LFA 65 Results: Royval Submits Sanchez in First Round

AXS TV had the action again from Legacy Fighting Alliance’s 65th production, going down in Colorado. And in the main event, the Centennial State’s own Brandon “Raw Dog” Royval represented his backyard right.

Brandon Royval def. Joby Sanchez by first-round armbar

Leading up to Friday’s show, Brandon Royval was not shy about describing himself as an in-your-face, warring flyweight. But after submitting Joby Sanchez inside of one round, he should be considered the bantamweight division’s new problem.

Par for the course, Royval met his man in the center of the cage. The next three minutes were some kind of ride. Both man traded freewheeling shots until the 26-year-old Colorado native tried to get Sanchez to the mat. Sanchez, a UFC veteran, was able to thwart his overzealous opponent’s efforts and latch onto to a weak D’Arce. But Royval’s training at Factory X paid dividends, as he transitioned out of danger.

Off his back, Royval secured an armbar of Sanchez’s left arm and let physics take care of the rest until referee Tom Johnson stepped in when Sanchez tapped at the 3:17 mark.

Considering the LFA has become a promising pipeline to the UFC, and the MMA conglomerate’s flyweight division dissolving, Royval said a jump up to 135 pounds will soon be in the works.

Fighting off an octagon veteran like Sanchez, and rebounding from a decision loss for the LFA title in his previous outing, tonight looked like the Raw Dog was barking up a bigger and brighter challenges.

Joanderson Brito def. Jose Mariscal by first-round KO

In the co-main event, Brazil’s “Tubarao” Brito pushed his winning streak to 11. This time by ferocious knockout, busting Elevation Fight Team’s Jose Mariscal’s four-fight winning streak. His cracking punches punctuated Brito’s LFA debut.

Rest of the card

Matt Jones def. Youssef Zalal by split decision
Pauline Macias def. Sarah Shell by unanimous decision
Adam Stroup def. Hayward Charles by unanimous decision
Adam Martinez def. Cory Galloway by third-round submission (guillotine choke)
Daniel Argueta def. Max Rojas by first-round TKO

Amateur contests
Carmen Sage def. Tayler Sprowl by split decision
Anthony Pineda def. Matthew Powers by third-round TKO
Jota Ninomiya def. Daniel Nieto by second-round TKO