Man oh man, Bare Knuckle FC never seems to disappoint. The crew was live in Tampa, Florida for their eighth event and it was not to be missed. Headlining the show, two former UFC heavyweights Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Gabriel Gonzaga let the hands go. Here’s how the main card fights all shook out. Here’s the preview we did earlier this week.
Bare Knuckle FC 8 Recap, a Bloody Good Time!
Before the event kicked off, the fine folks at Bare Knuckle FC had some MMA celebrities in the ring. They announced Fabricio Werdum, Jason Knight, Artem Lobov, and Wanderlei Silva. It was nice to see them in the ring and the fighters did a little Q & A session. It was an interesting way to kick off the prelims.
The prelims certainly delivered the action as they presented three fights that all ended via KO. Only one of the three fights made it into the second round. You can see the quick BKFC 8 results here.
Antonio Silva vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
The two main event heavyweights made their way to the ring. Both men took their time in the early going. Silva weighed in at 284 pounds, and he looked really big. Silva landed an uppercut but Gonzaga ate it well. Feeling out round.
The second round opened and Gonzaga landed a couple of nice left hands. Gonzaga landed a big jab and Antonio Silva was not exhibiting good head movement. Gabriel Gonzaga planted Silva on the canvas with an overhand right and Silva was hurt. Gonzaga landed a series of massive shots and Silva was knocked silly. The referee immediately halted the action, forgoing a count. Big, big knockout win for Gonzaga at 1:50 of Round 2.
Julian Lane vs. Jim Alers
Julian Lane has found a home in BKFC and has come a long way since he was screaming, “Let me bang, bro!” on The Ultimate Fighter. The bell rang and it was go time! Both men threw hands and Alers was getting the better of it as the bell rang.
Round two opened with Alers again being hyper-aggressive. Jim Alers landed a devastating uppercut and it floored Lane. He staggered to his feet and the fight continued for a moment. He was wobbly and turning away and the referee jumped in and halted the action. Lane was badly hurt and Alers looked great in victory! Alers gets the win via TKO at 0:53 of Round 2.
Dat Nguyen vs. Travis Thompson
The first round was primarily both fighters trying to find their range and distance. Both fighters seemed to have good form, footwork, and hand-speed. Good round with decent back and forth action.
The second frame saw more of the same with Dat Nguyen starting to find his jab and left hands. Thompson at times found himself standing too still in front of Nguyen and he paid a price for it. Dat Nguyen had a much better form.
The third round saw Travis Thompson try to close the distance and fight more inside. However, Dat Nguyen did well to keep his distance and wobbled Thomspon with a straight right. Nguyen’s boxing experience paid dividends and he managed to land heavy shots and then get out of range.
Round four was all Dat Nguyen, as his speed and form were just too much for the outgunned Travis Thompson. Thompson was more than game, and wouldn’t quit, but he was being picked apart badly.
The final round was more of the same as Nguyen was just too much for Thompson. Dat Nguyen went head and body over and over. Thompson earned my respect, he never gave up. He fought and ate shots, including a giant left hand at one point. The fight ended and there was little to no doubt that Dat Nguyen had won a unanimous decision.
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Rick Caruso
The bell sounded and one second later, Caruso was planted by a double left hand by Velazquez. Caruso was ok, and the fight went forward. Abdiel Velazquez was landing clean shots and wobbled Rick Caruso. Velazquez landed a series of straight lefts and Caruso went down again. The round ended with Rick Caruso busted up and leaking from multiple cuts.
The bell rang to open the second round and almost immediately Rick Caruso was again planted by a straight left hand. He beat the count but verbally told the referee he was done and that was that. Abdiel Velazquez wins at 0:11 of Round number 2.
Reggie Pena vs. Lorenzo Hunt
Lorenzo Hunt came to the ring dancing and brought with him a team of dancers. Nothing like a little showmanship to score points with the fans. Hunt landed a big right hand at the bell cutting Pena. Hunt took a shot to the groin and was given time to recover. Both guys traded some heavy shots. Pena was a mess, bleeding from multiple cuts on his face. The first round ended and it was a good one.
The second round opened and Pena had to feel some urgency given the multiple cuts and swelling. Hunt, on the other hand, looked like he hadn’t even been touched. Hunt showed some explosive speed and landed a couple of good shots. The referee warned Pena to break when he says or he’d lose a point.
The corner worked on Pena between rounds. He was a swollen, bloody mess. Pena was wobbled by a right hand and Hunt continued to move forward pressure Reggie Pena. Hunt started to fade and look tired. Better round for Pena.
Before round four could get underway, the doctor waved the fight off. Pena had a hematoma the size of Rhode Island protruding from his eyebrow. Lorenzo Hunt wins the fight at 2:00 of Round 3 via Dr. Stoppage.
Sheena Starr vs. Delaney Owen
This fight was brought to you by Mary Jane’s House of Glass, which might be the most BKFC thing ever. Sheena Starr was sporting a shirt that read, “Mike Vick is a bitch.” Moving on. The first round opened up and the two started throwing hands. Owen landed a pair of right hands early. Starr took a knee, in effect calling a timeout. It was odd. Starr clipped Owen with a right hand and Owen’s legs went wobbly. Good round, already more action than the entire previous fight.
The second round opened up and it was more of the same. Starr looked either hurt or exhausted between rounds. Sheena Starr has a size advantage but Delaney Owen had a big speed edge. Starr went down and got back to her feet. Immediately she dropped back to the canvas. That’s a wrap! TKO victory for Delaney Owen who has good form, hand speed, and some power. She made a heck of a debut.
Joey Angelo vs. Walber Brito de Baros
The second fight of the night saw Joey Angelo take on Walber Brito de Baros. Baros had a draw with Joe Riggs in his BKFC debut. Both fighters looked pretty comfortable but for the most part, neither man did too much damage in the first frame. Angelo nearly landed a couple of right hands that could have been dangerous, but they fell short.
More of the same in the second round the fighters felt each other out but were not landing anything too damaging. The fans were beginning to get a little restless as the second round came to a close.
Round 3 saw some more technical boxing as Angelo moved in and out of distance well and continued to land shots. The round ended but these two super middleweights simply have did not land anything of consequence. BKFC fights consist of five, two-minute rounds.
In round 4 opened with a hearty handshake. That’s certainly not what you’re expecting to see during a Bare Knuckle fight. I’d like to see less friendship and some more urgency to land.
The final frame saw Angelo land some solid left hands. Baros said he was poked in the eye but the referee correctly stated it was a punch. Angelo closed out the round in good form, landing some decent shots. Joey Angelo won the fight via split decision. It was a close, if not exciting fight.
David Mundell vs. Ronnie Forney
The first fight of the main card was a light heavyweight clash between Mundell and Ronnie Forney. It was David Mundell’s second foray into the BKFC ring. There was no feeling-out process, they immediately went at it. It was rockem/sockem from the get-go and Mundell dropped Forney about a minute into the round with a pair of straight left hands.
Forney was game and ate a ton of big shots like pancakes and stood his ground. Mundell clearly won the round, and it was surprising to see Forney survive the first frame. The doctor checked Forney’s swollen cheek and gave the thumbs up for the fight to continue. In the second round, it was more of the same as Mundell landed some big shots and Forney looked a bit lost. Ronnie Forney hit the canvas again and the referee started the count, but broke it off and called a halt to the action at 1:09 of Round 2. Big win to David Mundell who moves to 2-0 inside the BKFC ring.
