LAS VEGAS – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced details about the promotion’s sophomore event in New York. The main event of LFA 139 will feature an intercontinental showdown between two exciting lightweight stars when the promotion returns to the Empire State. LFA 139 will be the second LFA event to take place in the state.
LFA 139 takes place Friday, August 19 at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. The main event will feature a lightweight showdown between Canadian kingpin Adam “Maverick” Assenza and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Junior “The Fortaleza Kid” Melo. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET.
“We are excited to return to New York this summer,” Soares said. “The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino is a AAA Four Diamond Award-winning resort that hosted our first event in New York back in February. We will return to the venue with Adam Assenza and Junior Melo in the main event of LFA 139. Assenza is a regional champion in Canada, while Melo is coming off one of the top knockouts of the year. This is the perfect headliner for our passionate fight fans in the Empire State.”
Tickets for “LFA 139: Assenza vs. Melo” are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
Assenza (16-6) is set to make his highly-anticipated LFA debut after establishing himself as one of the most dominant lightweight forces hailing from the “Great White North” of Canada. Assenza is a native of Burlington, Ontario, which is part of the Greater Toronto Area. It is there where he created a loyal fan following and national acclaim in Canada by winning fights mainly in his home province of Ontario.
The 34-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2011, but has really come into his own over the past three years. In that time, he has won six consecutive fights, which includes notable wins over UFC veteran Cody Pfister, Pancrase standout Kazuma Maruyama, as well as a pair of LFA veterans Dominic Clark and Hamilton Ash. Now the inaugural BTC lightweight champion, physical therapist, and model/actor is ready to make a splash on the global stage of MMA as he heads south of the border to headline LFA 139.
Melo (11-5) is a Brazilian fighter that lives by the Latin proverb Audaces Fortuna Juvat (fortune favors the bold). In March, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt made his LFA debut on just four days’ notice. LFA fan favorite Tommy Aaron had lost his opponent and Melo did not hesitate to take the fight and make his long-awaited American soil debut. The decorated grappler shocked the crowd by knocking out the talented striker just 97-seconds into the bout. The knockout changed his career. First it went viral online, then it earned him a “Knockout of the Night” bonus, and now it has him in position to headline his first LFA event later this summer.
The man affectionately known as “The Fortaleza Kid” built his strong reputation fighting in Brazil predominantly in his home state of Ceara in northeastern Brazil, but now the 27-year-old looks to do the same in the United States as he just won in California and now heads to New York at LFA 139.
