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Texas bantamweight prospects Ray Rodriguez, Chris Gutierrez headline LFA 52 in 'Lone Star State'

A pair of bantamweight prospects from the “Lone Star State” will headline LFA’s return to Texas next month.

Ray Rodriguez (13-4) is set to meet Chris Gutierrez (11-2-1) in the LFA 52 main event, the promotion recently announced. In the co-feature, Jonathan Martinez (9-1) takes on C.J. Hamilton (13-6) at flyweight.

LFA 52 takes place Oct. 19 at Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. The main card airs on AXS TV.

“I am excited to bring LFA to the Centroplex of Texas at LFA 52,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “Ray Rodriguez and Chris Gutierrez are two of the top prospects in Texas and they both looked great in their LFA debuts. Now they have the chance to gain Texas bragging rights while establishing divisional dominance.”

Rodriguez, a San Antonio native, has won eight straight fights. His fight against Gutierrez, though, will be his first bout of 2018. Rodriguez made his promotional debut at LFA 6 in March 2010 and took a split call from Rivaldo Junior. Rodriguez hasn’t lost a fight since January 2015. Eight of the 13 wins in his career have come by stoppage.

Guiterrez has won three of his past four fights, including his promotional debut a little more than a year ago with a split decision over Mario Israel at LFA 22. He started his pro career 8-0-1, including wins over Timur Valiev, Bendy Casimir and a knockout of Justin McNally at Bellator 111.

The LFA 52 card includes:

For more on LFA 52, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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