We’re making a list, and checking it twice. Let’s find out who’s naughty or nice!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and you know what that means: Christmas lists! And no, I’m not talking about wishlists, yet, but rather the infamous “naughty or nice” list that continues to stress out kids year after year. This year is no different with everyone conveniently on their best behaviour during Christmas. However, the naughty or nice list is all encompassing, taking into account how one acts the whole year rather than just Christmas time. After all, you gotta earn these gifts from the very-real-not-fake-at-all Santa Claus.
In the case of bare knuckle, the year of 2024 was full of milestones, hopefully serving as a launching pad to an even more successful 2025 campaign for the oft-misunderstood sport. And it’s all thanks to the men and women who toed the line for our entertainment. But with that in mind, for the many who broke through over the last twelve months there’s still some fighters who left us wanting more.
Now, do professional bare knuckle fighters lose sleep over Santa’s perception of them? Probably not. But, I’m also willing to bet they don’t want coal for Christmas either. Which is precisely why I’ve decided to take some of the load off Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick (not sure if bare knuckle would be Santa’s thing anyways), and present to you bare knuckle’s naughty or nice list of 2024.
Disclaimer: Nice means you had a great year, in my opinion. Naughty means I wish I got to see you more, or something held you back this year. I don’t want any fighters grinching up my Christmas because I put them on a fictitious version of an already fictitious list.
NICE: ALBERTO BLAS - SLEIGHED THEM ALL
We’ll punch it off with someone from the nice list since the purpose of the list is to reward good behaviour. Now, does knocking people out in one minute constitute good behaviour? Normally not. But in the wild world of bare knuckle fighting, knockouts are the gift that keeps on giving. Which is exactly what BKFC Bantamweight World Champion Alberto Blas gave to the masses in 2024. No one has exceeded the 72-second mark against Blas, with all three of his opponents this year falling within that mark. His year started with a one minute beatdown of Daniel Alvarez, followed by a viral stoppage of then undefeated champion Keith Richardson before he took down 6-0 Ryan Reber in 56 seconds in September. Three fights with a total ring time of 3:06. That is absolutely absurd, Santa-esque efficiency for “El Indio”, who for my money, is this year’s Fighter of the Year.
NAUGHTY: MIKE PERRY - REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS
As for the naughty kids, Mike Perry unfortunately finds himself on Santa’s bad side, and no it’s not because of any shenanigans outside of the ring, see above disclaimer. 2024 seemed primed to be the year of “Platinum” when it was announced he would headline KnuckleMania 4 against fellow UFC-fighter-turned-bareknuckler Thiago Alves in April. It was a stacked card featuring the likes of Lorenzo Hunt (more on him later), Mick Terrill, Ben Rothwell, and Todd Duffee, with Mike Perry vs. Thiago Alves topping it all off. The event carried the weight of a blockbuster show, and was by no means a flop, but it also left something to be desired. Endless fight promotion, mostly carried by Perry, resulted in an anticlimactic finish seeing Platinum win in the opening round. Although it ended quicker than expected, many thought Perry would parlay the win into another big time bare knuckle event. After all, he was widely considered the face of BKFC, and to many still is. But to the surprise of bare knuckle fans, he would serve as Mike Tyson’s replacement against Jake Paul for their original date in July. The gimmick boxing bout ended in a stoppage loss for Perry who hasn’t been seen since, unless you were one of the lucky ones to get access to his Dirty Boxing private event. Having started the year with so much momentum, seeing Mike Perry only once in a bare knuckle bout felt like getting socks for Christmas. Straight disappointment.
Photo Courtesy of BYB.
NICE: MARKO MARTINJAK - HO HO HO-LY KNOCKOUTS
Marko Martinjak’s 2024 has been about as destructive as anyone’s when looking at how he dispatched his three opponents this year. Three fights and three first round knockouts is usually a pretty good, and violent, indicator that you’re doing well. However, what makes his year so “nice” is the circumstances surrounding his wins. For starters, Martinjak began the campaign as part of British based promotion BKB. His first two bouts this year took place under both the BKB and BYB Extreme banners before the Miami based promotion would swoop in and fully buy out BKB. Differences in rulesets between the two promotions usually brings upon a steep learning curve for fighters but for Martinjak, the power in his fists was all he needed. All of his bouts this year have been title fights, including championship victories at Light Heavyweight and Super Cruiserweight. To finish all three of your opponents in the first round while juggling two different rulesets is not something you see very often. In addition, Martinjak earned BK Nation’s Knockout of the Month for May. If not for Blas, Martinjak could very well be the favourite for Fighter of the Year as well.
NAUGHTY: LORENZO HUNT - GHOST OF BARE KNUCKLE’S PAST
The “Juggernaut” began the year as one of BKFC’s best pound for pound fighters thanks to his impressive 11-1 record to go along with world titles in two divisions. In fact, he even spent a brief period as the number one. His accolades paired with the competition he was facing was fair grounds for naming him as the best in the business. And it’s not like he was scraping by his opponents either, just look up his Knockout of the Year against Mike Richman in 2023. Lorenzo Hunt struck fear into his opponents and he put up results you’d expect from BKFC’s boogeyman. So much so that BKFC gave Hunt the opportunity to move up and chase history against Mick Terrill for the BKFC heavyweight championship in April. Chasing a world title in a third division, Hunt was on the cusp of becoming perhaps the greatest bare knuckler of all time had he defeated Mick Terrill. Unfortunately, the bout went as bad as it possibly could. Hunt was knocked down early, awkwardly falling down on his arm leading to a doctor stoppage due to his arm dislocating. If that wasn’t disappointing enough, Hunt would then be suspended for 18 months following a positive drug test. In what was supposed to be a history-making year for the “Juggernaut”, ended up being spent next to the elf on a shelf.
NICE: LT NELSON - SEASON’S BEATINGS
BYB’s number one pound for pound fighter got his year started off a tad late but boy did he make the most of his appearances in the mighty trigon. “Smash” did just that when he battered his way through Tommy Turner in May before earning the biggest win of his career when he knocked out bare knuckle legend Barrie Jones. Jones was widely considered one of, if not the best bare knuckler of the modern era. Hailing from Wales, his bout against LT Nelson was supposed to be something of a homecoming for the future hall of famer as the event took place in Cardiff. However, Nelson is a future hall of famer in his own right, and showed it in enemy territory by stopping the hometown hero in three rounds. One of the most well travelled fighters out there, there’s no discipline, or location too foreign for Nelson. His Tapology page reads like a travel itinerary; Move over Rudolph, it’s “Smash’s” sleigh now.
NAUGHTY: JADE MASSON-WONG - PUT ON ICE
Rising Canadian star Jade Masson-Wong seemed to be on the fast track to bare knuckle stardom at the start of the year. Everything was aligned for her to position herself as one of the faces of BKFC. She had an entertaining fighting style, good looks, massive social media following, and potentially an entire country behind her. As long as she continued to win in dominant fashion, there was no stopping this Quebec-based Polar Express. Headlining in Edmonton for her first bout of the year, things were trending up for “Evil Smile” as she needed just one minute for the win over Gabrielle Roman. However, next up was the greatest female bare knuckler of all time, Christine Ferea. In another headliner, Masson-Wong would get her first crack at a world title against the much more experienced Ferea but what transpired was hardly memorable. The bout would go the distance, with little to no action from the heavily promoted main event. Ferea would win via split decision but it felt like both fighters lost that night. So much so that David Feldman made his feelings known post fight. There’s nothing stopping Jade from bouncing back, but there’s no denying this performance stalled the momentum of a budding star.
Top Photo Courtesy of BKFC.
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