HOUSTON, TX, January 10, 2011 – To begin, we here at TXMMA would like to offer up our sincere congratulations to one of Houston’s finest fighters Daniel “The Pit” Pineda on getting the call up to fight for the UFC. It’s certainly a well-deserved accomplishment for a fighter that’s run roughshod over the competition since making his Legacy FC debut in July 2010. Daniel now leaves the organization as the current Legacy FC featherweight and lightweight champion.
As for his UFC debut, it will come sooner rather than later as he looks to take on 5-0 Pat Schilling on the UFC on FX 1 undercard set to take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN next Friday. Pineda’s bout with Schilling is expected to be the first bout of the evening set to air on FUEL TV.
Looking ahead to his upcoming bout, “The Pit” will be taking on a fellow UFC debut fighter in “Thrilling” Schilling.
A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Pat Schilling was a standout H.S. wrestler in Minnesota before wrestling at NCAA Division II Moorhead State. It’s that skill set that he’s parlayed into success on the regional circuit, where he went 7-0 as an amateur before going 5-0 as a pro heading into bout.
All in all, this has the makings of an exciting first UFC bout for the IV Ounce Fighter so make sure you tune in to watch our hometown guy do work for the first time.
Chances are he won’t be back for awhile.
So what’s next for the Legacy Fighting Championship 145/155 divisions?
We always like to say that rising tides raise all ships.
Looking ahead, Daniel Pineda’s departure to the UFC creates an influx of opportunity for Legacy’s other young fighters to shine. More specifically, the vacancy left includes title belts in two very competitive weight divisions.
So who’s going to pick up the ball where Daniel left it?
The name that most immediately comes to mind is that of 24 year old Justin Reiswerg. Coming off 3 wins in a row in 2011 after almost 2 years of inactivity to hone his game in training, the MTW fighter is a legit blue-chip prospect that’s dangerous anywhere the fight goes and composed enough to take it wherever it comes.
Legacy FC fans won’t have to wait long to see if Reiswerg is indeed the heir-apparent in the 155 division as he is set to take on UFC veteran Patrick Audinwood (10-2-1) on the main card of the Legacy Fighting Championship 10 card scheduled to air on HDNet on February 24th.
In addition to Reiswerg and Audinwood, here are some other names to potentially look out for in the Legacy FC featherweight and lightweight divisions as far as current veterans of the promotion go.
Featherweight Division
Freddy Assuncao (6-1) – The youngest of the fighting Assuncao brothers, Freddy was announced signed to a multi-fight contract by LFC but hasn’t made his debut for the promotion yet. When he does, he’ll become an immediate contender. He already has wins over UFC vets Kit Cope and Felipe Arantes.
Gilbert Jimenez (5-4-1) – “The Pitbull” just made his Legacy debut this past December at Legacy Fighting Championship 9. He lost that night against Daniel Pineda but showed tenacity and promise all the way up to the end. He’s 36 years old but still developing and showing no signs of slowing down physically.
Steven Peterson (6-1) – “Ocho” is currently a top bantamweight (135) contender for Legacy but does have credentials at 145 to his credit, including the featherweight title for the Dallas-based Xtreme Knockout (XKO) promotion. The NDMMA product is a fighter who could easily content at 145 should he decide to make the jump to this weight class.
Lightweight Division
Jesus Rivera (7-2) – “The Spaniard” is a fighter who could make a run for the 155 belt if he decides to put his mind to it. He’s won several fights in a row since 2010 and most recently took out former champ Rey Trujillo on the Dec. 16 Legacy Fighting Championship 9 card. He possesses some of the slickest standup in Houston and would be a force to contend with for anybody they out in his way.
Ray Blodget (5-1) – A former Legacy champion at 155, Ray won his first six bouts consecutively before losing his belt to Daniel Pineda this past April. Taking time off since then, he has since gotten back into training at 4OZ Fight Club and is looking to recapture some of the magic that took him to the belt the first time around. He’ll start by facing the man he beat for that title when he takes on Rey Trujillo on Feb. 24 at Legacy Fighting Championhip 10.
Cody Phillips (Debut) – Is it a reach to put a debuting fighter on this list? Well yeah, it probably is but Phillips is on here for good reason. He left the Legacy Amateur Series with the 155 belt before deciding to go pro and had some impressive performances on the developmental level, including a thrilling Muay Thai duel with current 170 prospect Alex Morono. We’ll be able to tell a lot about where Phillips’ career is headed after next month’s Legacy FC 10 card – where he’s scheduled to take on Jason Carter in his pro debut.
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