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Darabedyan, Menifield highlight LFA 13 in Burbank

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When the cage door locks behind just about any fighter competing under the banner of the Legacy Fighting Alliance, the chief goal is taking that next step to earning a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship or Bellator Fighting Championships.

But next steps and last chances are often rather close in proximity.

For Glendale’s Karen Darabedyan, a fighter who has showcased phenomenal overall skill and built buzz for himself on more than one occasion, when he takes to the cage Friday night at LFA 13 from the Los Angeles-Burbank Marriott Convention Center, it might well be the final golden opportunity to catapult himself to that next level.

For Alonzo Menifield, once an All-American linebacker at Glendale Community College, a career only two fights old is already burgeoning and the spotlight of a televised fight could announce him to the masses.

Indeed, opportunity is for the taking at Legacy Fighting Alliance 13 in a card that will air live on AXS TV.

“I love having events [in Southern California] and there’s a tremendous amount of talent here,” said LFA CEO Ed Soares, whose Resurrection Fighting Alliance merged with Legacy Fighting Championships in September of 2016 with the organizations having combined to send more than 100 fighters to the UFC. “I believe it’s a strong market.”

The main event will feature welterweights Curtis Millender (11-3) and Kevin Holland (9-2) toeing the line, while Darabedyan (12-6) will face late replacement Sam Liera (12-9) in the co-main event.

The televised card commences at 6 p.m. with Menfield (2-0) facing Khadzhimurat Bestaev (4-1) in a light-heavyweight bout that’s slated as the fourth of the televised card.

Darabedyan, a Glendale High product who still trains primarily at Team Hayastan and Main Event Gym in Glendale, will return to the cage 364 days after his last bout, a knockout loss to Christos Giagos at a Resurrection Fighting Alliance card in Orange County.

“At one point, I was almost done,” Darabedyan, 30, said. “I was saying I was just going to be a coach and teach kids.

“The only way I was going to come back was if I had a nice platform to come back on and LFA offered me a fight.”

While Darabedyan was at one point so close to walking away, he’s all the more thrilled to be returning.

“I’m really glad I’m back. Honestly, I was getting a little depressed being away from fighting,” he said. “And with the way my last fight went, I didn’t want to go out that way.”

Darabedyan, whose career has been spent primarily fighting at lightweight (155 pounds), was scheduled to fight Alex Reyes (12-2), but Reyes was forced to withdraw with an injury. On Wednesday, Liera received the offer to fight Darabedyan and accepted.

“It is a great opportunity and I might as well take a chance,” Liera said. “I’m just going to go in there and give it my best shot.”

While it certainly wasn’t the 10 days’ notice that Liera received, Darabedyan said he took the fight on roughly a month’s notice and chose to fight at 170 pounds so as to avoid a drastic weight cut.

With notable wins against fighters such as Jared Papazian, Saad Awad, Tony Ferguson and Rob McCullough, Darabedyan was a lightweight prospect in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization (which was owned by the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC) in 2009 before a four-fight losing streak led to a hiatus from fighting of more than two years. Darabedyan came back and put together a three-fight winning streak that led to his bout against Giagos.

“I’ve been through it all. There’s not much that’s gonna surprise me,” said Darabedyan, long regarded for his versatility as he has prowess standing and also a slick offensive submission game. “I’m ready for just about anything now and I’ve learned from [my mistakes]. I think the best version of myself is going into this fight.”

And the best Darabedyan is still a fighter of promise.

“He’s a very talented, talented fighter,” Soares said. “Probably one of the most talented in the LFA.

“Sometimes when he gets that opportunity, it doesn’t pan out for him. He just needs to break that mold.”

Soares was also keen on Darabedyan fighting on the card in Burbank as he’ll likely not only be the favorite in the fight, but a fan favorite.

“Burbank and Glendale are pretty much brother and sister, so I’m pretty sure I’ll have some good support,” Darabedyan said.

Menifield’s stay in Glendale was brief, but beneficial as he was an All-American in 2006 for coach John Cicuto’s Glendale Community College squad that went 9-2 and won the Western State Bowl.

From there, Menifield, 29, and residing in Plano, Texas, went on to play college ball at Texas A&M Commerce before the Arena Football League.

But fighting was always in Menifield’s make-up.

“Fighting was the whole reason I started playing linebacker because I wanted to be violent,” he said.

Menifield, who trains primarily in Colorado at Elevation Fight Team, has fought just twice in a career of roughly three years, but has drawn buzz with two knockouts.

He’ll look to continue his devastationagainst an unfamiliar opponent, though one he knows presents the challenges of fighting a 6-foot-6 opponent that Bestaev is.

“I just know his name is complicated to say and he’s super tall, so that’s something I have to prepare for,” Menifield said.

Menifield also has prospects of entertaining the crowd and moving upward and onward one knockout at a time.

“I always want the best of the best, so I want a championship in whatever organization I’m in,” he said. “I think stand-up is what the people want to see and I want to go out there and entertain.”

The entertainment is set to begin for LFA 13 on Friday at 5 p.m. with doors opening at 4:30 and the televised card starting at 6 p.m. with two bouts set to follow the conclusion of the TV portion.

For tickets, visit www.CombatTickets.com.

grant.gordon@latimes.com

Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon

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