LFA 182 Card Update: Debut of NCAA D1 All-American Wrestler Michael Blockhus Announced

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced a massive fight card update with bouts totaling a baker’s dozen when the promotion celebrates the 10-year anniversary of MMA in the state of South Dakota later this month at LFA 182. The main event of the stacked fight card will feature a bantamweight showdown between Midwest rivals and two of the sport’s most promising prospects. This will be the eighteenth LFA event to take place in the state. RFA hosted four events in the “Mount Rushmore State” before the merger of RFA and Legacy FC that created LFA.

LFA 182, presented by BETONLINE, takes place Friday, April 26th at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The main event will feature a bantamweight showdown when NCAA Division I All-American wrestler “Merciless” Mitch McKee faces regional kingpin Jose “Nano” Hernandez. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“We are excited to celebrate 10-years of MMA in the state of South Dakota with a stacked fight card at LFA 182,” stated Soares. “We brought the first sanctioned MMA event to The Mount Rushmore State back in 2014 and we are ready to celebrate that milestone with a mega event at the Sanford Pentagon on Friday, April 26th. LFA 182 includes thirteen bouts with a headliner featuring top bantamweight prospects Mitch McKee and Jose Hernandez. McKee is an All-American wrestler from the University of Minnesota, while Hernandez is a regional champion that prides himself on being a wrestler’s kryptonite. The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is one of our most frequented destinations and this fight card is loaded with top international, national, and local talent to celebrate the sport’s incredible decade-long history in the state.”

Tickets for LFA 182: McKee vs. Hernandez are available for purchase now through Ticketmaster.com.

McKee (5-0) is one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever compete for the NCAA Division I wrestling powerhouse program at the University of Minnesota. Likewise, he is now one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers currently competing in professional MMA. During his time competing for the Golden Gophers, McKee was a one-time All-American, four-time NCAA National Qualifier, two-time U.S. Junior Freestyle Wrestling National Champion, and currently ranks twelfth all-time for the program with 33 career pins. The man known as “Merciless” has been just as merciless in the Octagon as he was on the mats. In five career MMA bouts, he finished his first four opponents by knockout or technical knockout with the fifth victory winning the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Fight of the Year in 2023. That perfect 5-0 run also includes a pair of wins in the Sanford Pentagon.

Hernandez (4-1) is a man that grew up in Kearney, Nebraska, which is the town where the RFA got its start. In fact, he began his amateur MMA career after seeing the promotion host four of its first five events in the Central Nebraska city. Later, after RFA merged with Legacy FC to create LFA, the promotion returned to Kearney in September 2018. One month later, “Nano” decided to make his professional MMA debut and the rest is history. The proud Nebraskan has benefited from growing up in a wrestling hotbed with a heavy MMA presence and that influence has been transparent in his fighting style. Known as a “wrestler killer”, Hernandez has built a reputation in the bantamweight division for dismantling some of its top wrestlers. This was on full display in his last bout, when he ended the 8-fight win streak of regional champion and collegiate wrestler Alan Olivas.

LFA 182 will also feature the LFA debut of Michael Blockhus (1-0), who is one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers to enter MMA in recent years. In fact, Blockhus will be returning to MMA just one month after competing at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. During his spectacular wrestling career at the University of Minnesota, he became an NCAA Division I All-American, a four-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier, and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Honoree.&#a0;Blockhus now joins LFA 182 headliner Mitch McKee, former UFC champion Brock Lesnar, and former Bellator champions Logan Storley and Cole Konrad as Golden Gopher greats that made the jump to MMA. The man welcoming Blockhus to the LFA Octagon is Jonathan Griffin (3-3), who is currently riding a 2-fight win streak. Griffin is an experienced MMA veteran with 15 amateur bouts and 6 professional bouts to his credit. The submission specialist trains out of CCMAF and 10th Planet Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Currently Announced Fight Card (Main Card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS):

Main Event | Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)

Mitch McKee (5-0) vs. Jose Hernandez (4-1)

Co-Main Event | Catchweight Bout (140 lb)

Khasein Shaikhaev (6-1) vs. Michel Lima (18-5)

Lightweight Bout (155 lb)

Nikita Kulshin (5-0) vs. Cedric Gunnison (7-2)

Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)

Darrion Caldwell (14-7) vs. Tarcisio Romano (11-5-1)

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

Haris Talundeik (6-2) vs. Keyth Dawson (4-5)

Lightweight Bout (155 lb)

Michael Blockhus (1-0) vs. Jonathan Griffin (3-3)

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

Nate Smith (7-4) vs. Christian Ynastrilla (10-4)

Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)

Kendra McIntyre (2-1) vs. Katarina Legorreta (2-0)

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

M, A, Yah II (2-0) vs. James Martin (1-0)

Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

Shad Walters (2-0) vs. Nicholas Gjelaj (1-0)

Women’s Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

Cheyanne Bowers (3-1) vs. Naomie Young (1-1)

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

Jeff Nielsen (2-3) vs. Zeb Vincent (2-0)

Light-Heavyweight Bout (205 lb)

Tavlin Hunt (3-0) vs. Sean Krebbs (4-3)