One of BKFC’s youngest and brightest stars headlines in his home state.
November 9th will see BKFC’s second instalment of their new DAZN deal, and taking centre stage is one of their premiere talents in the form of 24-year-old featherweight champion Kai Stewart (5-0 2 KO). Defending his belt in his home state for the first time,”King Kai” will face off with combat sports veteran Jimmie Rivera (2-1-1). This bout has been a long time coming, with Rivera entering the squared circle for a face-off following Stewart’s title defence over Bryan Duran last June. An action Stewart took exception to and has used it to fuel his preparation for this bout.
“Jimmie Rivera stepped into the ring after my fight and tried to take that moment from me. There's a little bit I need to do there. I need to knock him out on my home turf and get that back. He stole half my mic time down in Florida (BKFC 62) so I definitely want to get that one back."
Stewart was very grapple heavy in his early career, closing the distance and relying on his background in amateur wrestling to work in the clinch. He has slowly refined his boxing skill and in his bout with the power puncher Duran, it was Stewart who held the advantage from range. Rivera has seen it all in the combat sports world and is likely to charge forward and attempt to put Stewart on the back foot for most of the contest. Despite carrying lots of power, he is still searching for his first KO since moving to bare knuckle, but for Rivera, there’s no time like the present!
The co-main will see the return of former boxing champion Alfredo Angulo (1-0, 1 KO), who’s coming off one of my personal favourite moments in all of BKFC history when he put down Jeremiah Riggs in just one round, after an absolutely frantic start. But that’s besides the point. His matchups aren’t getting any easier as he is scheduled to throw hands with Julian Lane (6-8, 2 KO), one of the toughest human beings to ever enter combat sports. Lane is as durable as they come, fighting the likes of Mike Perry, David Mundell, and Jimmy Sweeney. Three active Top 10 pound-for-pound talents.
Angulo showcased otherworldly durability in his own right when he bested Riggs at KnuckleMania IV earlier this year, and with Lane always looking to “bang”, we are set to see a potential fight of the year when these two toe the line.
Number one ranked welterweight Carlos Trinidad-Snake (5-0, 3 KO) will enter the squared circle for the second time this year in the antepenultimate bout to face the returning Zach Juusola (1-0, 1 KO) who, despite not having a bare knuckle fight since 2019, has collected wins in his last two appearances for the PFL (MMA).
There is currently a log-jam at welterweight right now with Jake Lindsey, Luis Palomino, Connor Tierney, and Trinidad-Snake, all as possible candidates next up for champion Austin Trout. So for CTS, the margin for error is non-existent, and for Juulosa, a win could upset the entire table at welterweight, especially if it’s an emphatic one.
Other notable names set to compete that night are Top 5 ranked featherweight Brandon Allen (4-1, 3 KO), who will likely earn a shot at the winner of the main event if he himself is successful.
The all-action pair of Louie Lopez (3-4, 3 KO) and Robert Armas (2-2 1 KO), who are set to face off in a potential Fight of the Night candidate.
And Bryant Acheson (2-0, 1 KO), who will look to expand on his unanimous decision win earlier this year over Josh Creer, after nearly three years out of the squared circle.
Top Photo Courtesy of BKFC.
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