For Immediate Release November 15, 2021
Lion Fight 72 – Friday, December 3 – Boston, USA
Steve “Put ’Em To Sleep” Walker vs. Ivan Bartek – Lion Fight World Super Cruiserweight Title
Washington Dos Santos vs. Vincent Veys German – Lion Fight North American Light Heavyweight Title **New opponent named**
Ashley Smallwood vs. Niamh Kinehan – Women’s Lightweight **New bout added**
Dave Hayrikyan vs. Junior Rubi – Welterweight **New bout added**
Jorge Vega vs. Matt Ferguson – Heavyweight **New opponent named**
Chase Walden vs. Shaun Shubert – Super Welterweight
A new LION FIGHT North American Light Heavyweight champion will be crowned at Lion Fight 72.
Tabbed as the new co-main event for LF72, Washington Dos Santos (23-1) will take on newcomer Vincent Veys German (21-5) in a showdown for the title.
Lion Fight 72 is topped with Boston’s own World champion Steve “Put ’Em To Sleep” Walker (10-0) putting his belt and undefeated record on the line against challenger Ivan Bartek (36-16) of Slovakia. Walker is coming off back-to-back knockout wins as he defended his North American Super Cruiserweight title against Brian Collette and Warren Thompson.
Lion Fight 72 will take place on Friday, December 3 at the Shriners Auditorium, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, airing live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading streaming service for combat sports.
Tickets for Lion Fight 72 are on sale now exclusively at www.lionfight.com.
Dos Santos was originally slated to take on reigning champion Brett Hlavacek, but the former two-division belt-holder is now facing a lengthy layoff due to a severe ankle injury. A long-standing pillar of Muay Thai America, Hlavacek also previously held the Lion Fight North American Cruiserweight title before dropping that belt to Joey George.
Originally from Brazil, Dos Santos now fights out of San Antonio, Texas, USA. After falling to former World Middleweight champion Magnus Andersson in his promotional debut, Dos Santos returned to winning ways at LF63 back in February when he earned a dominant decision win over Lowrant-T Nelson. German fights out of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and looks to become the third Canadian to win a Lion Fight North American title following on the heels of both Jake Peacock and Taylor McClatchie.
A high-profile women’s lightweight bout is also featured on the LF72 card. The international clash will see rising American star Ashley Smallwood, fresh off her second-round knockout win at LF70 in Los Angeles, go up against top-drawer UK talent Niamh Kinehan. Smallwood (1-0) went undefeated through the amateur ranks and was Lion Fight’s first-ever female amateur champion. The San Diego, California, product dazzled in her pro debut showcasing her power in dominating Melissa Cramer. Kinehan (10-4-1) fights out of Manchester, England.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for welterweight Dave Hayrikyan, who will be making his Lion Fight debut on December 3. Previously fighting out of Boston, Hayrikyan (1-0) now makes his home in Scotland, but he’ll have a healthy throng of supporters out to cheer him on as he faces Virginia’s Junior Rubi (pro debut).
After an impressive debut at LF69 where he earned a second-round TKO victory, Jorge Vega (2-0) returns to action. The promising heavyweight from Providence, Rhode Island, will get a test from Virginia’s Matt Ferguson (pro debut), who steps in to replace Doug Holland.
Amateur Prelims:
Nuridiin Abrar (Woburn, Massachusetts) vs. Flavio Britto (Boston, Massachusetts) – light heavyweight
Joao Teixeira (Quincy, Massachusetts) vs. Angel Martinez (New Bedford, Massachusetts) – super welterweight
Alex Brown (Boston, Massachusetts) vs. Jon Christenson (San Francisco, California) – cruiserweight
Mahmut Ates (Quincy, Massachusetts) vs. Mike White (W. Bridgewater, Massachusetts) – lightweight
Jimmy MacDonald (Boston, Massachusetts) vs. Jonah Juergens (Sterling, Virginia) – super lightweight
Ryan Lavoie (Fall River, Massachusetts) vs. Michael Whalen (Boston, Massachusetts) – welterweight
Please visit LIONFIGHT.com for news, information and event updates, and follow on Twitter @LIONFIGHT and on Instagram @LionFightofficial.
To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com, or download the UFC app.
ABOUT LION FIGHT:
Founded in 2010 by Owner/Chief Executive Officer Scott Kent, Lion Fight is recognized as a worldwide leader in Muay Thai events. Now in its 10th year of operation, Lion Fight has showcased elite-level fighters in over 60 events staged in seven countries worldwide, including iconic events at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, and the Indigo at O2 Arena in London, England. Already a worldwide leader in Muay Thai, Lion Fight is dedicated to growing the sport and is driving that cause with the creation of its Road to Lion Fight events, featuring up-and-coming talent vying for their opportunity to earn a Lion Fight contract.
ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.
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