A promotion official confirmed the deal with Sherdog.com on Saturday. Tanaka is expected to compete in LFA’s bantamweight division. LFA has postponed its schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, so a date for Tanaka’s debut is unknown.
Tanaka, 29, has compiled a 13-3 record since beginning his professional tenure in 2010. The Team Alpha Male Japan representative began his career in Shooto before capturing the bantamweight championship in the Pacific Xtreme Combat organization.
The Yokohama, Japan, native debut in the Octagon in June 2014 and went 2-3 in UFC competition, posting victories against Roland Delorme and Joe Soto. He was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2017 following back-to-back losses to Rani Yahya and Ricardo Ramos. Tanaka has won two bouts in a row since then, including a submission of ranked UFC flyweight Rogerio Bontorin.