LFA 144 ended in incredible walk-off fashion.
With the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title up for grabs, Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Muin Gafurov took on Diego Silva in the feature bout of the event which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Gafurov (18-4) wasted little time implementing his aggressive grappling in the opening rounds. In the few moments the fight was spent on the feet, Gafurov kept Silva (15-8) on his back foot with hard strikes as well.
In the second frame, Silva locked in an armbar as Gafurov controlled from the top, and the submission attempt was a solid one. However, the Tajikistan fighter remained calm and eventually worked his arm free. Gafurov would go on to control Silva on the mat for the remainder of the round.
Early in the third round, Gafurov connected with a beautifully-timed spinning back kick to the liver that immediately shut down Silva, causing him to crash to the canvas as he writhed in pain.
Check out video of the highlight knockout below (via Twitter):
Bottles are popping in Tajikistan! #AndNew
Muin Gafurov!!! #LFA144 pic.twitter.com/fg2CvJ39lz
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 15, 2022
Following a split decision loss in his appearance on DWCS last September, Gafurov rebounded with a second-round finish of Herbeth Sousa at LFA 134 in June. Friday’s result marked the second-straight highlight reel finish for the UFC hopeful.
Results from the main card of LFA 144 include:
- Muin Gafurov def. Diego Silva via knockout (spinning back kick) – Round 3, 0:23
- Jordan Heiderman def. Daiqwon Buckley via submission (Americana) – Round 1, 3:17
- Yuma Horiuchi def. Juan Puerta via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:23
- Renato Valente def. Jared Revel via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:07
- Christian Natividad def. Israel Galvan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jacobi Jones def. Christian Turner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:25