After a grueling five-rounder to close out Friday’s LFA 14 event, the organization has a new middleweight champion.

Former Alabama linebacker Eryk Anders (7-0) went the distance in a back-and-forth fight with Brendan Allen (7-2) and emerged victorious with a unanimous-decision victory.

The title fight – one of two on the card – took place at Arena Theatre in Houston, and the main card aired on AXS TV.

As with other rounds in the fight, which earned Anders the inaugural LFA 185-pound belt, both title hopefuls had their moments. However, Anders closed out the opening frame with a major barrage of punches, kicks and knees, which seemed to turn the momentum of the fight in his direction.

Allen threatened with submissions in the following rounds, but Anders, who appeared to be the fresher fighter during the middle rounds, continually found openings to escape and then deliver strikes. Aside from an accidental and illegal knee that brought about a brief timeout at the end of the fourth round, Anders’ strikes were largely effective, though Allen refused to back down.

Allen finally scrambled and got some top time in the final frame – and he threatened with a deep arm-triangle choke and then an armbar in the final minute of the fight – but Anders fended them off to make the final horn.

In the end, the judges scored it 49-46 for Anders, who has won his previous three fights via first-round stoppage in an average time of 50 seconds. He now picks up the first major title of his three-year pro career.

Sanchez claims flyweight title

Roberto Sanchez is LFA’s new and inaugural flyweight champion.

It wasn’t easy for Sanchez (7-0), but after multiple attempts, he finally found a fight-ending submission in the third round after tapping out Jerome Rivera (7-1).

Sanchez, a 21-year-old local product who was a sizable 3-1 favorite heading into the bout, had the crowd on his side during two action-packed first rounds. Sanchez owned the cage control and often kept the action against the fence, but he struggled to maintain his opponent’s back, and failed rear-naked-choke attempts were often countered with heavy ground and pound from Rivera, who proved a game opponent.

However, Sanchez finally got his opening midway through the third frame, when he transitioned from a rear-naked choke into an armbar to finally force the tap.

Sanchez, who should now get come serious consideration from UFC matchmakers, got the win at the 3:41 mark of the round. It marked his sixth straight win via submission since a decision victory in his 2015 pro debut.

Orr retires with win; Northcutt drops debut

In a middleweight bout, 41-year-old Danny Orr (5-1) ended his career with a victory after edging Noel Ligon (5-2) in his retirement fight. In the competitive, hard-fought, sometimes-sloppy but often-entertaining bout, Orr fought through fatigue to pick up the split decision via 29-28, 27-30 and 30-27 scores.

In a bantamweight fight, outspoken showman Dulani Perry (4-0) remained unbeaten, but he thanked late replacement and Team Alpha Male fighter David Acosta (5-2), who scored a big first-round knockdown, for giving him the toughest fight of his career. Perry ultimately survived for a split-decision win via 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 scores.

In featherweight action, Colbey Northcutt (0-1) – who had brother and UFC fighter Sage Northcutt as a guest commentator during the bout – had a rough welcome to the pro ranks, where Courtney King (1-0) had the clear edge on the mat over the karate specialist and ultimately forced a stoppage via second-round ground and pound.

In the main-card opener, 19-year-old flyweight Maycee Barber (1-0) made a successful professional debut with a dominant win over Itzel Esquivel (2-1), which came via deep first-round armbar.

Official LFA 14 results included:

• Eryk Anders def. Brendan Allen via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – to claim inaugural middleweight title
• Roberto Sanchez def. Jerome Rivera via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 3:41 – to claim inaugural flyweight title
• Danny Orr def. Noel Ligon va split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Dulani Perry def. David Acosta via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Courtney King def. Colbey Northcutt via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:27
• Maycee Barber def. Itzel Esquivel via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:52

For more on LFA 14, check out the MMA Events section of the site.