Three hugely anticipated World Championship fights headlined Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 62 on Friday when the world’s fastest growing combat sports promotion returned to the sold-out Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.
The two best undefeated featherweights in bare knuckle fighting – BKFC World Featherweight Champion “King” Kai Stewart and Bryan “El Gallo” Duran – locked horns in a must-see grudge match in the BKFC 62 Main Event.
Stewart, who hails from Great Falls, MT, successfully defended his BKFC World Title for the second time with a unanimous decision over Duran, a Cuban-born Miami fighter. Stewart is now 6-0 in the Squared Circle, while Duran sees his record fall to 6-1. Duran entered fight night as the No. 2 contender in the stacked BKFC featherweight division and the only fighter in BKFC history to win their first six fights via stoppage.
Although Stewart and Duran entered the fight as bitter rivals, Stewart was quick to pay respect to his worthy opponent after their five-round, back-and-forth battle.
“First and foremost, your boy is tough as (expletive). You guys were loud, you guys were rowdy, and it was one hell of a show. This is a beautiful arena and I can’t wait to come back; y’all are blessed,” Stewart told the capacity crowd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
After the Main Event, fellow BKFC featherweight fan-favorite Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera entered the Squared Circle, with all signs pointing to the former UFC headliner being next in line to try to dethrone BKFC’s 145-pound king. Rivera is the No. 5 contender in the fully loaded BKFC featherweight division. The former MMA standout is 2-1-1 in his bare knuckle career.
In the BKFC 62 Co-Main Event, undefeated challenger Alberto “El Indio” Blas dethroned the previously unbeaten champ Keith “The Rockstar” Richardson with a stunning first-round TKO to lay claim to the BKFC World Bantamweight Championship. Alberto dropped Richardson twice before the fight was stopped just 70 seconds into the opening frame. The Cuban-born Miami fighter is now undefeated in his first five trips to the Squared Circle, with all of his wins coming by first-round stoppage. Blas entered fight night as the No. 2 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division. Richardson, who hails from Rock Hill, SC, is now 4-1 in his BKFC career.
In the BKFC 62 Feature Fight, Jared “Captain Deadpool” Warren defeated JoMi "The Archangel" Escoboza in their hotly anticipated rematch for the vacant BKFC World Light-Heavyweight Championship. Two judges scored it 50-42 in favor of Warren, while one had it 49-43. Warren, who hails from Tampa, FL, dropped the Dominican-born Sunrise, FL product Escoboza in each of the first three rounds. With the win, Warren is now 7-2, 1 NC in his BKFC career; Escoboza’s bare knuckle record drops to 9-2. Warren entered fight night as the No. 1 contender in the BKFC light-heavyweight division, while Escoboza occupied the No. 4 spot. The pair first did battle at BKFC Fight Night Tampa in 2022, with Warren winning by unanimous decision.
“I’ve screwed up a lot of things in my life; I’ve failed a lot. But this belt proves to me that if you focus all of your energy on one thing and block out all the distractions, you can achieve greatness,” Warren told the sold-out crowd.
The official attendance of 6,766 is the highest attendance for any combat sports event in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino history.
BKFC Founder/President David Feldman spoke with the media following BKFC 62, here are some highlights from his press conference.
"It was a really special night because these guys are all homegrown. The majority of these guys are fighters who we built up through BKFC. What a (expletive) night, man. What a (expletive) night … BKFC 62 was one of the best shows we’ve ever done. Enthusiastic crowd, unbelievable fights.”
“This is a tough, tough journey. This isn’t easy. The bigger you get, the harder it gets. Every day is a war, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”
“We’ve got a lot of great signings that we’re about to announce in the next 30 days, and out-of-the-ring signings that are really going to help.”
“I don’t know how old I look now, but I looked 20 years younger six years ago (laughs).”
“It’s our first trip to Spain (at Marbella Arena in Marbella, Spain on Oct. 12). It’s going to be unbelievable. We’re going to have Conor McGregor in attendance and three BKFC World Championships on the line. Oct. 12 is going to be a very exciting night for us.”
Delray Beach, FL’s Justin "Joy Boy" Ibarrola, the No. 3 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division, upped his BKFC record to 4-0 with a second-round TKO at the expense of Princeton, WV’s "Slick" Rick Caruso. Time of the stoppage was 1:28 in Round 2. Caruso is now 1-4, 1 NC in the BKFC Squared Circle.
Christine "La Abusadora" Vicens is now 3-0 in BKFC after the unbeaten Cuban-born Miami fighter defeated Birmingham, UK’s Melanie Shah via TKO in women’s flyweight action. Shah’s corner stopped the bout at the conclusion of the second round. Vicens entered fight night as the No. 3 contender in the BKFC women’s flyweight division; Shah is the No. 2 contender in the BKFC women’s strawweight division.
Cuban-born Pahokee, FL fighter Gee "The Cutman" Perez returned to the win column with a fifth-round KO over Phoenix, AZ’s Albert "Trill Fight" Inclan in their flyweight showdown. Time of the stoppage was 54 seconds. Perez is now 4-1 under the BKFC banner, with his sole loss coming to Bryce Hall, who was in attendance at the sold-out Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Inclan is now 1-3 in the BKFC Squared Circle.
Fast-rising Clewiston, FL bantamweight Chris "Dynamite" Garcia kept his spotless record intact with a second-round TKO victory over "Savage" Mike Livingston of St. Louis, MO. Garcia, who entered fight night as the No. 4 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division, is now 4-0 following his win, while Livingstone is now 0-2. Time of the stoppage was 1:29.
The Nicaraguan-born Miami product Edgard “The Dreamkiller” Plazaola smashed his way to 3-0 for BKFC with a fourth-round TKO over Albuquerque, NM’s Eric “Thuggy Bear” Dodson in featherweight action. Plazaola notched three knockdowns before the bout was stopped 38 seconds into the fourth stanza. All of Plazaola’s wins have come by stoppage. Dodson, the brother of BKFC World Flyweight Champion John “The Magician” Dodson, is now 3-2 in his BKFC career.
Cuban-born Miami heavyweight Leonardo “El Zombo” Perdomo is now 4-0 with four first-round finishes under the BKFC banner after his TKO victory over Leo “Bushido” Bercier of Great Falls, MT. Time of the stoppage was 1:40. Perdomo scored three knockdowns in the fight. Bercier was 4-1 on the strength of three straight stoppage victories heading into BKFC 62.
Jamaican-born Broward County, FL product Wanya "The Rated R Superstar" Reid improved to 2-1 in his BKFC career with his second straight victory – a split decision over Miami fighter “D2G” Peter Peraza in their welterweight battle. Two judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 in favor of Reid, while one judge had it 48-47 for Peraza, who fell to 1-1 in his BKFC career.
Debuting West Palm Beach, FL fighter Josh "Sugarman" Zuckerman picked himself up off the canvas and dropped Yosdenis “Pink Panther” Cedeno twice en route to the fourth-round TKO in their back-and-forth welterweight clash. Time of the stoppage was 31 seconds. Yosdenis, a Cuban-born Miami fighter who previously competed in the UFC, is now 2-2 under the BKFC banner.
In the opening bout of BKFC 62, Smith Center, KS’s David Simpson stopped Markus "Murk" Suarez of Miami in the third round of their light-heavyweight matchup. Simpson logged the only knockdown of the fight before the bout was called to a stop 63 seconds into the third frame. With the win, Simpson upped his BKFC record to 2-3, while Suarez dropped to 1-2.
BKFC 62 Main Card Results
(c) Kai Stewart def. Bryan Duran via Unanimous Decision (49-44x3)
For BKFC World Featherweight Title
Alberto Blas def. (c) Keith Richardson via TKO in Round 1 (1:10)
For BKFC World Bantamweight Title
Jared Warren def. JoMi Escoboza via Unanimous Decision (50-42x2, 49-43)
For BKFC World Light-Heavyweight Title
Justin Ibarrola def. Rick Caruso via TKO in Round 2 (1:28)
Christine Vicens def. Melanie Shah via TKO in Round 1 (2:00)
Gee Perez def. Albert Inclan via KO in Round 5 (0:54)
Chris Garcia def. Mike Livingston via TKO in Round 2 (1:29)
Edgard Plazaola def. Eric Dodson via TKO in Round 4 (0:38)
Leonardo Perdomo def. Leo Bercier via TKO in Round 1 (1:40)
BKFC 62 Preliminary Card Results
Wanya Reid def. Peter Peraza via Split Decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
Josh Zuckerman def. Yosdenis Cedeno via TKO in Round 4 (0:31)
David Simpson def. Markus Suarez via TKO in Round 3 (1:03)
