It’s time once again for the fighters to toe the line and punch it out at BKFC 12. The event is not to be missed, as it also serves as a memorial for 9/11. The event will take place Friday, September 11, and airs on the new BKTV App at 6:00 PM PST with prelims to air at 5:00 PM PST on the BKTV Youtube page. You can see the results from BKFC 11 right here.
BKFC 12 Main and Co-main events
In the main event, Thiago Alves will make his highly awaited Bare Knuckle debut as he faces Julian Lane. Julian Lane was made famous on the reality TV show, “The Ultimate Fighter” after his tearful “let me bang” rant. Despite that, he’s a very talented fighter who is no stranger to BKTV. He’s two and two in four trips inside the Bare Knuckle ring and will be looking to top the .500 mark Friday night.
Thiago Alves is a talented UFC veteran who at one point won seven straight in the UFC before being defeated by Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight championship. During his win streak, he defeated the likes of Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck. He was supposed to face Phil Baroni this weekend, but Baroni was forced to withdraw from the fight for unknown reasons.
In the co-main event, another former UFC star Hector Lombard will be making his second trip into the ring to face Kendall Grove. Lombard made his BKFC debut defeating David Mundell at BKFC 10. He’s a feared striker and an absolute powerhouse. He can end a fight with one strike and is a very imposing figure. His fight with Grove is going to be tremendous.
Kendall Grove won Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter and went on to have a solid MMA career. A veteran of 42 MMA bouts, he has a wealth of experience and is a very talented striker. It should be a heck of a fight Friday night. You can download the new BKTV App and subscribe to their monthly subscription and enjoy the fights.
BKFC 12 Feature Fights
Thiago Alves vs. Julian Lane
This fight should be really interesting. Julian Lane is a very gritty fighter, and he will undoubtedly show up ready to go. He’s replacing Phil Baroni on two weeks’ notice, but he’s always in shape and should present a difficult test for Thiago Alves.
Alves at one point was considered among the best welterweights in the world. He’s defeated the likes of Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes and went the distance with Georges St. Pierre. He is making his Bare Knuckle debut. His hands have always been good and he should transition well to the ring.
If forced to pick a winner here, I’d lean towards Thiago Alves but don’t sleep on Lane. He will undoubtedly be in Alves’ face the entire time. This is the fight that is the most compelling of the four major events taking place this weekend. Alves via decision.
Hector Lombard vs. Kendall Grove
Hector Lombard defeated David Mundell in his Bare Knuckle debut and didn’t take much damage in the process. He looked strong and had good form, but Kendall Grove will present a different test.
Grove is very tall and rangy. He will have a nine-inch height advantage and an eight-inch reach advantage over Lombard. If he utilizes that reach, he should be able to keep Lombard at bay. If he wades in and engages in a brawl, he could find himself in big trouble pretty quickly.
I like this fight a lot, and the contrast in style and range should provide an interesting viewing experience. Grove and Lombard are both very experienced, and the winner will be the fighter who sticks best to their gameplan. Kendall Grove can win the fight by utilizing his range and just keeping Lombard reaching and lunging. Going with Kendall Grove here, via unanimous decision.
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Reginald Barnett
Abdiel Velazquez is 3-2 in the Bare Knuckle ring and has good hand speed and footwork. In his last bout, he was stopped in the first round via TKO by Dat Nguyen and will be looking to rebound Friday night.
Reginald Barnett Jr. has won two of his last three fights in the Bare Knuckle FC ring and enters this win on the heels of a second-round TKO victory over Matt Murphy at BKFC 10.
This should be a fun fight, with both fighters possessing speed and decent power. Again, if pressed for a winner, go with Abdiel Velazquez. His hands are just a little sharper and he might have a slight speed advantage. It’s a pretty even fight and should deliver a ton of excitment.
Callie Cutler vs. Christine Ferea
Callie Cutler is making her Bare Knucle FC debut Friday night. I don’t know a ton about her, but she does have some MMA experience. She’s been involved with King of the Cage, LFA and RFA in the past. She’s won two of three including her last MMA bout when he defeated Barchinaya Uzginbaeva back in July.
Christine Ferea is 2-1 in BKFC and her loss as to Helen Paralta for the flyweight championship. That was a fight of the year candidate and very close. Ferea is good technically but more than that she is double tough and willing to take a shot to land one. She employs a very fan-friendly style.
This could be a case of too much too soon for Cutler. With a victory Christine Ferea is undoubtedly going to get a title shot rematch with Helen Paralta. In the end, Christine Ferea has too many paths to victory and will likely win this bout via TKO. She’s a great fighter and this is a fight you shouldn’t miss.
Lorenzo Hunt vs. Erick Lozano
Erick Lozano is making his Bare Knuckle FC debut and hasn’t had a very fruitful MMA career holding a record of 13-17. He might find a home for himself in BKFC and will find a willing fight partipant in Lorenzo Hunt who is 1-1 in the world of bare knuckle boxing.
Based on what reasearch I’ve done, I’d be surprised if Lorenzo Hunt didn’t win this fight via stoppage.
Joe Elmore vs. Tom Shoaff
Joe Elmore won his BKFC debut against Will Chope at BKFC 11 back in July. He needed less than a minute to get Chope out of there. He’ll be looking for a similar result as he competes with Tom Shoaff Friday night.
Shoaff is 1-2 in Bare Knuckle but has a respectable MMA resume and is improving as a boxer. He’s 11-4 in MMA and has competed for Bellator. He was last defeated in BKFC by Julian Lane at Bare Knucle FC 6.
This should be a fun fight and Elmore should have the advantage. He packs a big punch and is willing to take risks to get into punching range. If Shoaff fights with his reach advantage he’ll do well, but in the end, Elmore will find a way inside and stop Tom Shoaff inside the distance.
Feature Image
Embed from Getty Images
