This is the second LFA card in the USA broadcast on Vice TV, and the third card with the new broadcast partner. The card is broadcast February 6th at 09:00 PM ET.
DAVID ALLAKHVERDIEV (7-0) vs. JOSEPH KROPSCHOT (7-3) – LFA Middleweight Championship
Allakhverdiev is a former Sambo world champion (youth level) who come out of nowhere when he defeated John Moore by KO in round 1 to win the vacant LFA title. That was his first fight in the US and I would argue the first time he had ever fought a decent opponent in MMA. He had been can crushing all over Europe but it seems like he is looking to make a run for the UFC this year in the LFA. I didn't learn much from his win over John Moore as he knocked him out with a combination very early into the fight. I was able to watch some other fights on what I think is his YouTube channel. Honestly he didn't look great in those fights. He is very light on this feet and holds a karate-like stance. I don't think his striking is overly technical but he is aggressive at least. His striking defense is very poor as well with his chin high and his hands low. His wrestling looked decent but the opponents he was taking down weren't great and I would like to see him tested in the wrestling in the LFA. Kropschot will definitely test this as he is a black belt in BJJ. He pressures his opponents before shooting take downs against the cage and from there looks for submissions. I also don't like his striking as he appears very tentative and can get hit easily by a fast counter striker. He doesn't like to throw much volume and I think this is out of fear of getting hit with said counters. Once he gets the fight down he is very dominant though and holds great control. This seems to be a test for Allakhverdiev if anything to see if he is legit or not. Kropschot is a good fighter but I don't view him as a dominant force in the regional scene. He has fought good competition (win or lose) at least which isn't something you could say about John Moore. I am pretty torn on this fight as it is hard to know if Allakhverdiev is going to be able to defend the take downs of Kropschot. If he can, he will definitely be the more confident striker. But if he can't I could see Kropschot finding a lot of success in top control.
Pick: David Allakhverdiev by KO/TKO. Low confidence.
DEDREK SANDERS (10-5) vs. NIKOLAY KIOSSE (10-3-1) – Lightweight
Kisosse had been fighting in Russia and Kazakhstan prior to his USA debut at Fury FC 109. On that card he delivered a pretty big upset over the undefeated Abdulaziz Datsilaev. He was able to defend all of Datsilaev's take downs as well as the huge looping punches thrown a him. Offensively his boxing looked really good, especially his short hooks to the body and the head. He eventually finished the fight early in round 2 with what looked like a straight punch to the body. We didn't get to see a full showcase from him as a few minutes of round 1 were spent up against the cage but Kiosse might have a lot of offer to the USA regional scene and beyond. On his record he has many submission victories but what stood out to me the most from him was his boxing and take down defense. Dedrek Sanders has experience fighting for the PFL and the LFA. Sanders is tricky as he is a pressure boxer and has beaten strong competition throughout his career. Angel Alvarez had some hype behind him at the time Sanders beat him (and that fight has aged well), and he just defeated an undefeated prospect in Mavliudov. From what I have seen of Sanders I don't think he has the style to beat Kiosse. He looks good when he can land big and control the fight but I don't think Kiosse will let him get away with that. When Sanders isn't in control he can get taken down and his striking defense isn't perfect either. If Kiosse can have a couple strong performances early this year he will certainly be one to watch.
Pick: Nikolay Kiosse by KO/TKO. Medium confidence.
ANDREW STEWART (5-1) vs. CHRISTIAN ECHOLS (8-4) – Middleweight
Echols made a big name for himself when he pulled off a massive upset over wrestler Patrick Downey on a Bellator card. He never got a second chance with Bellator and hasn't managed to do anything too impressive since. He is a big time finisher with all 8 wins in the first round but that is more of a credit to the competition he has faced than anything. He does have a decent win over Chris Cosby and he looked decent there, landing big on him early and often before finishing him. His main problem is that he can get hit easily and his chin is not very strong. Stewart is also a bit of a can crusher but from what I have seen his take down defense should be good enough to keep this fight standing. He should have a big advantage on the feet as his boxing looks solid whereas Echols likes to swing wildly.
Pick: Andrew Stewart by KO/TKO. Low-medium confidence.
MACLENZIE STILLER (5-1) vs. KENDRA MCINTYRE (3-2) – Women's Strawweight
Stiller is a legitimate prospect and I was expecting Bellator/PFL to keep her on. I have been familiar with Stiller since her pro MMA debut when she fought Benson Henderson's wife in Bellator. She won that fight and has had a couple more performances for Bellator with her only loss being to Sumiko Inaba (who fought Dakota Ditcheva for 5 rounds). She is a judoka with great BJJ. In the LFA she has beaten a couple good opponents and I think this a step down in competition for her. McIntyre is a decent striker but if she can't defend Stillers trips and throws she will be outmatched on the ground. If Stiller looks good we should see her on the Contender Series unless the PFL calls her up again.
Pick: Mackenzie Stiller by submission. Medium-high confidence.
