HOUSTON — UFC and WEC veteran Will Campuzano (10-4) will meet Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Chad Robichaux (14-2) for the vacant Legacy 125-pound title in the Legacy Fighting Championship 12 main event Friday, July 13, at Arena Theater in Houston, Texas.
A stacked Legacy Fighting Championship 12 will broadcast LIVE on ASX TV Friday night at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). UFC heavyweight and K-1 2010 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem will serve as a special commentator alongside “The Voice” Michael Schiavello who will be calling the fights.
Main Event: Will Campuzano
After turning pro in 2008, Campuzano racked up six straight finishes before losing his first bout against Damacio Page in the WEC. After going 1-2 in the WEC, Campuzano transferred to the UFC where he dropped back-to back bouts against Nick Pace and Chris Cariaso in 2010-2011.
Going back to the regional circuit, Campuzano rebounded in April of last year with a first round submission victory over Randy Hinds, then returned in May 2012 with a third round knockout win over Joshua Sampo.
Main Event: Chad Robichaux
At 36-years-old and 10 years the senior of Campuzano, Chad Robichaux has been fighting professionally since 1999. A former Marine, Robichaux submitted his first 12 opponents; 10 in the first round.
After going 13-0 as a professional, Robichaux was given a shot against former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky at Bellator 41 in April 2011. Makovsky ended up giving Robichaux is first pro loss via third round TKO.
Then in his next bout, surprisingly, Robichaux suffered the first and only submission loss of his career thus far by Johnathan Mackles via first round guillotine choke at Legacy Fighting Championship 7.
Robichaux bounced back with a first round submission win of his own against UFC vet Joseph Sandoval at Legacy Fighting Championship 11 in May of this year. It marked the BJJ black belt’s eleventh pro MMA win via first round submission.
Co-Main Event: Jay Hieron vs. Romario Manoel Da Silva
In the night’s co-main event, one of the world’s top welterweights not under contract with a major promotion, but who at one time or another has fought for just about all them, Jay Hieron (22-5) makes his Legacy Fighting Championship debut against Jungle Fight veteran Romario Manoel Da Silva (19-9).
This will be Hieron’s first fight since he lost a controversial split decision to Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren in a fight for his title last October. Hieron had been on a 10-fight win streak prior to the loss.
Romario Manoel Da Silva has spent the majority of his 11-year career fighting in his home country of Brazil. However, his last two bouts have been in the U.S. and he won them both. He submitted Justin DeMoney at Fight Me MMA last August and won a unanimous decision over Jaime Jara at Shark Fights 19 a month later.
The Return of Robert Drysdale; takes on Isaac Villanueva
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Robert Drysdale (3-0) looks to improve his unbeaten pro MMA streak to four as he takes on Texas standout Isaac “Ike” Villanueva (7-6) in a light heavyweight match-up. Drysdale has submitted all three of his previous opponents in under two-and-a-half minutes, and Villanueva has finished six of his seven victories via knockout.
Drysdale’s latest victim was UFC and TUF 3 veteran Mike Nickels via guillotine choke at Armageddon Fighting Championships 6 in June 2011. Villanueva is coming off a submission loss to Justin Ledet back in January.
How will this classic striker vs. grappler match-up between Drysdale and Villanueva play out? Watch it all go down this Friday on AXS TV or check back here at ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) as we provide live results and play-by-play commentary for Legacy Fighting Championship 12.
The full Legacy FC 12 fight card is as follows:
MAIN CARD (AXS TV)
- Will Campuzano vs. Chad Robichaux – for vacant flyweight title
- Romario Da Silva vs. Jay Hieron
- Robert Drysdale vs. Isaac “Ike” Villanueva
- D.J. Linderman vs. Dale Mitchell
- Artenas Young vs. Noel Ligon
- Nick Gonzalez vs. Rey Trujillo
- Terry Acker vs. Alan Nascimento
PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)
- Justin Reiswerg vs. Cris Rucker
- Ray Blodgett vs. Scotty Juarez
- Jason Carter vs. Jared Chaffee
- Jeremy Morris vs. Levi West
- Mark Garcia vs. Charles Ontiveros
- Lester Batres vs. Patrick Bierschwhale