Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"
Rockland, Massachusetts' Lightweight Joe "Skeletor" Giannetti (9-2-1) has faced an up hill battle since losing a Split-Decision to Mike Trizano in July of 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 27 finale. A virtual superstar on the New England MMA scene for some time, South Shore Sportfighting's Giannetti has faced his share of adversity since his departure from the Ultimate Fighter, racking up three wins in his five fights since returning to New England to start what he calls his "Comeback Season." Giannetti has never taken his eyes off the prize however, continuing to fight high level opponents, in hopes that some day soon "Skeletor" will get his call back to the UFC. Like many in his position, Giannetti's run took a big hit in March when regional promotions shut down for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19.
Giannetti was last scheduled to fight for Cage Titans FC, the promotion in which Giannetti made his name; whose early April 2020 doubleheader was cancelled due to Coronavirus, thus scrapping Joe Joe's match up with Luys de Lima (8-1) and forcing Giannetti back to the drawing board. Fortunately for Giannetti, his name still carries some serious clout on the regional circuit as he looks to climb back on to the UFC's radar by proving he belongs amongst the elite Lightweight prospects in the world. Giannetti's perseverance ultimately paid off in early August, now five months removed from his scheduled bout with de Lima at Cage Titans, Giannetti scored himself yet another high level match up, this time for the nations leading regional MMA promotion; LFA.
Legacy Fighting Alliance returned to promoting in July after it's own four month hiatus due to Covid-19, and immediately re-assumed their spot atop the elite regional promotions in the country. LFA has gone on to host five events since their return from Covid earlier this summer, all of which have taken place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and have appeared live on UFCfightpass. A lineup which included LFA 86, that saw another Cage Titans veteran, Fabio Cherant (5-1), earn a first round submission finish of Erick Murray Jr. in the co-main event of their July 24th bout. Given their recent familiarity with Cage Titans fighters as well as their knack for producing UFC level talent, LFA seems like the perfect stage for Giannetti to return to the spotlight as he earns the LFA 89 main event slot against three time LFA veteran; Brant "Killer Bee" Moore (7-1).
Texas' Moore returns to LFA for a fourth time, having never lost a fight with the promotion, dating back to his pro debut in August of 2017 at LFA 18. Like Giannetti, Moore is known for his submission game, having finished five of his seven career victories by way of tapout on his way to an exceptional 7-1 record garnering the Texan "top prospect" status of his own. However, Moore has never faced anyone with the level of talent or experiance Giannetti brings to the table. At just 25 years of age Joe Joe has already experienced just about everything you could imagine over the course of this four year professional career, including a taste of what it is like to fight with the sports biggest promotion; the UFC. A taste that Giannetti continues to crave two years after falling short of a UFC contract, something that pushes Joe Joe to become better every day.
In the cage Giannetti is as cool as they come, one of the most relaxed fighters I have ever witnessed during a fight, a quality that can be attributed to Giannetti never really being in jeopardy of being finished. In his 14 fights as a professional, including the two exhibition bouts at part of season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter, Giannetti has never been in real trouble. Even in his two losses Giannetti showed flashes of greatness, however his calm demeanor and patience in the cage may have got the best of him, having not clearly lost either of the two fights, just not having done enough to earn a win. Joe Joe may need to up the output level a bit if he hopes to become a mainstay in the Lightweight division and get his call back from the UFC, but for now Giannetti is just happy to stay active and stack up some quality wins while doing so. A win dramatic fashion against a very talented Brant Moore this Friday August 28th live on UFCfightpass for the combat world to see, could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to Giannetti falling back into good graces with of the UFC.
These two promising young Lightweights will showcase their skills in the main event at LFA 89 in hopes of propelling their already budding careers into the international spotlight. Fight fans can tune in to UFCfightpass this Friday night starting at 9 pm Eastern as veteran voices Pat Miletich and Ron Kruck play host to LFA 89: Moore vs. Giannetti from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Below is a look at the entire LFA 89 fight card.
Main Event: Brant Moore (7-1) vs. Joe Giannetti (9-2-1)
155 lbs
Co-Main Event: Demarques Jackson (10-4) vs. Adrian Hadribeaj (10-1)
170 lbs
Desmond Torres (7-2) vs. Ricardo Dias (8-4)
135 lbs
Tyler Ray (6-1) vs. Steve Jones (6-1)
170 lbs
A. Al-Selwady (10-3) vs. Konnor Kuppe (7-4)
155 lbs
Joshua Fremd (4-1) vs. Lamar Gosey (3-0)
205 lbs
V. Borshchev (1-0) vs. Eduardo Peralta (2-1)
155 lbs
Clayton Carpenter (2-0) vs. Manuel Medina (Debut)
125 lbs
