BKFC Newcastle is upon us. While some of the UFC’s finest will go to work this weekend in Australia in UFC 312, there’s a warm-up act on the schedule in the form of bare-knuckle boxing. This Saturday night (UK time), the Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle upon Tyne, England places host to BKFC Newcastle.
As is now the norm, live coverage of the event begins at 1 pm ET/ 10 am PT on the official BKFC YouTube channel with the countdown show before moving onto the fights themselves at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT on DAZN. Barring any 11th-hour postponements or cancellations, the final version of BKFC Newcastle will feature 13 bare-knuckle fights.
Cracking Main Card Affairs During BKFC Newcastle Saturday Night
Our focus this time out is on the fights making up the main card of this stacked BKFC show. Note: All BKFC fights are an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round.
There are a number of appealing fights making up the itinerary for the evening, so let’s press on and talk about them.
BKFC Newcastle Main Event: BKFC UK Cruiserweight Championship: Karl Thompson vs. Rob Boardman
At the top of the bill on Saturday night is a contest for the BKFC UK Cruiserweight Championship. Karl Thompson (3-0 bare-knuckle, 3-0 BKFC) puts his winning streak on the line when he faces fellow undefeated combatant Rob Boardman (6-0 bare-knuckle, 2-0 BKFC).
Karl Thompson enters BKFC Newcastle on Saturday having yet to lose thus far in his bare-knuckle career. Last time out, he scored a third-round knockout victory over Dawid Chylinski (0-1, 1 NC bare-knuckle, 0-1 BKFC) during BKFC 68 last Nov. 2. Thompson has only seen the judges factor into a decision of a fight one time during his career.
Will he be able to put Boardman away inside the distance? Tune in on Saturday and find out the answer.
Across the way, Rob Boardman is no slouch, either. The former BKB Super Middleweight Champion, is also unbeaten in bare-knuckle boxing. Most recently, he finished Lee Browne in the fourth round of their contest in BKFC 64 last August.
We know that somebody is going to get dropped from the ranks of the undefeated in the BKFC Newcastle main event on Saturday. The only question is one of who will it be.
BKFC Newcastle Co-Main Event: Pic Jardine vs. Tony Shields
Immediately beforehand, more action between undefeated fighters takes place, this time in the middleweight ranks between Pic Jardine (1-0 bare-knuckle, 1-0 BKFC), who posted a 3-3 record in amateur MMA and Tony Shields (3-0 bare-knuckle, BKFC promotional debut.)
Jardine comes into the co-main attraction having posted a 2-3 record in his last five bouts. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak dating back to his amateur MMA finale. Back in June of last year, he made a successful BKFC debut by way of third-round knockout vs. Bart Krol (3-2 bare-knuckle, 3-2 BKFC.)
Will he get his hand raised this week? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, Tony Shields enters Saturday night’s co-main event having posted a record of 3-1 counting his lone appearance in MMA. At the moment, he’s won three fights in succession.
Nine months ago, he defeated Lionel Levitchi by first-round TKO (retirement) in BKB 38. When Shields enters the ring to knuckle up, the judges know they’ll have a chance to make a quick run to the snack bar. What happens this Saturday?
BKFC Newcastle: Lewis Keen vs. Ryan McCarthy
Also on the main card is a lightweight fixture pairing Lewis Keen (3-1 bare-knuckle, 2-1 BKFC) against Ryan McCarthy (1-1 bare-knuckle, 0-1 BKFC.) Keen will make the walk having posted a record of 3-2 over his last five fights.
At the moment, he’s reeling from a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Ben Bonner (3-1 bare-knuckle, 3-1 BKFC) last November. Prior to this contest, Keen had won all of his fights inside the distance, with two of those victories coming in the third round of the bout. Can he get back in the win column on Saturday?
Meanwhile, Ryan McCarthy enters this weekend’s bout having gone 1-1 thus far in his BKFC tenure. Last fall, he dropped a unanimous decision after five rounds to Simey Doherty (4-1 bare-knuckle.)
Final Thoughts
Which fight or fights are you looking forward to on Saturday? Let us know in the comments.