazo (4-0) vs. Shannon Sinn (5-5)

Welterweight But (170 lb)

– Jordon Larson (8-4) vs. Clarence Jordan (10-4-1)

Lightweight Bout (155 lb)

– Bryce Logan (8-2) vs. Dakota Bush (4-0)

In September 2016, RFA and Legacy FC officials announced that they would be merging to form the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) starting in January 2017. RFA and Legacy FC have launched the careers of over 150 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.

LFA 37 will serve as the third LFA event to take place in the state of South Dakota. RFA visited “The Mount Rushmore State” four times before the merger. That includes RFA 17, which was the first sanctioned MMA event to take place in the state of South Dakota. Further information about LFA 37 will be announced soon. The entire main card of LFA 37 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.