LFA 178: Satybaldiev vs. Assis is set for March 8
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to Northern California in March. LFA 178 will feature an interim light-heavyweight title fight when the promotion returns to the Golden State. This will be the seventeenth LFA event to take place in the state.
LFA 178: Satybaldiev vs. Assis, presented by BetOnline, takes place Friday, March 8th at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California. The main event will feature an interim light-heavyweight title fight between Sambo master Uran “Gorilla” Satybaldiev and BJJ black belt Bruno “Brunão” Assis. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“We are excited to bring an LFA title fight to Northern California at LFA 178,” stated Soares. “Uran Satybaldiev is a regional champion in Central Asia and the top light-heavyweight prospect from Kyrgyzstan. He will face former LFA title challenger and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Bruno Assis for the interim light-heavyweight title. The winner will then get a chance to unify the title against the winner of the LFA 175 main event, Bruno Lopes vs. Marcos Brigagão, later this year.”
Tickets for LFA 178: Satybaldiev vs. Assis are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
Satybaldiev (6-1) is excited to return to the building where he made his long-awaited American soil debut last summer for the LFA. This came after the 29-year-old Kyrgyz fighter made a name for himself fighting in his native Kyrgyzstan as well as Kazakhstan and Russia. During his time competing in Central Asia, Satybaldiev became a regional champion in his home country and quickly emerged as the “next big thing” from a nation that has produced all-time great Valentina Shevchenko and rising star Mykytybek Orolbai. Satybaldiev now looks to take the same path as them by excelling in the LFA before becoming a star in the UFC. The first step on that journey was accomplished when he defeated Brazilian veteran Gabriel Thimoteo via Unanimous Decision at LFA 165. The man known as “Gorilla” won the fight by utilizing his strong Sambo base to control the fight. He now looks to up the stakes by taking on a former LFA title challenger, Dana White’s Contender Series alum, and fellow grappling expert. If successful, he will be the first fighter to bring an LFA title back to the emerging MMA hotbed of Kyrgyzstan.
Assis (13-6) returns to the LFA Octagon looking to pick up where he left off after successfully making the move up to 205-pounds in 2022. The three-sport black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Karate is now looking to capture LFA gold in the light-heavyweight division after previously fighting for the LFA middleweight title. The Brazilian known as “Brunão” trains at American Top Team (ATT) in south Florida alongside former LFA two-division champion Josh Silveira. That gave the submission ace great insight during his transition between the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions. The 31-year-old is a well-respected veteran after making a name for himself in MMA, when he headlined the second-ever Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil in the summer of 2018. However, he solidified his spot as a top contender in his last outing. That moment came against fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jesse Murray in the main event of LFA 145, where he submitted the American with an armbar in the first round. Now Assis takes aim at the LFA interim light-heavyweight title in his second attempt to capture LFA gold.
Currently Announced Fight Card:
Main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Main Event | Interim Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)
Uran Satybaldiev (6-1) vs. Bruno Assis (13-6)
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
