Mike “The Marine” Richman needed just 44 seconds to dethrone Jared “Captain Deadpool” Warren for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Light-Heavyweight Title in the Main Event of BKFC on DAZN: Hollywood on Saturday at the sold-out Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, LIVE worldwide on DAZN.
Richman scored a pair of early knockdowns en route to reclaiming his BKFC World Light-Heavyweight Title in this highly anticipated matchup of fan-favorite fighters.
“It feels good to be back,” Richman told the jam-packed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “I always take pride that I’m coming up in weight and I’m putting myself in danger every fight against these big boys. Ten years ago I was a 135er. Now I’m here, knocking people out at 185.”
With the win, the Minneapolis, MN fighter is now 7-2, 1 NC in his BKFC career, while the Tampa, FL product Warren’s record falls to 7-3, 1 NC.
In Saturday’s Co-Main Event, Christine “Misfit” Ferea defended her BKFC World Women’s Flyweight Championship for a record fifth time with a fourth-round TKO at the expense of the previously undefeated Christine “La Abusadora” Vicens. The referee, on the advice of the ringside doctor, called a stop to the action at the 1:22 mark of the fourth frame.
Ferea is now 10-1 on the strength of eight straight victories. The Las Vegas, NV fighter is now first all time among female fighters in BKFC history for wins (10), victories by stoppage (seven) and her current eight-fight tear is the longest winning streak by any female fighter in BKFC history.
“I’ve gotta thank Christine Vicens for bringing the fight, being a warrior and not giving up no matter what. Thank you, Florida; you’ve always been great to me ever since I won the title here, and I’m not giving it up. If you don’t like me, get used to it … If Jessica Borga‘s fat (expletive) wants to come down, let’s (expletive) go!”
Vicens, who was born in Cuba and represents Miami, is now 3-1 in her BKFC career.
“Platinum” Mike Perry, the undefeated BKFC King of Violence, was in attendance Saturday. He called out former UFC champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, who was enjoying the show ringside.
“I see Robbie Lawler in the crowd. I think he should take the gloves off and step inside the Squared Circle with ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry,” Perry told the sold-out Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “I’m the best to ever be up in this ring. No gloves. Nobody has ever done it like me, and I’m waiting for my chance to shine again. The world tried to take things from me, and I’m ready for my next opportunity. It doesn’t seem like anybody is willing to step up to the line, so I thought Robbie Lawler might just be tough enough to do it.”
Other stars in attendance Saturday include former UFC champion Kamaru Usman, former NFL star Mark Ingram and social media megastar Bryce Hall, who returns to action against Kimbo Slice Jr., at KnuckleMania V on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ten of 11 fights on Saturday’s year-end showcase event ended via stoppage.
In Saturday’s Feature Fight, undefeated heavyweight powerhouse Leonardo “El Zambo” Perdomo needed just 47 seconds to smash his way to 6-0 with a jaw-dropping, body-shot KO over Levi “Pitbull” Costa. All of the Cuban-born Miami fighter’s wins have come by first-round stoppage. He entered fight night as the No. 2 contender in the BKFC heavyweight division. The Brazilian-born San Diego, CA product Costa is now 2-3 in the Squared Circle.
Former BKFC World Featherweight Championship challenger Bryan “El Gallo” Duran improved to 7-1 with a first-round TKO over the previously unbeaten “Caution” Kasim Ruffin. The stoppage came with just one second left in the opening stanza. The Cuban-born Miami fighter’s seven wins have all come by stoppage, with his only loss coming to BKFC World Featherweight Champion Kai Stewart, who was also in attendance on Saturday. Duran entered Saturday’s action as the No. 2 contender in the BKFC featherweight division. Ruffin, who hails from Portsmouth, VA, is now 2-1 under the BKFC banner.
Cuban-born Pahokee, FL product Gee “The Cutman” Perez upped his BKFC record to 5-1 with a 44-second TKO victory over Cary “Cap Vs. The World” Caprio in flyweight action. Perez sent Caprio to the canvas once before an apparent body injury made Caprio call a halt to the bout. Caprio, who represents Laurel, MD, is now 2-2 with BKFC.
Unbeaten Delray Beach, FL bantamweight Justin “Joy Boy” Ibarrola cruised to 6-0 with a second-round TKO over Derek “Rage” Perez. The stoppage came 64 seconds into the second frame. Ibarrola entered fight night as the No. 2 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division and has now record finishes in three of his past four trips to the Squared Circle. Perez, who represents Belen, NM, is now 2-4 under the BKFC banner.
Undefeated Nicaraguan-born Miami product Edgard “The Dream Killer” Plazaola smashed his way to 4-0 with a five-knockdown performance over Alex “OG” Castro in featherweight action. Time of the KO was 1:25 in Round 4. All of Plazaola’s wins have come by stoppage. The Agat, Guam product Castro is now 0-2.
UFC vet Sabah “The Sleek Sheik” Homasi was victorious in his highly anticipated BKFC debut, stopping Eduardo Peralta via KO 62 seconds into the second round of their middleweight showdown. The Coconut Creek, FL product logged a pair of knockdowns in his debut. Peralta, a Mexican-born product of Dodge City, KS, is now 2-3 in his BKFC career.
Fort Myers, FL’s Tyler “The Rookie” Randall improved to 4-2 under the BKFC banner with a first-round KO over Austin “The Animal” Lewis in their flyweight matchup. Randall entered Saturday’s action as the No. 3 contender in the BKFC flyweight division. Time of the stoppage was 1:46 in the first frame. Lewis, who represents Albuquerque, NM, is now 1-1, 1 NC.
Former BKFC World Middleweight Champion Francesco Ricchi returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over “Big Boy” Blake LaCaze. The Italian-born Fort Lauderdale, FL product Ricchi logged two knockdowns in the second round and upped his BKFC record to 6-2 with the win. The West Monroe, LA product LaCaze’s record falls to 1-5 with the loss.
Newport, TN’s Brock “The Alpha Dog” Walker overcame a seven-pound weight disadvantage, a five-inch reach disadvantage and a series of facial lacerations to defeat Chino Blume of Broward County, FL in their meeting of debuting heavyweights. The knockout came 64 seconds into the fourth round.
BKFC Founder/President David Feldman was all smiles when addressing BKFC fans at the promotion’s final showcase event of 2024, the biggest year in the organization’s history.
“It’s been a truly epic year for BKFC,” Feldman told the jam-packed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and those watching at home on DAZN. “We’ve grown in leaps and bounds. We opened up new territories, entered into an amazing partnership with DAZN, and signed a ton of great fighters. 2024 was truly one for the books, and tonight we close that chapter in unbelievable fashion.”
Here are other select comments from Feldman’s post-event press conference.
“What a great night. This is our 11th or 12th straight sellout at the Hard Rock. Every combat sport in the world has been at the Hard Rock, and nobody has sold it out like we’ve sold it out. Why? We’ve got the baddest (expletive) in Miami fighting here.”
“Performance Bonuses tonight go to Bryan Duran, Leonardo Perdomo and Justin Ibarrola. A bunch of other people had some good knockouts as well, but these ones stood out. Knockout of the Night goes to Mike Richman. Fight of the Night is Christine Ferea versus Christine Vicens. Unbelievable fight. They gave the fans exactly what they wanted to see.”
“We couldn’t close out 2024 any better, and 2025 is going to be unbelievably huge. We’re in the process of an acquisition that’s going to change combat sports. We’re in the position to acquire a major sports promoting platform that’s going to change the face of combat sports. We’re going to have the biggest, baddest fight tournament ever. It starts in April, and it’s the $25M World’s Baddest Man Tournament. You guys say I never announce anything, so there you go (laughs).”
On possible rematches between Mike Richman and former opponents Lorenzo Hunt and David Mundell: “Both great matchups. I don’t know if Lorenzo makes 185 again, even though that’s something that the fans would love to see. David Mundell is a bad, bad dude, and he deserves something big, so it could be that.”
On what’s next for Christine Ferea: “We needed to see that she’s back and she’s coming to fight. We’re all here to see great fights. We don’t want chess matches, we don’t want to see hugging. Both of those women fought their (expletive) off.”
On what’s next for Leonardo Perdomo: “We’re going to talk to his team. A lot of guys want to rush the title shot, but this sport is so new that guys have to groom themselves in this sport to get to the title. There are lots of ways to do this, but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t in the title picture at all.”
On possible rematch between Bryan Duran and Kai Stewart: “We could see that again. I think fans want to see that fight. Something tonight that I saw out of Bryan that I really liked is that he got cracked, he ate it, and he came back and got the knockout. He’s definitely in title contention.”
BKFC on DAZN: Hollywood Results
Mike Richman def. Jared Warren via KO in Round 1 (0:44)
Wins BKFC World Light-Heavyweight Title
Christine Ferea def. Christine Vicens via TKO in Round 4 (1:22)
Defends BKFC World Women’s Flyweight Title
Leonardo Perdomo def. Levi Costa via KO in Round 1 (0:47)
Bryan Duran def. Kasim Ruffin via TKO in Round 1 (1:59)
Gee Perez def. Cary Caprio via TKO in Round 1 (0:44)
Justin Ibarrola def. Derek Perez via TKO in Round 2 (1:04)
Edgard Plazaola def. Alex Castro via KO in Round 4 (1:25)
Sabah Homasi def. Eduardo Peralta via KO in Round 2 (1:02)
Tyler Randall def. Austin Lewis via KO in Round 1 (1:46)
Francesco Ricchi def. Blake LaCaze via Unanimous Decision (50-43×2, 48-45)
Brock Walker def. Chino Bloom via KO in Round 4 (1:04)
Author: Staff
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