LFS Rise of Legends: Night of Champions 2026 Preview — Fight Card, Paths to Victory & Predictions

Saturday, September 12, 2026 MegaCorp Pavilion — Newport, Kentucky Doors: 6:00 PM | First Fight: 7:00 PM ET

Legends Fight Series returns to Northern Kentucky on September 12 with Rise of Legends: Night of Champions, bringing professional and amateur mixed martial arts to MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport.

The card is currently headlined by a compelling LFS Middleweight Championship fight between Tyler “Wolverine” Ray and Shaun “The Bully” Asher, with Grant Perkins facing Tyler Silverthorn at bantamweight and Will Davis taking on Hunter Frazer in another professional matchup. Current MMA databases list those three bouts, although the official LFS event page and streaming provider indicate that the complete card is still being finalized. As always in regional MMA, fights are subject to change.

For Greater Cincinnati fight fans, this is more than another regional MMA show. MegaCorp Pavilion provides a major-event setting, while the main event features two fighters with strong ties to the Cincinnati area and extensive experience on the regional and national stages.

Need to Know Before You Go

Event: Legends Fight Series — Rise of Legends: Night of Champions Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026Venue: MegaCorp Pavilion Address: 101 W. 4th Street, Newport, KY 41071Doors Open: 6:00 PM First Fight: 7:00 PM ET Event Type: Live Pro/Am MMA Venue Configuration: Indoors Age Restriction: All ages

MegaCorp Pavilion’s official calendar confirms that the MMA event will be held indoors, with doors opening at 6:00 PM. AXS lists the event as all ages.

Tickets and Streaming

Tickets are available through the official event ticketing platform, AXS. Fans unable to attend can also watch through Combat Sports Now, which currently lists the live pay-per-view at $34.99 and includes access to the on-demand replay after the event.

Parking

MegaCorp Pavilion has an on-site parking garage underneath the venue. The venue lists garage access around East 4th Street and West 3rd Street. Because fight-night traffic can build quickly, arriving well before the 7:00 PM opening bout would be a good idea.

Bag Policy

MegaCorp Pavilion permits clear plastic, vinyl or PVC totes no larger than 14 by 14 inches, along with small bags approximately 5 by 8 by 1 inch. Backpacks are prohibited. Outside food and beverages, weapons, laser pointers and several other items are also prohibited.

Current Fight Card

LFS Middleweight Championship

Tyler “Wolverine” Ray vs. Shaun “The Bully” Asher

Bantamweight

Grant Perkins vs. Tyler Silverthorn

Welterweight

Will Davis vs. Hunter “Fatality” Frazer

The complete lineup remains subject to change, and additional fights could be announced before September 12.

LFS Middleweight Championship: Tyler Ray vs. Shaun Asher

The championship main event gives Night of Champions exactly what its name promises.

Tyler Ray enters at 11-6, while current Sherdog records list Shaun Asher at 15-5-1 following his July 25 unanimous-decision victory over Taylor Orr. The bout is currently listed as a five-round LFS Middleweight Championship fight.

It is also a fascinating stylistic matchup between a wrestler who has competed in organizations including LFA, Bellator and PFL and a battle-tested veteran who has fought everywhere from middleweight to heavyweight during a lengthy career.

Tyler Ray: Why He Can Win

Ray’s biggest advantage could be his combination of wrestling, mobility and submission ability.

The Cincinnati-born fighter stands 6-foot with a listed 75-inch reach and has a wrestling background. His 11 professional victories include five submissions, five decisions and one TKO, showing that Ray does not have to depend on one specific route to victory.

Ray’s best game plan should be built around movement and changing levels.

He does not need to stand directly in front of Asher and exchange power shots. Ray can make Asher repeatedly react to takedown attempts, work from top position and force the veteran to expend energy scrambling back to his feet.

The championship format could make that strategy even more effective.

Five rounds give Ray more time to establish his wrestling, attack the body, force scrambles and eventually look for one of his strongest weapons: the arm-triangle choke. Ray used an arm triangle to submit Carlton Little in the opening round of his 2024 victory.

If Ray can turn the championship fight into a high-paced grappling match instead of a physical brawl, the matchup begins moving significantly in his favor.

Ray’s Keys to Victory

Ray needs to control distance, force Asher to defend repeated takedowns and avoid extended exchanges in the pocket. His biggest advantage could emerge in rounds three, four and five if he makes Asher carry his weight and repeatedly work from underneath.

Shaun Asher: Why He Can Win

Asher provides a completely different problem.

“The Bully” is one of the most experienced fighters on this card and has competed against a much larger collection of high-level opponents than most regional fighters will ever encounter.

His résumé includes Bellator, RFA and Eagle FC appearances, and opponents such as Steve Mowry, Misha Cirkunov, Jordan Johnson and Yorgan De Castro. Sherdog currently credits Asher with 15 wins, including eight by KO or TKO, and he is coming off a July 25 unanimous-decision victory over Taylor Orr.

That last result matters.

Asher has traditionally been associated with finishing power, but going three full rounds and winning a decision demonstrates that he can still win a tactical fight.

His strength could become particularly valuable whenever Ray shoots.

If Asher can stuff the initial takedown and force Ray into clinches along the cage, the physical nature of the fight changes considerably. He can use short punches, knees and pressure while making Ray work far harder for every takedown attempt.

And Ray cannot become careless on entries.

Asher has accumulated numerous stoppage victories during his career. One mistake while closing distance could completely alter the championship.

Asher’s Keys to Victory

Asher needs to make this a physical fight from the opening bell. He should punish takedown attempts, make Ray uncomfortable in the clinch and look for opportunities to land power combinations before Ray can establish a wrestling rhythm.

One major storyline will also be the weight. Asher has spent significant portions of his career at light heavyweight and heavyweight, while this fight is listed at middleweight. How he handles the championship weight and five-round format could become one of the most important questions of fight week.

Prediction: Tyler Ray by Submission, Round 4

Asher’s experience and power make him dangerous, particularly during the opening two rounds.

But Ray’s wrestling, submission game and experience fighting at the lighter weight classes should become increasingly important as the fight progresses.

Expect Ray to avoid unnecessary exchanges, attack takedowns and make Asher work until a submission opportunity develops.

Prediction: Tyler Ray defeats Shaun Asher via fourth-round submission to become LFS Middleweight Champion.

Bantamweight: Grant Perkins vs. Tyler Silverthorn

Records alone do not tell the story of this fight.

Perkins is officially 0-1 as a professional, while Silverthorn is listed as 0-0 professionally for the matchup. But Silverthorn brings substantially more amateur MMA experience into the cage.

That makes this one of the most interesting developmental fights on the card.

Grant Perkins: Why He Can Win

Perkins has one physical advantage that immediately stands out.

At 5-foot-11, he will have approximately five inches of height over the 5-foot-6 Silverthorn. Both are listed around the bantamweight limit.

That length can become a major weapon if Perkins fights intelligently.

Rather than allowing Silverthorn to close distance and turn the contest into a grappling match, Perkins should establish his jab, use straight punches and make Silverthorn travel through dangerous territory every time he wants to enter.

Perkins’ professional debut ended after the first round against Luis Fernando Gonzalez in Mexico in November 2025. That experience, even in defeat, gives him something valuable entering fight number two: he now understands how different professional MMA can feel when the cage closes.

His goal should be to make this a technical striking fight.

Perkins’ Keys to Victory

Use the height advantage. Stay behind straight punches. Maintain distance and force Silverthorn to shoot from too far away.

If Perkins allows Silverthorn to consistently get chest-to-chest, he could surrender the biggest advantage he possesses.

Tyler Silverthorn: Why He Can Win

Silverthorn’s professional record may say 0-0, but calling him inexperienced would be misleading.

Tapology lists him at 5-7 as an amateur, with 12 amateur MMA bouts. Three of his five amateur victories came by submission, including rear-naked choke victories.

That experience matters enormously against a fighter entering only his second professional contest.

Silverthorn has been through decisions. He has been stopped. He has been submitted. He has also come back from losses and won.

That means there should be fewer situations inside the cage that feel completely unfamiliar.

His best strategy is obvious: erase Perkins’ length.

Silverthorn should pressure forward, get underneath the longer fighter’s punches and force the contest into wrestling and grappling exchanges. Once he establishes top position or gets to Perkins’ back, his submission experience could take over.

Silverthorn’s Keys to Victory

Close distance immediately, refuse to fight at the end of Perkins’ punches and turn the matchup into a grappling contest.

Experience is Silverthorn’s greatest weapon.

Prediction: Tyler Silverthorn by Submission, Round 2

Perkins’ size and reach could create problems early, and he has considerable upside if he can maintain distance.

However, Silverthorn has simply experienced far more competitive MMA situations.

His grappling background and 12-fight amateur résumé give him the advantage if the fight becomes chaotic.

Prediction: Tyler Silverthorn defeats Grant Perkins via second-round submission.

Welterweight: Will Davis vs. Hunter “Fatality” Frazer

If you are looking for a fight that could end suddenly, circle this one.

The current Night of Champions listing has Will Davis at 4-2 against Hunter Frazer at 2-2.

Frazer’s professional résumé is particularly remarkable: all four of his recorded professional fights have ended by KO or TKO — two victories and two defeats.

That makes every exchange dangerous.

Will Davis: Why He Can Win

Davis has shown a more diverse skill set.

His professional career includes victories by knockout, submission and decision, demonstrating that he can adapt depending on what an opponent gives him.

He scored a 21-second TKO against Darius Crutcher, submitted Devin Evitts with a guillotine and defeated Joshua Grevas by unanimous decision.

That versatility could be extremely important against Frazer.

Trying to prove who hits harder would be the wrong strategy.

Davis should force Frazer to think about takedowns, clinches and submissions instead of allowing him to simply plant his feet and throw power.

There is also value in Davis’ recent experience against high-level opposition. He competed at LFA 235 in June, where undefeated Wilson Lopshire stopped him in the second round. That loss exposed areas to improve, but it also gave Davis cage time against a fighter who entered undefeated and later competed in the PFL.

Davis’ Keys to Victory

Mix everything together.

Throw combinations to set up takedowns, attack the neck during scrambles and refuse to let Frazer settle into a comfortable striking rhythm.

The longer and more complicated the fight becomes, the more Davis can use his broader skill set.

Hunter Frazer: Why He Can Win

Frazer has one very convincing argument.

Power.

His first two professional victories came by TKO, including a 47-second stoppage of Nathaniel Mitchell. His two professional losses also came by strikes against Taylor Orr.

There has essentially been no middle ground with Frazer.

When he fights, somebody gets hurt.

That makes him dangerous against Davis, particularly considering Davis was stopped by strikes in his most recent appearance.

Frazer should not overcomplicate the matchup. He needs to establish pressure, cut off the cage and force Davis into exchanges where his punching power becomes the defining factor.

His nickname “Fatality” fits the approach perfectly.

Frazer’s Keys to Victory

Pressure without recklessness.

Frazer cannot simply chase Davis around the cage throwing haymakers because that would create easy takedown opportunities. He needs to cut off exits, attack the body and force Davis into exchanges along the fence.

If Frazer connects cleanly, the fight could end immediately.

Prediction: Hunter Frazer by TKO, Round 2

Davis is the more diverse martial artist and may have more ways to win.

Frazer, however, presents the kind of physical and striking threat that can erase every other advantage.

With all four of Frazer’s professional bouts ending by strikes and Davis coming off a TKO defeat, this matchup could become explosive very quickly.

Prediction: Hunter Frazer defeats Will Davis via second-round TKO.

Fight Card Predictions

Tyler Ray over Shaun Asher — Submission, Round 4Tyler Silverthorn over Grant Perkins — Submission, Round 2Hunter Frazer over Will Davis — TKO, Round 2

Conclusion

Legends Fight Series has put together the foundation for a compelling return to Newport.

At the center of everything is the LFS Middleweight Championship.

Tyler Ray brings wrestling, submission ability and experience from promotions including Bellator, LFA and PFL. Shaun Asher brings more than a decade of professional experience, legitimate finishing power and a résumé that includes fights against opponents who reached some of the sport’s biggest organizations.

It is the classic championship question: Can Ray’s pace and wrestling overcome Asher’s experience and physicality, or can “The Bully” turn the fight into the kind of violent, grinding battle that has defined much of his career?

The supporting fights provide completely different stories.

Grant Perkins has the length and opportunity to establish himself in his second professional appearance, but Tyler Silverthorn arrives with considerably more amateur cage experience.

Will Davis and Hunter Frazer may offer the night’s most explosive three-round matchup. Davis possesses several different paths to victory, but Frazer has produced nothing but stoppages — in victory or defeat — since turning professional.

And this may only be the beginning.

The official event and streaming pages continue to indicate that additional fight-card information is coming, meaning Night of Champions could grow considerably before September 12.

For Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati MMA fans, Rise of Legends: Night of Champions offers an opportunity to see experienced regional veterans, developing prospects and a championship fight from close range at one of Greater Cincinnati’s premier entertainment venues.

September 12 at MegaCorp Pavilion will be about more than protecting records. It will be about determining who takes the next step toward becoming a legend.