Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), the world’s fastest growing combat sports promotion, made its hugely anticipated New England debut with BKFC 61 on Saturday, May 11 at the legendary Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.
In the BKFC 61 Main Event, former UFC headliner Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera defeated former Bellator MMA champion Daniel Straus via unanimous decision. Two judges scored it 50-45, while one had it 48-47, all in favor of the Ramsey, NJ product Rivera, who’s now 2-1-1 in the Squared Circle. Straus, who hails from Hollywood, FL, falls to 0-2.
“I wanted a finish, but I didn’t get it. Daniel Straus is a tough (expletive). To everyone who came out here tonight, thank you so much. To all the moms, thank you so much – I hope you have a wonderful Sunday,” Rivera told the packed Mohegan Sun.
“I’m always ready. Kai Stewart is always running. I want to see who the winner is of his fight with Bryan Duran at BKFC 62, and I want that belt.”
In the BKFC 61 Co-Main Event, Ramsey, NJ’s Mike "The Lone Wolf" Trizano needed just 62 seconds to reign supreme in his hotly anticipated BKFC debut against former BKFC World Featherweight Championship challenger Louie “El Loco” Lopez of Great Falls, MT. Trizano, who won the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter tournament, is now 1-0 following his TKO victory, while Lopez’s record falls to 3-4.
“I feel amazing. I want to thank everybody that supports me. I want to give a shoutout to my son. I wish you were here. This one was for him,” Trizano told the jam-packed Mohegan Sun. “Dude, this was (expletive) awesome. I love this (expletive).”
In the BKFC 61 Feature Fight, New London, CT’s “Royal” Ryan Reber, the No. 1 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division, improved to 6-0 in the Squared Circle with a unanimous decision over Quintan “The Hitman” Foye of Reidsville, NC. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 50-45, 48-47, all in favor of Reber. Foye falls to 1-2 under the BKFC banner.
Indianapolis, IN strawweight upstart Natalie Gage was victorious in her BKFC debut. The ringside physician stopped her fight with Boston’s Sarah "Switch Kick" Click when a serious cut formed above Click’s eye. The bout was called to a halt at the conclusion of the second round. Click’s BKFC record drops to 0-3.
Former Bellator MMA champ Rick “Genghis” Hawn of Methuen, MA only needed 35 seconds to earn the victory in his highly anticipated BKFC debut against Stephen Stengel of Athol, MA in their light-heavyweight bout. Hawn, a member of the Team USA Olympic judo team in 2004, is the fourth former Olympian to compete in the Squared Circle, following Hector Lombard, Nico Hernandez and Alfredo Angulo. Stengel, a veteran of 32 pro MMA bouts, drops to 0-1.
Gloucester, MA’s Zach "Shark Attack" Calmus earned his third straight stoppage victory in the Squared Circle with a third-round KO over Franklin County, VT’s Connor "The Irish Warrior" McKenna in their heavyweight slugfest. Calmus dropped McKenna three times before the fight was stopped at 1:49 in the third frame. Calmus is now 4-2; McKenna drops to 0-2.
Pat "The Brick" Brady of Philadelphia, PA recorded five knockdowns – three in the first round, two in the second round – to win his BKFC debut with a second-round TKO over Williamsport, PA’s Lewis "The Beast" Rumsey in heavyweight action. Time of the stoppage was 1:21 in the second frame. Rumsey is now 1-4 in the Squared Circle
Hudson, FL’s Scott "The Bad Poet" Roberts was victorious in his fight with Chris "Golden Gloves" Sarro of Elsworth, ME after Sarro injured his hand, forcing the referee to call a stop to their cruiserweight bout just 27 seconds into the first round. Roberts is 1-0, while Sarro’s record falls to 2-5.
Pat "The Gorilla Ninja" Casey of Springfield, MA knocked down Bridgeport, CT’s Sam "Super Saiyan" Watford twice en route to earning the unanimous decision in their middleweight showdown. All three judges scored it 50-43 for Casey, who climbs to 1-1 in the Squared Circle. Watford drops to 0-1.
In the first bare knuckle fight in Connecticut history, Manchester, CT’s Dan “The Tower Dog” Pettit dropped Dylan "The Afro Samurai" Felion of Rutland, VT four times before their featherweight fight was called to a stop in the third round. Time of the stoppage was 36 seconds into the third stanza. Both fighters were making their BKFC debut.
BKFC 61 Main Card Results
Jimmie Rivera def. Daniel Straus via Unanimous Decision (50-45x2, 48-47)
Mike Trizano def. Louie Lopez via TKO in Round 1 (1:02)
Ryan Reber def. Quintan Foye via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 48-47)
Natalie Gage def. Sarah Click via TKO in Round 2 (2:00)
Rick Hawn def. Stephen Stengel via KO in Round 1 (0:35)
Zach Calmus def. Connor McKenna via KO in Round 3 (1:49)
Pat Brady def. Lewis Rumsey via TKO in Round 2 (1:21)
BKFC 61 Preliminary Card Results
Scott Roberts def. Chris Sarro via TKO in Round 1 (0:27)
Pat Casey def. Sam Watford via Unanimous Decision (50-43x3)
Dan Pettit def. Dylan Felion via TKO in Round 3 (0:36)
