On June 26th, 2021, Hector Lombard defeated Joe Riggs for the BKFC Cruiserweight title, what would follow after that would set in motion the fight and event we have this weekend at BKFC 22 in Miami, Florida.
During the post-fight interview with Lombard, Lorenzo Hunt would run down the ramp and into the ring to address Lomabrd except Lombard was not happy to be interrupted and reciprocated that feeling with actions.
Absolute madness!!! Hector Lombard throws a two piece at Lorenzo Hunt after being walked up on😳😳😳 #BKFC18
— JFo The MMA Journalist🇺🇸 – Jake Foley (@JFoMMATalk) June 27, 2021
After that, both these guys had to fight, it only made sense right?
BKFC 22: Lombard vs. Hunt Preview
It’s fun to look back and in doing so we can remember how exciting it was when Lombard went from Bellator to the UFC expectations were sky high but yet the results were anything but. He would go 3-8 including six of those losses coming on the back end of his MMA career and UFC run. This made expectations low when it was announced he had signed with BKFC back in 2019 but ironically he has excelled in the promotion and sport.Â
Lombard has started his bare-knuckle boxing career going 3-0 with two knockouts and those knockouts were over fellow UFC veterans Joe Riggs and Kendall Grove. Both men were past their primes but in BKFC that doesn’t always seem to matter, what matters is the results and Lombard has gotten those ever since moving over. He will be defending his title for the first time against Hunt but its Hunt who seems more than ready for his chance at stardom in BKFC.
When Lorenzo Hunt stormed the ring in June, no one thought he’d get punched but rather that he would talk his way into a title shot versus physically earning it.Â
However, he did physically earn it by starting 4-0 though with four knockouts in his BKFC career, at 39 years old he seems to have finally found his footing in his career. His MMA career never fully took off the ground by going 3-4 with his clear struggles on the ground limiting it made all the sense in the world to make the pivot to BKFC. Now he can complete the long journey from outside Cleveland, Ohio by winning the BKFC cruiserweight title this weekend in his adopted state of Florida, this fight has all the makings of being a good time, not a long time so tune in early especially if it is going to be anything like the press conference was yesterday.
These two are off the rails heated at each other, Lorenzo Hunt slamming the belt though is a less than ideal thing to do.
Is it Friday yet? #BKFC22
(🎥: BKFC)
pic.twitter.com/ObGoRn3wZA— Andrew Harbaugh (@MandrewH_) November 11, 2021
BKFC History and Then Some Is On The Line
Not to be overshadowed by the bigger guys on the card, Dat Nguyen, the current BKFC bantamweight champion, moves up two weight classes to lightweight to challenge for the title against Luis Palomino.
Dat Nguyen started a professional boxing career by going 2-1 before jumping over to BKFC, once he made that jump he saw the wins really start to pour in by going 3-0, just one knockout, but it the output he has that really has him becoming a fan favorite.Â
He would win the bantamweight title in his last outing though by outpointing Johnny Bedford in one of the greatest BKFC fights to date and thus the promotion felt like him moving up wouldn’t do anything but good things given his style. To keep looking impressive though he needs either an impressive finish or a fun dance partner and for sure he has the latter in Luis Palomino.
Luis Palomino is the BKFC lightweight champion and is looking to defend his title for the third time, which is impressive by BKFC standards. He is 4-0 in the promotion with stoppages in half of his wins but the entertainment is never lacking in any of his fights. A matchup with Nguyen could steal the show, despite the chaos of the main event, and regardless we will have a history with either a fourth title defense or a two-division champion.
Notable Names on the Card
Also on the card, BKFC has matched up former UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez matching up with fan-favorite Britain Hart, both women are undefeated in BKFC with Hart having the big win over Paige Vanzant. For Gonzalez, she is looking to continue her momentum from coming over from the UFC by upsetting Hart and earning an even better fight down the road.
Two other names to watch on the card that MMA fans should be familiar with are heavyweight and Strikeforce veteran Mike Kyle and UFC veteran Marcus Brimage. Both men are fighting separate opponents but both have names that are sure to draw fans over, especially Brimage who will be making his BKFC debut.
Featured Image courtesy of BKFC Twitter.
