LFA 53 takes place at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday (Oct. 9, 2018) at 9pm ET live on AXS TV. Flyweight champion Maikel Perez was slated to defend his title in the main event against Contender Series veteran Casey Kenney, however Perez was injured and Brandon Royval took his place. Instead this matchup is for the LFA interim flyweight title.
Kenney (9-1-1) is coming off a unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Roman Salazar at LFA 44. The 27-year-old’s lone loss was a split decision setback to Adam Antolin at Dana White’s Contender Series in Aug. 2017. Royval (8-3) heads into this title fight on a three-fight winning streak, including a unanimous decision victory over Charles Johnson at LFA 48 in September. The Factory X standout is 7-2 in his last nine fights.
Here’s my interview with Kenney
The co-main event pits top welterweight prospect Kyle Stewart against Braden Smith
Stewart (10-1) is coming off the first loss of his career when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to LFA welterweight champion and undefeated MMA Lab product James Nakashima at LFA 46. Interestlinly enough, Stewart now trains at The MMA Lab alongside Nakashima as he looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Smith (8-2) had his five-fight win streak snapped in his last fight when he lost via TKO to Chauncey Foxworth at LFA 18. The 22-year-old hasn’t fought since Aug. 2017.
Here’s my interview with Stewart
MMAOddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for LFA 53 moments ago via Several Bookmakers:
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LFA 53: Royval vs. Kenney
NOVEMBER 9, 2018
Comerica Theatre | Phoenix, Arizona
Main Card – AXS TV, 10 p.m. ET
Interim Flyweight Title
Brandon Royval +165
Casey Kenney -215
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Welterweight
Braden Smith +400
Kyle Stewart -600
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CLICK BELOW TO BET ON LFA 53
