Four star-studded fights take centre stage on December 6th.
December 6th is a busy day in the wild world of bare knuckle, and we here at bare knuckle nation got you covered. In a stacked night with cards from each of North America’s bare knuckle powerhouses, fans of the ungloved game are spoiled with three world title fights, to go along with a former champion taking on a rising contender.
BYB’s slate features the three aforementioned title bouts starting with Jamie Driver vs Sonya Dreiling in a rematch of their clash in 2022 for the vacant Welterweight title. Followed by Cub Hawkins vs. Zion Tomlinson for the BYB cruiserweight world title, before the night is capped off by the big boys. Heavyweight champion Gustavo Trujillo makes the first defence of his title against the last BKB champion Richie Leak.
BKFC’s event is headlined by former bantamweight world champion Keith Richardson and rising knockout artist Michael Larrimore. Of course, there’s plenty of action beyond these bouts, especially with two cards clamouring for your attention. But out of all the fights taking place on Friday, it’s these four that carry the most weight. If you’re looking for a cheat sheet, or just a few nuggets of info on the fights, look no further than your friends here at Bare Knuckle Nation.
BYB 34 - (c) Gustavo Trujillo (6-0, 6 KO) vs. Richie Leak (3-1, 2 KO)* - BYB Police Gazette Heavyweight World Diamond Belt.
*Record may be inaccurate, due to conflicting sources.
Cole Whiston: Trujillo KO
Gustavo Trujillo has got to the point where I don’t think I have to explain this prediction. This is what he does and Richie Leak, in my opinion, has not shown me enough to assume this changes.
Jag Kang: Trujillo KO
Trujillo continues his run of dominance in 2024, capping the year off with his third first round knockout of the campaign. When comparing the two styles, it’s clear there is a vast skill gap between Trujillo and Leak. There’s always the puncher’s chance but I don’t see Trujillo spending much time in the trigon. The KO1 streak goes on.
Adam Hunt: Trujillo KO
Leak is one of those fighters you could label too tough for their own good, but against a guy like Trujillo unfortunately it’s not going to matter. Leak is tough as nails and what he lacks in lateral mobility and head movement he makes up for with his chin and his punch combinations. However BYB is Trujillo’s oyster and until they import some tougher matchups this KO streak of his will continue.
BYB 34 - (c) Cub Hawkins (5-1, 5 KO) vs. Zion Tomlinson Sr. (4-3, 4 KO) - BYB Police Gazette Cruiserweight World Diamond Belt.
Adam Hunt: Tomlinson KO
A tough fight like Hawkins had against Cisneros is not easy shaken from the body, he was knocked down seven times in that fight. With just four months between that fight and this one, I believe the hungry Tomlinson will prove to be too much for Hawkins. If this fight happened in March is it a different story, maybe, but it's happening now and I’m going with Zion inside the distance.
Jag Kang: Hawkins UD
Despite his last bout not going as planned, Hawkins is still considered one of the brightest young talents in bare knuckle. And although his opponent Zion Tomlinson poses risks for this cruiserweight championship bout, Hawkins’ activity this year makes the difference for me. This will be his fourth bare knuckle bout to Tomlinson’s two. In addition, his experience at the championship level gives him the edge in this bout. It’ll be tough but Hawkins by UD.
Cole Whiston: Hawkins KO
Hawkins didn’t get the result he was looking for last time out, but he still put up a good effort getting to the fifth. Doing that in the Mighty Trigon is not easy. In fact, the odds are probably against you. I’m expecting a much more driven and focused Cub this time around and that version is hard to deal with.
BYB 34 - Jamie Driver (3-1, 2 KO) vs. Sonya Dreiling (2-3, 1 KO) - BYB Police Gazette Welterweight World Diamond Belt.
Jag Kang: Driver UD
History says if you win the first one, you’re likely to win the second as well. However, in the case of Driver vs. Dreiling the first bout was a split decision going the way of Driver. Since then, both have enjoyed victories but Driver’s have been more impressive. I expect another close bout, but also another Driver W.
Adam Hunt: Driver UD
This is her fight to lose a lot of the promotion is centred around her for this fight due to her social media presence. That's not to take away from her in-ring ability, but the added pressure from the fans and the unpredictable nature of a rematch throws a monkey wrench into this one. Driver will take it but it won’t be easy.
Cole Whiston: Driver UD
There’s a reason why trilogies are iconic, it’s because they don’t come around very often because typically the person who wins the first one, wins the second. Now, Driver did win the first meeting by split decision but since then she’s banked championship rounds and a KO 1. Dreiling has also picked up two wins since then but not at the same level and that’s why I think Driver will pull away with this one.
Photo Courtesy of BKFC.
BKFC 69 - Keith Richardson (4-1, 3 KO) vs Michael Larrimore (2-0, 2 KO)
Jag Kang: Larrimore KO1
Prior to the Blas fight, I likely would’ve given the edge to Keith Richardson. However, after a scary finish like that it’s hard to imagine we’ll see the same Keith Richardson in the ring. The sport is too brutal and at 41 years old, I think we’ve seen the best of the Rockstar after so much mileage between MMA and bare knuckle. Larrimore on the other hand, is just 26 years of age and has earned two emphatic knockouts in his only career bare knuckle fights. I anticipate a changing of the guard.
Cole Whiston: Larrimore KO
This is so hard to judge. Prior to Blas, Richardson looked like one of the best bare knuckle fighters in the world. But Blas happened. Which means who knows how Richardson will come back from that and with Larrimore coming off two quick knockout wins, the momentum is in his favour.
Adam Hunt: Larrimore KO
While he has had more time to bounce back from his devastating KO loss than Hawkins has, I still don’t think Richardson has had enough time off to recover properly. Larrimore has real power that if you aren’t at 100% will make you pay. It might not be early like his other two stops, but I think eventually the young contender will get the job done.
Top Photo Courtesy of BYB.
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