LAS VEGAS, Nevada — LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will make its first trip to Connecticut on a special Saturday engagement in March with a Championship Headliner at LFA 204. In the main event, the heavyweight world title will be on the line. This will be the eighth 265-pound title fight in LFA history and the tenth LFA event to be held on a Saturday. This will also be the twenty-ninth U.S. state that the promotion has visited.
LFA 204, presented by Monster Energy, will take place on Saturday, March 22nd at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The main event will feature a heavyweight world title fight when champion Hugo “Silverback” Cunha defends his title against U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Denzel “Luke Fox” Freeman. The entire main card will be available worldwide on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“We are excited to bring the Heavyweight World Championship to Connecticut at LFA 204,” stated Soares. “The main event will feature the first title defense of the LFA heavyweight champion Hugo Cunha. He will face top contender and active U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Denzel Freeman. The winner will cement their status as the biggest and baddest man that is currently fighting outside of the UFC. New England has a long and storied history in combat sports. Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the most prestigious properties in North America. We look forward to bringing our first LFA event to the region at this iconic venue in March.”
Christian Printup, Vice President of Entertainment at Foxwoods Resort Casino, adds:
“Foxwoods Resort Casino, and New England in general, has a rich history of hosting world-class combat sports events, and we’re thrilled to bring the LFA to Connecticut for the first time. In the world of Mixed Martial Arts, it doesn’t
get much bigger than the LFA and debuting with a heavyweight title fight is truly the icing on the cake. Fans are in for a treat on March 22nd!”
Tickets for LFA 204: Cunha vs. Freeman will be available Friday, January 24th through Ticketmaster.com.
Cunha (8-2) is a highly-touted prospect from Brazil’s most famous city of Rio de Janeiro, which is located in the Southeast Region of the country. The proud Fluminense won his LFA debut in May of 2023, when the promotion visited the Brazilian coastal city of Caraguatatuba at LFA 159. Cunha easily defeated the seasoned veteran Fernando “Boiadeiro” Batista via TKO from the full mount midway through the opening round. The man known as “Silverback” lost his footing throwing a kick, but showcased his amazing reflexes and grappling prowess with an immediate sweep. Once on top, the second-degree Jiu-Jitsu black belt and six-time Brazilian national champion in wrestling, punished his opponent with strikes. This earned him a shot at the title five months later at LFA 171, where he gave another grappling masterclass to dethrone his opponent. This time it was the sitting LFA heavyweight champion and two-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum Eduardo Neves, who succumbed to Cunha’s grappling arsenal.
Freeman (5-1) returns to action after recording one of the most impressive LFA debuts of 2024. The active U.S. Marine Corps Captain (O-3) known as “Luke Fox” trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The decorated military hero, former Greco-Roman Wrestling Olympic hopeful, and NAIA wrestling national finalist was set to make his LFA debut last summer, when the promotion visited his adopted home state of Colorado. The bout was scheduled against red-hot undefeated LFA prospect Steven Asplund, who was riding the momentum of three consecutive victories since turning pro. However, fans would have to wait three more months as this fight had to be rescheduled during Fight Week. Freeman made the most of the summer wait and leveled up even more after the bout had been rebooked at LFA 193 in his opponent’s home state of Minnesota. The devil dog entered hostile territory and deployed his dominant wrestling before submitting Asplund early in the second round.
Currently Announced Fight Card (Main Card on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):
Main Event | Heavyweight Title Bout (265 lb)
Hugo Cunha (8-2) vs. Denzel Freeman (5-1)
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
Discover more from FightBook MMA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
