A devastating striker earned comparisons to Sean O’Malley following another knockout win in his undefeated career.
Before UFC 315 gets underway at the Bell Center in Montreal, LFA 208 produced some remarkable highlights in Santa Cruz, California on May 9.
Aline David channelled Anderson Silva with a knockout of the year contender after she slept her opponent with a front kick in just 12 seconds.
Ahead of his debut on Dana White’s Contender Series later this year, heavyweight prospect Josh Hokit split the fans with a controversial post-fight interview.
Another one of the most impressive performances came from a towering force at 170 pounds who earned the opportunity to compete in the LFA after sparring one of the UFC’s top heavyweights.
Fans in awe after watching huge welterweight Luis Francischinelli dismantle another opponent at LFA 208
Standing at 6’6” while competing in the welterweight division was always going to put Brazil’s Luis Francischinelli on any promotion’s radar but he can certainly back it up once the cage door closes.
Since debuting with LFA in June of 2023, he’s racked up five consecutive first-round finishes to prove that he’s must-watch whenever he’s making the walk.
At LFA 208, he completely dismantled Angelo Rivera Jr. inside two minutes, using his range to his advantage as he sniped away at his opponent to get the finish.
In an interview with MMA Fighting ahead of his latest outing, Francischinelli told the story of how he ended up sparring three rounds with UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov due to his size.
He ended up impressing the right people which led to the kickboxer being introduced to Ed Soares, the head of LFA.
After producing another highlight reel finish, fans on social media made it clear that they’ve seen enough of Francischinelli, and now they want him to step inside the Octagon.
“Dude is a beast. Hope we see him in the UFC asap”
“That dude is a straight savage. He 100% needs to be on the Contender Series. DW [Dana White] will love his style”
“This guy may be a PROBLEM. 6’6 welterweight is insane lol”
Other reactions struggled to get past the initial viewing experience of watching a fighter that tall compete in the welterweight division.
For reference, Francischinelli stands at 6’6” compared to the UFC’s current 170 pound champion Belal Muhammad who is 5’11”.
“How does a guy who is 6’6 make 170? That’s wild.”
“I’m sorry HOW TALL?!”
Another fan compared the surging talent to the former UFC bantamweight champion, labelling him “Brazilian Sean O’Malley“.
‘Suga’ is another fighter who expertly uses his height and reach advantage to pick away at opponents from the outside without letting them get close.
Luis Francischinelli needs to be tested before he steps inside the Octagon
Luis Francischinelli certainly passes the eye test when it comes to the kind of fighters that the UFC are looking to sign.
His stature alone makes him an interesting addition to the roster and clearly, he has the ability to put opponents away in style which goes a long way.
However, with all of his fights ending in the first round, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for his career if Francischinelli racked up more experience before earning a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series.
He’s likely to already be on the UFC’s radar but seeing him face some difficult questions in the meantime will only help his development in the long run.