By TXMMA Staff // Emil Fischer
Previewing the Legacy FC 46 main card, event scheduled for this Friday Night in Dallas area
On Friday October 2nd Legacy FC 46 will showcase an amazing card of hungry and aggressive fighters. This time around a plethora of fighters to watch includes rising prospect and one of Texas’ likely next UFC level fighters, Steven Peterson. He takes on an undefeated prospect out of the Blackzilians camp, Irwin Rivera. Also fighting is undefeated flyweight Jason Sampson as he takes on Oklahoma rep Archie Lowe. BJJ world champion Rafael Lovato Jr. is also on the card and against a top Texas-based prospect in late replacement Kevin Holland. The list goes on and on.
Here are the TXMMA predictions for the LFC 46 main card:
Legacy FC 46 – Main Card Preview and Predictions
135 lbs.: Irwin Rivera vs. Steven Peterson
This bantamweight matchup features a veteran of the sport, Steven Peterson being tested by a hungry newcomer in Irwin Rivera. Rivera, a member of the Blackzilians, is currently undefeated with 4 wins and no losses, has knocked out two of his opponents and taken two to decision. A Plano Texas resident and member of team Octagon MMA, Peterson is 12 and 4 only suffering one stoppage by knockout. He has a proclivity for the submission game but has knocked more people out in his competitive career than his opponent has even fought.
This fight will be a scrappy but will likely end with a stoppage for Peterson, likely by submission. This fight is a bit of a mismatch given the relative lack of experience on the part of Rivera but it’ll be interesting to see what the undefeated newcomer has to bring to the table.
Prediction: Steven Peterson over Irwin Rivera by submission (armbar), RD1
125 lbs.: Archie Lowe vs. Jason Sampson
Another mismatch, this flyweight fight between Archie Lowe (who holds a record of 6 wins and 6 losses) against Jason Sampson (12 and 1) should be intriguing.
Hailing from Coppell Texas, Hero MMA’s Sampson has a strong preference for the submission game, though he did recently beat Joseph Sandoval by TKO. Expect an exciting fast paced fight from Sampson, 7 of his 12 professional wins came in the first round.
Ponca City Oklahoma’s Archie Lowe is a submission sniper who has fallen victim to his own game more than a couple of times. With 6 wins (5 by submission) and 6 losses (4 by submission) he is likely going to bring a dynamic ground game.
Expect to see both fighters embrace the ground game with the more experienced and successful Sampson scoring the finish. It shouldn’t take very long either.
Prediction: Jason Sampson over Archie Lowe by Submission (RNC), RD1
170 lbs.: Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Kevin Holland
For jiu jitsu fans, this fight is the main event of the evening. Rafael Lovato Jr. is one of the main men of modern jiu jitsu. A brief glance at his resume indicates that this is going to be an exciting step for Lovato as he is going into only his second mma fight.
The welterweight bout between Lovato and Kevin Holland will be one to watch. Holland is the more experienced fighter in MMA with 4 wins and 1 loss finishing his wins showing an equal proclivity for striking and grappling. He’s also a purple belt under Travis Lutter so he’s not exactly a stranger to the grappling game. It’s safe to say he’s nowhere near the level of his opponent though, and that’s not a knock on him. Meanwhile, Rafael is definitely known for his BJJ but it is less known that his boxing experience extends way back to his youth. He’s well-rounded as well.
Expect Lovato to stuff all attempts by Holland and to use his superior jiu jitsu to finish the fight early with strikes from the top.
Prediction Rafael Lovato Jr. over Kevin Holland by TKO, RD1
145 lbs.: Ricardo Ramos vs. Cody Walker
The featherweight matchup between Ricardo Ramos and Cody Walker is a fascinating one. A Brazilian fighting for Black Sheep MMA, Ramos has a 7 and 0 record 6 by stoppage. The crafty Texan Cody Walker fighting out of Dallas has 5 wins and 2 losses all of his wins by stoppage. This is going to be a violent fight.
Walker is very likely going to try to go toe to toe against the Brazilian. Don’t be surprised when the Texan rookie knocks out the Ramos in the third round.
Prediction: Cody Walker over Ricardo Ramos by KO, RD3
185 lbs.: Andrew Parker vs. Victor Reyna
Andrew Parker (6-1) and Victor Reyna (5-2) are perhaps the most evenly matched competitors on this card. The two welterweights have each fought 7 times with Parker being slightly more successful.
Arlington Texas’ Parker has a preference for submissions while Fort Worth Texas’ Reyna has a tendency to knock his opponents out. Both fighters’ losses come from the areas which they are less adept, with Parker’s loss being by TKO and Reyna’s by submission.
The two fighters are very equal, but Parker will very likely have the edge given his more successful record.
Expect this bout to go to a split decision for Parker.
Prediction: Andrew Parker over Victor Reyna by Split Decision
145 lbs.: Eliazar Rodriguez vs. George Pacurariu
These two Texas based featherweights round out the main card of this event. George Pacurariu (9-4) vs. Eliazar Rodriguez (7-4) is an interesting and ambitious matchup.
Pacurariu is the more experienced fighter, being a Bellator vet who has fought overseas, but two of his losses came by knockout. On the other side of the card, Rodriguez is a versatile fighter who is comfortable with a submission game as well as knocking his opponents out.
A win over Pacurariu would be big for Rodriguez, but he’ll have to be extremely focused to accomplish this. Pacurariu will be very difficult to finish, so chances are fans will see this bout go the distance.
Prediction Eliazar Rodriguez over George Pacurariu by Unanimous Decision
LFC 46 Undercard Quick Picks
- Sean Holden def. Dakoyah Atnip by unanimous decision
- Levi Mowles def. Jacob Norsworthy by submission
- Jessie Vasquez def. Josh Nealy by TKO
- Cody Owens def. Evers Anderson by decision
- Camron Couch def. Dylan Giguere by submission
- Robert Mozsiek def. Jon Camero by decision