Hernandez claims vacant LFA title with hard-fought decision over Allen

With Anthony Hernandez's first trip to the scorecards came Legacy Fighting Alliance gold.

After three closely contested rounds opposite Brendan Allen, the 24-year-old pulled away in the championship frames to claim a unanimous verdict and the promotion's vacant middleweight crown at LFA 32 on Friday.

Hernandez remained undefeated in six walks to the cage - with all five previous victories coming by first-round stoppage - and earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with the hard-fought W.

The pair of 185-pounders staged a grappling extravaganza through the opening trio of rounds, trading dominant positions on the mat and incessantly angling for a fight-ending submission.

Hernandez's endless motor proved to be the difference, as the pace and transitions had done a number on Allen by the fourth. When the final horn sounded, all three judges gave Hernandez the nod by scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46.

Allen has now dropped two of his last three fights, with both defeats coming on points in vacant championship bouts.

The bill's co-main event didn't last nearly as long as its headliner, as Ryan Spann fought through some early adversity to drop UFC alum Alex Nicholson with a 1-2 before laying the hammer down for a brutal first-round knockout that crowned him LFA's new light heavyweight champion.