LFA 203: Satybaldiev vs. Soares is set for March 6

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will return to the “Fight Capital of the World” at LFA 203. The sophomore LFA event in Las Vegas will feature a World Championship headliner in the light-heavyweight division. This event will take place at the Palms Casino Resort on the week of UFC 313, which also takes place in Las Vegas just two nights later. LFA 203 will be the first LFA event to be held on a Thursday. The event will be the second LFA event to take place in the state of Nevada.
LFA 203: Satybaldiev vs. Soares, presented by Monster Energy, takes place Thursday, March 6th at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature a Light-Heavyweight Title Bout when champion Uran “Gorilla” Satybaldiev defends his title for the first time against top contender Leon “Ogro” Soares. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 11 p.m. ET /8 p.m. PT.
Tickets for LFA 203: Satybaldiev vs. Soares are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
“We are excited to bring a World Championship headliner to Las Vegas at LFA 203,” stated Soares. “Uran Satybaldiev is the reigning LFA light-heavyweight world champion and the first person from Kyrgyzstan to win an LFA crown. He will return to defend his title against top Brazilian prospect and professional kickboxer Leon Soares. This is a big week for the 205-pound division in Las Vegas as former LFA star Alex Pereira will also defend his title just two nights later in the main event of UFC 313.”
Satybaldiev (7-1) is ready to return to defend his Light-Heavyweight World Title for the first time after winning his first two bouts on American for the promotion in Northern California. This came after the top 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 an undeniable talent 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 at LFA 165. The man known as “Gorilla” won the fight by utilizing his strong Sambo base to control the fight. He then raised the stakes by finishing former LFA title challenger and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Bruno Assis to take the title at LFA 178. Now the decorated grappler and Kok Boru expert looks to earn his third straight win over a Brazilian for the promotion.
Soares (9-2) is looking to become the LFA’s ninth light-heavyweight champion and just its third 205-pound champion from Brazil. In order to accomplish this feat, he will have to do something that two other Brazilians failed to do and that is defeat Satybaldiev. Soares hails from Goiânia, which is the capital city of Goiás in the Central-West Region of Brazil. This is the state in the middle of Brazil that surrounds the Federal District of Brazil, which is where the nation’s capital Brasília is located. Brasília is where Soares trains alongside Ismael and Gabriel Bonfim. The Bonfim brothers were stars in the LFA before signing with the UFC with Gabriel winning the LFA Welterweight World Title. In fact, both Bonfim brothers will be competing in Las Vegas at UFC Vegas 102 just three weeks before Soares’ title fight. Soares is a dynamic prospect cut from the same cloth as the Bonfim brothers and supplements his MMA career with professional kickboxing experience. The man affectionately known as “Ogro” (Ogre) will need to channel all of his combat sports experience as he has a chance to capture LFA gold on a monster weekend for his division.
Currently Announced Fight Card (Main Card on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Light-Heavyweight Title Bout (205 lb)
Uran Satybaldiev (7-1) vs. Leon Soares (9-2)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Stav Koren (5-0) vs. Chase Whitmer (3-1)
Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)
Azizbek Temirov (5-0) vs. Daniel Araújo (5-0)
Flyweight Bout (125 lb)
An Tuan Ho (6-1) vs. Micah Haas (6-0)

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.
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