Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) Thailand is set to return with an electrifying third event on Saturday, September 3, 2022, live from Central World Live in Bangkok.
BKFC Thailand 3: Moment of Truth
BKFC Thailand 3 will be headlined by one of Thailand’s greatest athletes of all time, Buakaw Banchamek, who will make his promotional debut against Turkish kickboxer Erkan Varol. Widely considered to be among the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time, holding a 240-24-12 record in the sport, Buakaw made his highly-anticipated return to competition on July 6 after nearly three years away. He will face Varol, who brings an impressive 88-33 kickboxing record into his bare-knuckle boxing debut.
Alongside the main event, there will also be two title fights on the card. In the co-main event, the inaugural BKFC Thailand featherweight champion will be crowned in a battle between Pongpisan “Ton” Chunyong and Surasak Sukkhamcha. Chunyong is one of three fighters to pick up wins in each of BKFC Thailand’s first two events, and the only one to win both by stoppage. He will also become the first fighter to compete in the promotion three times when he goes toe-to-toe with the 19 year old Sukkhamcha, who earned a unanimous decision victory in his debut at BKFC Thailand 1: The Game Changer.
After stealing the show at BKFC Thailand 2: Iconic Impact, this event will host another fight between street fighters, this time crowning an official “King of the Streets”, complete with a trophy. The winner of that fight, Sornchai “Maseng” Kantiphong, was called out by his opponent, Jakkaphop “Phop Perfect” Rattanamangsang, who said that no one can claim to be the best street fighter without fighting him. That debate will be put to rest with this fight.
Two women’s fights are set to take place on the card as well. Former two-division WBC champion Usanakorn Thawinsuwannawang kicked off the last card with a bang, scoring a destructive TKO victory. She will face short-notice replacement and Muay Thai professional and former Thai national boxing team member Natsuda Yooya. Model and former American football star Tai Emery of Australia will bring a solid boxing base into her bare-knuckle boxing debut against fellow debutant Rung-Arun Khunchai, a 60-fight Muay Thai and Muay Boran competitor.
Beyond the aforementioned fighters, four more fighters from previous the two previous BKFC Thailand events are set to return to the BKFC ring. Fan favorite heavyweight Steve “Panda” Banks scored a second-round knockout in his last fight, and will now face a champion in multiple combat sports in Ahmed “Koko Hammer” Abdelfattah in the Egyptian’s debut. Sadudee Srimueang also picked up a second-round stoppage at the last event, and is now matched up with Sri Lankan Wushu and Karate standout Malinda Amarasinghe. “Street Fight Mike” Mikhail Vetrila came up just short in the main event for the light heavyweight title last time, and will look to get back on track against kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA champion Luis Paulo “Rato” Terra. After losing a decision at BKFC Thailand 1, Pipat “Mike” Chaiporn returns to fight to get into the win column for the first time against 72-fight Muay Thai veteran Frankke Srisang.
Three more action-packed bouts round out the card, including Chaloemporn Sawatsuk, who recently became a professional fighter after gaining recognition for his commitment to his prison’s fight team and starring in the movie A Prayer Before Dawn, and Kantapon “Black Falcon” Petsang, a former member of the Royal Thai Special Forces Army whom BKFC Thailand CEO Nick Chapman discovered at a super-secret underground fighting event while filming a documentary for a mainstream TV channel. They will face 15-fight MMA professional Dominic Ahnee and professional boxer Somphong Satho respectively. Somchai Ainthida, a veteran of 70 professional boxing fights, is also set to make his bare-knuckle debut alongside his opponent Suban Malopho, who also has well over a hundred fights across Muay Thai and boxing.
Overall, fighters from nine countries will be represented and all have extensive striking backgrounds, making for an exciting night of fights. BKFC Thailand 3: Moment of Truth will happen live today at 7am ET/4am PT, available live and via tape replay on the BKFC app.
BKFC Thailand 3 Results
Full Card
Buakaw Banchamek def. Erkan Varol via KO (Hooks to the Body) at 1:50 of Round 1
Surasak Sukkhamcha def. Pongpisan Chunyong via Majority Decision after Overtime Round, wins inaugural BKFC Thailand Featherweight Championship
Chaloemporn Sawatsuk def. Dominic Ahnee via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) at 0:41 of Round 3
Steve Banks def. Koko Hammer via KO (Right Hook) at 0:53 of Round 1
Phop Perfect def. Maseng via KO (Straight Rights) at 1:55 of Round 3, wins King of the Streets Superfight Championship
Mikhail Vetrila def. Luis Paulo Terra via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-48, 48-47)
Frankke Srisang def. Pipat Chaiporn via KO (Right Hook to the Body-Right Hook to the Head Combo) at 0:36 of Round 2
Usanakorn Thawinsuwannawang def. Natsuda Yooya via KO (Hooks-Straight Left Combo) at 1:12 of Round 1
Somchai Ainthida def. Suban Malolpho via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-48, 49-47)
Tai Emery def. Rung-Arun Khunchai via KO (Uppercut-Left Hook Combo) at 1:41 of Round 1
Sadudee Srimueang def. Malinda Amarasinghe via Split Decision (48-45, 47-48, 48-47)
Kantapon Petsang def. Somphong Satho via TKO (Overhand Right) at 2:00 of Round 1
