While for many 2020 was quite possibly one of the worst years of their careers, for some fighters the year presented opportunities and ended up being highly beneficial to them. Among those for whom 2020 was more advantageous is bantamweight Christian Natividad.
In 2020 Natividad made his pro MMA debut in in July with a first round TKO of Michael Aquila at LFA 85, then followed that up with a 30-second stoppage of Jose Holguin at LFA 92 in October.
“It was honestly the best year of my life,” Natividad told MMAWeekly.com. “There were so many things that happened in my life.
“I became a professional athlete. I made my debut with the LFA and had two match-ups for them, and was nominated for Knockout of the Year and Fighter of the Year. I also got promoted three times in the company I work for.”
Gerald Scott confident in himself heading into LFA 100
February 19, 2021
Coming off a two year layoff, lightweight Gerald Scott was hoping that 2020 would be a big year for himself when the novel coronavirus put those plans on hold and extended his layoff for half the year.
Luckily Scott’s year wasn’t a total wash, as he was able to pick up a second round TKO of Keith Phathaem at LFA 87 in July to mark his first victory since November of 2017.
“I was able to get one fight in, but doing an MMA fight with the whole Covid thing, not having an audience there, was a strange thing,” Scott told MMAWeekly.com. “By the grace of God I got through it.
For flyweight Nate Smith, 2020 presented difficulties not only for his career but for his personal life as well.
Due to COVID-19, Smith was only able to get in one bout in 2020, but a loss outside the cage was far more impactful not only for the difficulty it presented him, but also the motivation it gave him to move forward.
“Last year was extremely difficult, not speaking fighting-wise, but it was more a personal matter,” Smith told MMAWeekly.com. “A few months ago I had to bury my baby brother, who was murdered in Chicago, so I had to deal with that.
Victor Altamirano (8-1) vs. Nate Smith (6-1)
The Legacy Fighting Alliance celebrates its 100th show on Friday evening. The top UFC feeder league has provided countless prospects to the big show, and flyweight headliners Victor Altamirano and Nate Smith hope to add their names to that list in the near future.
Mexico’s Altamirano has been a fixture in the LFA since even before his 2017 pro debut. The 30-year-old actually made one of his amateur appearances at the very first LFA show. As a pro, his only loss came in his one venture outside of the LFA. Altamirano fought top strawweight and UFC veteran Jarred Brooks in a 2019 flyweight affair under the Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting banner and suffered a submission loss via rear-naked choke. The loss to Brooks snapped a six-fight winning streak, but “El Magnifico” returned to his winning ways with two more victories inside the LFA. He most recently tapped Lloyd McKinney at LFA 95. His fight with Smith comes on short notice, as he was
Growing up in certain urban areas can be tough. We’re talking life-or-death tough. One particular city that has gotten a lot of media attention in the last decade is Chicago. It’s commonplace to see a dozen or more murders reported there over the course of just one weekend. Last year, on May 31, 18 people were murdered in Chicago in just one day.
Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight Nate Smith has had a lot of experience in this environment. He grew up on the west side of Chicago, in a particularly violent area. Eventually, he just had to get out.
“It’s a different world,” Smith told Combat Press. “I can tell you that much. It’s something that I wish no one had to endure, not even as a child. No one should have to be wondering if today is the day you’re going to die.”