SYRACUSE N.Y. – Referee Forrest Hobbick raises Solomon Renfro, an 18-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y., hand after defeating Matt Flynn during an amateur fight at the first ever MMA Classic Fan Expo at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2015. Renfro defeated Flynn via TKO 1:35 into round two. DC Promotions hosted the event in accordance with MMA Signatures and the AMJ Expo Group. (Photo by Joseph DiGirolamo)
Solomon Renfro embraces journey ahead of LFA debut
Solomon Renfro is moving forward in his Legacy Fighting Alliance debut.
The welterweight prospect learned a thing or two from his split decision loss to Johnny Parsons on Dana White’s Contender Series last October. Renfro blames stepping backwards consistently throughout the fight as the reason he fell short.
The 25-year-old is still in pursuit of a UFC contract and he plans to push the pace when he returns against Adam Fugitt during the LFA 125 co-main event on Feb. 25.
“The only reason they [the judges] may have gave it to him is because I was going backwards, it doesn’t matter what happened, I was still going backwards and that doesn’t look good.” Renfro said.
“I can’t be doing that, I have to go forward and move my feet a lot more.”
A low point for Solomon Renfro
The concept of moving forward shares both a figurative and literal meaning for the Tiger Schulmann product. The loss to Parsons not only ended a two-fight win streak for Renfro, but it took away an immediate opportunity to fight under the UFC banner.
The setback took the prospect to a dark place mentally according to Renfro. He continued to train, but never felt the same as he did prior to the bout.
“I was not discouraged in my skillset or my ability, it was more so life was just beating me up,” Renfro said. “As much as I was training after I got back into the gym, I didn’t even want to look at my fight, I didn’t want to talk about it.”
A comeback
Renfro is no stranger to bouncing back from a loss. After suffering his first-career defeat to Mike Malott in December 2020, “The Black Dragon” responded with back-to-back first-round finishes against Nick Alley and Lee Henry Lilly in 2021.
The welterweight prospect takes valuable lessons away from landing on the wrong side of the judges scorecards this past Fall. Even though Renfro is convinced he won, he realizes he gave the judges the chance by not finishing Parsons.
“I’m Very grateful to have done the contender series, even though it wasn’t the outcome I wanted,” Renfro said. “That loss has made me better everywhere. It is kind of a blessing in disguise, it probably will be.”
Following a path
Renfro is no longer afraid to watch back the Parsons fight anymore. He embraces it and learns from the footage instead.
Renfro put an emphasis on improving his cardio throughout his current fight camp. A proven striker, he plans to push the pace against Fugitt, who is more of a grappler.
He predicts a higher volume of strikes will be enough to put Fugitt away within one round in Niagara Falls, New York
A loss is not enough to erase Renfro’s dreams of stepping inside the UFC octagon. One defeat is however enough to make him better.
He embraces his path and looks to add to it in his LFA debut.
“I’m grateful for everything, the highs and the lows, this is the journey,” Renfro said. “I am so excited to put on a show.”
