Jose Delano Shocks Jonas Bilharinho, Featherweight Title Stays Vacant at LFA 126

What a way to close out a WILD fight#LFA126 pic.twitter.com/jdTICWYdKZ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 12, 2022

Despite having two vacant title fights, the Legacy Fighting Alliance crowned only one champion in its return to Brazil.

The main event of the evening was for the LFA featherweight championship, however, only Jonas Bilharinho could win it as late replacement opponent Jose Mauro do Amaral Delano came in one pound heavy. This was more than just a footnote as Delano (10-2) offered up much more of a fight than many pundits expected.

Armed with an unorthodox striking style, Delano was able to get Bilharinho (9-2-1) off his game early on and control the fight at distance by keeping up the pressure and landing damaging flurries of punches. "Joshua" would finally come to life in Round 4, and would have quite a few moments in the final frame, but it was too little, too late as Delano kept walking down his fellow Brazilian. After five rounds of action, Delano walked away with scorecards of 50-45, 50-45 and 48-47 for a unanimous decision victory but no belt.

Meanwhile, the co-main event was for the vacant LFA welterweight title, although only Gabriel de Souza Bonfim was eligible to win it after Eduardo Garvon came in an embarrassing 5.8 pounds heavy. Clearly disrespected, Bonfim (12-0) came out with a fire and quickly took out Garvon (13-4-1). After finding success on the feet, Bonfim was able to lock in an arm-triangle choke to win the 170-pound title. The win came just 1:19 into Round 1.

Ismael Bonfim showed off some impressive striking in what was supposed to be a lightweight bout until Andrey Augusto came in 3.6 pounds heavy. While Augusto (12-3-1) was game, Bonfim (17-3) was clearly the better technical fighter and in better shape as Augusto had little to offer after Round 1 besides lackluster takedown attempts. After three rounds, Bonfim took a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

The lone heavyweight bout on the main card saw undefeated prospects Andre Vieira and Eduardo Jose Neves trade punches. It was Neves (5-0) that kept his record spotless as he quickly knocked out Vieira (5-1) with a well-placed series of punches. The finish came just 1:04 after the fight began.

In the women's bantamweight division, Tamires Vidal faced off against Queila Pereira Americo Braga. It was a striker versus grappler match-up with Vidal (6-1) struggling on the feet but having a clear advantage on the ground over Braga (4-2). Ultimately, the ground advantage for Vidal was too much as she locked in a heel hook that elicited a tap at 3:36 of Round 2.

Light heavyweight prospect Rodolfo Bellato passed a test against the experienced Thiago Vieira. Bellato (8-1) used his superior grappling to control the fight on the ground. Like clockwork, Bellato submitted Vieira with a triangle choke at 4:58 of Round 1.

In the main card's opening bout, Gabriel Braga faced late replacement Rogerio Ferreira Furtado. The two featherweights started throwing early and it was Braga that displayed a clear edge on the feet. The undefeated fighter stayed a step ahead of Furtado (15-10-1) in the final two frames and was awarded three 30-27 scorecards as a result. Braga advances to 7-0 in his career.

In preliminary action, Mateus de Mattos Brauns (8-1) finished Inaildo Santos Moreira (8-1) with punches at 2:10 of Round 1; Lucas Fernando (7-1) picked up a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27) win over Rodrigo Lima Novais (6-3); Lincon Santos (5-1) submitted Marciano Ferreira (6-2) via rear-naked choke at 2:24 of Round 1; Gabriel Costa (6-0) won a majority decision (29-27, 28-28, 29-27) over Vandirson Alves do Nascimento (7-3); and Hyago Silva (4-0) stayed undefeated and picked up a split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) over Matusalem dos Santos Domingos (2-1).