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BKFC FIGHT NIGHT CLEARWATER RECAP

Bare Knuckle fighting continues to be the unofficial Florida state sport, because for the third time in 2024 BKFC was back, this time in Clearwater.


(Photo courtesy: BKFC)


On April 13th BKFC was back in Florida for BKFC Fight Night Clearwater. The card would feature a healthy mix of debuting local fighters, experienced bare knucklers, and ranked contenders.

 

In just the second fight of the night, Angel Hernandez (1-0, 1 KO) needed a mere eight seconds to floor Rayne Wells (0-1). The win is the third fastest knockout in BKFC history.

 

Leonel “Lionheart” Carerra (1-1, 1 KO) and Mike Heckert (1-1, 1 KO) kept the momentum going with one of the most brutal rounds of the year. In the second, Lionheart would continue to pop his jab on the damaged eye of his opponent which would eventually lead to a doctor’s stoppage before the third round.  

 

The lone women’s fight of the night would see Jessica “The Black Widow” Borga (2-0, 2 KO’s) face the debuting Katharina “The German Gypsy” Lehner (0-1). An absolute firefight from the opening bell would last just 41 seconds with “The Black Widow” moving to 2-0 and collecting her second KO in BKFC.

 

The fast finishes wouldn’t stop there. Abdiel Velazquez (4-4, 3 KO’s) lived up to his nickname of “The Nightmare” swarming his opponent Travis Thompson (5-6, 4 KO’s). He knocked him down once with an uppercut and then a stiff jab sent him down again, ending the bout in the first round. The victor Velazquez is back to .500 in BKFC.

 

Some world class flyweight action would take centre stage next with number two ranked Tyler Randall (3-2, 1 KO) and number one ranked JR Ridge (3-3, 2 KO’s). A closely contested bout would go the distance and see “The Rookie” Randall edge out a split decision and should punch his ticket to a shot at the winner of the anticipated John Dodson (3-0-1, 3 KO’s) and Dagoberto Aguero (1-0-1, 1 KO) rematch.

 

In the co-main event former champion and fifth ranked welterweight Elvin Brito (6-4, 2 KO) faced off with Ja’Far Fortt (3-1, 3 KO). An emphatic KO saw nearly 30 Brito punches go unanswered giving “El Bandito” his sixth win in the squared circle. When given the microphone to celebrate he made the most of his time. "Give me Trout. I'm the champ,” he told the sold-out OCC Road House & Museum crowd. “You're not the champ unless you beat me. I'm the champ; I'm at the top of the mountain."

 

In the main event, two experienced veterans of the Bare-Knuckle game would face off with former interim champion Mike Richman (6-2, 6 KO’s) and Erick Lozano (2-3, 2 KO’s). Richman showed once again that he is world class no matter what weight class he competes in. A knockdown in the first would set the tone for the rest of the bout eventually earning his sixth knockout in bare knuckle fighting.

 

Richman’s KO capped off a great night of fights that saw just one of the nine fights go the distance, check out the full card results below.

 

BKFC Fight Night Clearwater Results

Mike Richman def. Erick Lozano via TKO in Round 5 (0:53)

Elvin Brito def. Ja’Far Fortt via TKO in Round 1 (0:40)

Tyler Randall def. JR Ridge via Split Decision (49-46, 47-48, 48-47)

Abdiel Velazquez def. Travis Thompson via KO in Round 1 (1:03)

Jay Jackson def. Idrees Wasi via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 3 (2:00)

Jessica Borga def. Katharina Lehner via KO in Round 1 (0:41)

Leonel Carerra def. Mike Heckert via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 2 (2:00)

Angel Hernandez def. Rayne Wells via KO in Round 1 (0:08)

Quentin Gaskins def. Zach Pannell via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 1 (2:00)


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