Utah MMA Pioneer Faces Fellow UFC Veteran In LFA 66 Co-Main Event

It was recently announced that Legacy Fighting Alliance would be heading to Utah in May. The card now has a high-profile fight between two popular UFC veterans that will serve as the LFA 66 co-headliner.

The co-main event will bring a welterweight showdown to the Salt Lake City metro area when Utah MMA pioneer Josh Burkman returns to his hometown to battle fellow UFC veteran William Macário. LFA 66 – Diamond vs. Neal takes place Friday, May 10th at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The entire main card will be televised live on AXS TV at 8 pm CT.

Burkman (28-17) is one of the longest tenured fighters in UFC welterweight history; 19 of his 45 career bouts have come inside the UFC octagon. Burkman will now return to his hometown on Friday, May 10th in the co-main event of LFA 66. This will be his first fight in his home state of Utah in nearly 7 years.

Macário (9-4) will be the man tasked with fighting Burkman in his highly-anticipated return to Utah. The man known as “Patolino” (Daffy Duck in Brazilian-Portuguese) is 12 years younger with less than a third of the pro MMA experience than his veteran American opponent, but they still share some interesting similarities. While Burkman was a cast member on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, Patolino was a cast member on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Patolino picked up wins over Thiago Santos, Tiago Alves, and Viscardi Andrade on the show to reach The Finale. He would fight for the UFC four times. He then picked up a pair of wins in his native Brazil before signing with LFA last summer.

The previously announced main event of LFA 66 will feature a high-stakes featherweight showdown when UFC veteran Tyler Diamond (9-1) squares off with top undefeated prospect Jon Neal (10-0). Diamond made his UFC debut last summer after reaching the semi-finals on the twenty-seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. The Team Alpha Male standout will meet Utah’s top prospect in the marquee bout of LFA 66. Neal holds a flawless 10-0 record in MMA after competing against the top competition in his home state for more than a decade. The One Hit MMA product is a decorated multi-division champion who is eager to showcase his skills in front of a nationally televised audience for the first time.

Fight Card (Subject to Change):
Main Card (AXS TV)

145 – Tyler Diamond (9-1) vs Jon Neal (10-0)

170 – Josh Burkman (28-17) vs William “Patolino” Macário (9-4)

145 – Andrew Tenneson (7-1) vs Westin Wilson (7-3)

205 – Emillio Trevino (4-0) vs Joe Rodriguez (8-5)

155 – Bobby King (6-2) vs Fabio Serrão (9-6)

125 – Kaytlin Neil (4-3) vs Lisa Mauldin (2-0)

135 – Hunter Azure (5-0) vs L.J. Schulz (6-4)

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