Nova Uniao product and RFA flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja put Legacy FC champ Damacio Page to sleep to claim the inaugural AXS TV superfight belt at 125 pounds.
Pantoja relentlessly worked for a submission until he cinched a triangle choke late in the second frame, sending Page slumping forward when the referee broke the two at the end of the round.
The impressive finish put an exclamation point on a co-promotional effort between RFA and Legacy FC, capping a night of matchups between fighters from both promotions.
For fans that were counting, the RFA came out on top, winning three of four bouts in cross-promotional competition at Horseshoe Tunica Resort & Casino in Robinsonville, Miss. The event, “AXS TV Fights: RFA vs. Legacy Superfight,” aired live on AXS TV.
Page (19-10) twice rocked Pantoja with punches in the opening frame, but played with fire when he went to the mat with the Brazilian fighter, whose active guard kept him from doing much damage. The loss reversed a spectacular KO of Brian Hall to claim the Legacy FC flyweight belt, while Pantoja (16-2) extends his win streak to nine bouts.
Sanders batters rock-headed Ware and stays undefeated
For five rounds, Luke Sanders battered Terrion Ware around the cage, and Ware simply wouldn’t go away.
In fact, Ware would put him on his heels for most of the final frame as he soldiered on despite a left eye that was swollen shut and a huge deficit on the scorecards.
Still, Sanders proved to be too much for his opponent, earning a unanimous decision via scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 to defend his RFA bantamweight title.
Other than a few lapses in which he caught clean counters to the jaw, it was pretty much one-way traffic for Sanders, who remains undefeated at 10-0 and likely will be in line to graduate to the UFC.
Only Ware’s toughness spoiled the party for Sanders (10-0), who resorted to a takedown attempt in the fourth and did the minimum to keep away his surging foe in the fight’s final moments. Ware (13-4) drops to 2-2 in his last four outings.
“Fight Master” finalist claims Legacy title
Lightweight veteran Mike Bronzoulis held back the persistent Dave Burrow to claim the Legacy FC title in a unanimous decision.
Bronzoulis, a finalist on “Bellator MMA: Fight Master,” kept Burrow from executing the armbar that had caught other opponents and made sure to make him pay for every attempt. Judges unanimously gave him the title fight via scores of 49-46 twice and 48-47
The latter score was a good reflection of Burrow’s tenacity and ability to hurt Bronzoulis where he was strongest – on the feet. In the fourth frame, a left hook was the strongest blow of the bout, leaving Bronzoulis on wobbly legs. When the final round arrived, it was Bronzoulis who shot for a takedown.
Thankfully, Burrow’s efforts to secure takedowns and submissions had drained him of energy, allowing Bronzoulis to dominate the final frame and end the fight with back mount.
Bronzoulis (18-8-1) has now won three straight in Legacy competition while Burrow (13-6) sees a five-fight streak, including a surprise armbar of UFC vet Anthony Njokuani, come to an end.
Adam Townsend grits teeth to beat Yuri Villefort
RFA lightweight Adam Townsend picked up the biggest win of his professional career by wearing down UFC vet Yuri Villefort over three rounds.
Townsend picked up a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28, walking down Villefort and taking punches to give them.
In the third, one shot briefly put Villefort out on his feet, though he recovered and continued to counter-punch effectively, as he’d done in the previous rounds.
Townsend, however, simply refused to capitulate, marching forward and pressuring Villefort with big punches and a body kick. Villefort banked heavily on a guillotine choke and went downhill after coming up short.
Townsend (13-3) has now won seven straight while Villefort (6-5) has lost five straight after winning his first six bouts.
Brian Hall triumphant in return
Former Legacy flyweight contender Brian Hall rebounded from a concussive KO loss to Damacio Page to notch a quick submission over RFA rep Kevin Gray.
Gray tried to muscle Hall with his wrestling skills, ducking under punches to take the fight to the mat. But Hall forced him to scramble with a submission attempts, and with the two upright, repaid him with knees to the head.
After taking one hard shot, Gray (5-2) charged and elevated Hall (8-3) for a double leg takedown, only to expose his neck and provide a guillotine opportunity. At 1:59 of the first round, he was forced to tap out.
Bojan Velickovic outmaneuvers Charles Byrd
In a preview of the competitiveness on display between the promotions, welterweights Charles Byrd and Bojan Velickovic went 15 minutes with no finish in sight.
It was RFA vet Velickovic, though, who consistently scored points with superior positioning on the ground and submission attempts that forced Legacy regular Byrd to scramble.
Byrd’s brightest moment came in the first round after he dropped Velickovic with a right hand, nearly finishing the bout with a flurry of ground and pound. Velickovic was able to recover, however, and asserted himself on the mat with kimura and guillotine attempts in the second.
In the final minute of the three-rounder, Velickovic (11-3) put a stamp on his performance by taking mount on Byrd (6-4). Judges unanimously scored the fight for the RFA vet, 30-27.
AXS TV: RFA vs. Legacy Superfight results:
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Damacio Page via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 5:00
- Luke Sanders def. Terrion Ware via unanimous decision (50-45 50-45, 49-46)
- Mike Bronzoulis def. Dave Burrow via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Adam Townsend def. Yuri Villefort via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Brian Hall def. Kevin Gray via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:59
- Bojan Velickovic def. Charles Byrd via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
RFA vs. Legacy Superfight Results: Alexandre Pantoja KO Damacio Page
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