All eyes were on John Garbarino during his professional bare knuckle fighting debut at KnuckleMania V, the biggest event in the history of the sport.
In front of more than 17,000 fans at the sold-out Wells Fargo Center in BKFC’s hugely anticipated Philadelphia premiere, the South Philadelphia product rose to the occasion, scoring the first-round KO over Apostle Spencer.
“You couldn’t really ask for a better debut than that. From start to finish, it was an amazing experience,” he says.
“Every single emotion that you could possibly think of was running through me, but I used that to my benefit. When you harness that energy and let it fuel you in a positive way, good things happen, and that’s exactly what I was trying to do.”
Garbarino has been involved with martial arts since childhood. He’s fought in gyms, on the street and as a professional mixed martial arts fighter — but he says BKFC is his best fit.
“I have a great style for this sport. I’m very aggressive; I’m always coming forward,” he says. “My fighting style keeps fans entertained. I keep up a really high pace; I look at my fights as more of a sprint than a marathon.”
BKFC fans will have the opportunity to see Garbarino compete again soon. He makes a quick return to the Squared Circle against Michael Jones in the Co-Main Event of BKFC Fight Night: Philly on March 21 at the famed 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, LIVE worldwide on The BKFC App.
Garbarino, 29, says the judges won’t be needed in his second BKFC matchup.
“I’m always looking to finish the fight as quickly as possible. Every second that you’re in there is giving your opponent a chance to hurt you maliciously, and that’s not something I want to do.
“I don’t get paid overtime; I just get paid to get the job done. My goal is to put on a good show for the fans and keep rolling.”
