A monumental night of fights opens the door for all kinds of interesting options.
October 12th would see BKFC make its stunning debut in the country of Spain when they put on a spectacle at the Marbella Arena. A championship triple header topped a card full of talents from Europe and a few Americans as well. But unfortunately we’re in the age of short attention spans, and the combat sports world frequently moves on quickly, it’s not what you have done, it's what are you doing next? Here is an option or two (or three) for all of the championship winners from BKFC Spain.
Franco Tenaglia - BKFC Lightweight Champion
Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto put on a Fight of the Year candidate in the main event for the vacant lightweight title, while no one would complain about a rematch, myself included there are other options available. The only other lightweight champion in BKFC’s history, Luis Palomino, is the perfect first defence for the new champion. If Tenaglia is able to get over on the legend it would cement him as a legit champion even more so than he already is. A Fight of the Year to win the belt, and taking out an all time great to defend it, immediately inserts him in pound for pound conversations. The third and final option is Howard Davis, a guy who always has lots of eyes on his fights, would make for a big event, not to mention coming of a dominant first round KO of the previously undefeated James Brown, and we aren’t the only ones high on Davis, the BKFC themselves brought “HD” over to Spain to weigh in as the backup fighter for the main event, all signs point to Howard being a guy who is nearing the front of the line.
Austin Trout - BKFC Welterweight Champion
Trout put up another resounding victory when he defended his title for the first time knocking down Rico Franco twice enroute to a 50-43 unanimous decision. Trout clearly loves the bare knuckle game cutting a promo after his win welcoming any and all challengers to his 165-lb. crown. There are a few options available, the biggest is the rematch with Palomino but we already used him as a possible Tenaglia opponent. Jake Lindsey is coming off his biggest win to date when he beat former world champion Elvin Brito in the main event of Fight Night Kansas City. The lone loss of his bare knuckle career came during a vacant title fight with Grojan Slaveski, so while not a true “fresh face” to the championship picture, we are in a new era with Trout at the helm. Connor Tierney is a guy who probably needs a win before he’s ready for a fight with Trout but with the following he holds, he is a viable option. Carlos Trinidad-Snake has a fight booked on the November 9th card if he’s able to get another win, without taking too much damage, we could see him mix it up with Trout in early 2025.
David Mundell - BKFC Middleweight Champion
After 11 months without seeing him in the ring, Mundell reminded everyone just how explosive he is inside the squared circle when he stopped Danny Christie in the second round. He has continually called for a bout with BKFC’s cash cow “Platinum” Mike Perry. While all signs point to that being the fight to make, BKFC has had many times where Perry comes off a big win and a championship bout makes sense, and they’ve yet to pull the trigger. These two have history, with Perry and Mundell facing off twice in MMA once as pros and once as amateurs, with Perry winning by KO both times. But while this is the fight to make in terms of what's right for the division, it doesn’t seem to be the right move for the box office, Perry will likely continue to face big name free agents. So the realistic option is Dakota Cochrane. Since fighting at 175 full time, Cochrane has won three straight with three KO’s. With how explosive Mundell has shown himself to be, you need someone in there with him that can earn his respect with their power.
All Photos Courtesy of BKFC.
Comments