Lingerie Fighting Championships 25 Draws Ire of Athletic Commission
Lingerie Fighting Championships, Inc. most recent event, LFC25: Showdown at Sam’s Town, debuted on pay-per-view this past weekend on more than 2000 cable & satellite systems and is setting sales records for the company.
“Every one of our events has out-sold the one before,” LFC’s CEO Shaun Donnelly reports. “It is very encouraging for all our fighters and everyone who works so hard to make these events possible.”
LFC25 was not without controversy, however. The company got a call from the Nevada Athletic Commission following complaints over a fight featuring Jessie ‘El Toro’ Santos of El Paso, TX who had an 8” height advantage and 33lb weight advantage over her opponent Shay ‘The Fox’ Mazzato of Anaheim, CA. In the third round Santos was able to use this size advantage to pick up Mazzato and slam her head against the cage multiple times.
“Some video of the incident was posted on-line by a fan,” Donnelly acknowledges, adding that the company will be looking into its controversial decision not to have weight divisions. “I know the fans love it but we have to consider the fighter’s safety.”
This is not the first time the LFC has had an issue with an athletic commission. Following LFC23 the company was banned from returning to Kansas after it was deemed the fighters were ‘dressed too provocatively’ for the state’s fight regulators.
Incredibly the Santos vs Mazzato bout was not the biggest size mismatch of the night. That dubious distinction belonged to the main event, a title bout where reigning champion Monica ‘Flowerbomb’ Garcia of Mexico enjoyed a 35lb advantage over challenger Roxy ‘Roundhouse’ Michaels of Chicago, IL. Despite the size difference, Michaels seized the LFC belt from Garcia, surviving three hard fought rounds to earn a split decision win.
“Michaels was full value for the win,” LFC Prez Maxine Frost says, “proving size and stamina can overcome brute strength. You used to see it in the UFC before they brought in weight divisions.” Frost has opposed the suggestion LFC should follow the UFC’s lead on this.
The event was also marred when an unruly fan got past security and assaulted Garcia before she stepped into the cage. A female cage official rushed to Garcia’s rescue and knocked the assailant off stage where security quickly took over. But one wonders if the incident impacted Garcia in the cage as a fighter needs razor sharp focus, especially in a title bout. Frost promised tightened security at the next event.
Lingerie Fighting Championships 25: Showdown at Sam’s Town will continue to air on most cable & satellite systems for the next 90 days and is also available on the company’s web-site at www.lingeriefc.com.
