BKFC Fight Night Philly fight week continues. Friday night, on the eve of the UFC’s Saturday night card in Abu Dhabi, the center of the combat sports universe is in Philadelphia, PA. 2300 Arena, once upon a time known as the ECW Arena, serves as the setting for the second BKFC show on David Feldman’s July schedule.
Following an unexpected hiatus last weekend in the wake of the postponement of a planned BKFC show in Perth due to the Western Australia Combat Sports Board declining a license for what would have been BKFC 79, the promotion is back in action stateside for a card in The City of Brotherly Love.
Coverage of BKFC Fight Night Philly begins Friday night at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT with the countdown show on YouTube before moving onto the fights themselves one hour later at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT. As always, this BKFC show can be streamed gavel-to-gavel on DAZN. If there are no adjustments to the itinerary, the final version of BKFC Fight Night Philly will feature a slate of nine bare-knuckle contests.
BKFC Fight Night Philly Main Event: Dustin Pague vs. Ryan Petersen
At the top of the bill in BKFC Fight Night Philly, the welterweights take to the ring when Dustin Pague (4-2 bare-knuckle) meets Ryan Petersen (3-0 bare-knuckle.) All fights on the show are an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round. main event included.
Pague will be returning to 2300 Arena for BKFC Fight Night Philly’s main event having gone 4-1 in his last five bare-knuckle matchups. On March 21, he scored a TKO against Andrew Angelcor (4-1-1 bare-knuckle) when the fight doctor waved off the contest after the second round upon the latter sustaining a cut.
The Pennsylvanian already won once this year under the bright lights of 2300 Arena. Can he go 2-for-2 in that venue in 2025?
Meanwhile, Ryan Petersen has yet to lose in his professional bare-knuckle boxing career. Back in January, he trekked to Temecula, CA for a contest against Matt Socholotiuk (2-1 bare-knuckle), winning by unanimous decision after 10 minutes of action.
With Dustin Pague being in familiar surroundings for BKFC Fight Night Philly this Friday night, Petersen’s goal will be a simple one: Knock Pague off of his game at the earliest possible opportunity. Only time will tell, however, if Petersen is able to remain undefeated.
BKFC Fight Night Philly Co-Main Event: Rosalinda Rodriguez vs. Gabrielle Roman
Immediately prior to the main event of the evening, the BKFC Fight Night Philly co-main event sees action taking place at women’s flyweight. Rosalinda Rodriguez (2-0 bare-knuckle), who holds a 14-0 record in traditional boxing, knuckles up with Gabrielle Roman (1-2-1 bare-knuckle.)
Rosalinda Rodriguez enters this weekend still undefeated in her professional career both with and without gloves as a pugilist. She hasn’t competed under bare-knuckle rules in more than 16 months.
In March of last year, she scored a TKO at the end of the third round of her fight versus Monica Franco (1-1 bare-knuckle) down in Miami before returning to traditional boxing last fall and netting a split decision victory over Amy Naert (12-5, 3 KOs) after 10 rounds in Atlanta.
Rodriguez has proven to be a tough customer at the shop throughout her 16 previous fights. Will the 17th walk to the ring be any different?
Across the way, Gabrielle Roman has gone 1-3-1 in her five professional bouts, traditional and bare-knuckle boxing included. Currently, she’s dropped three fights in a row.
Just a month ago, she was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Whitney Gomez (2-0, 0 KOs) in traditional boxing after four three-minute rounds. It goes without saying that Gabrielle Roman is hungry for a win. Expect her to fight with frustration in the BKFC Fight Night Philly co-main event on Friday night.
BKFC Fight Night Philly Featured Fight: John Garbarino vs. Erik Lopez
Also on the BKFC Fight Night Philly itinerary, the evening’s featured fight takes place at light heavyweight, where a fan favorite is set to make the walk for the third time this year. John Garbarino (2-0 bare-knuckle) will fight in front of a hometown crowd as he takes on Erik Lopez (2-2 bare-knuckle.)
John Garbarino enters with a 4-1 record in his last five fights. At the moment, he’s on a three-fight winning streak. More impressively, all of his wins on his current streak have come before the bell has tolled to end the opening round.
This past March, he only needed 47 seconds to stop Rayne Wells (0-2 bare-knuckle.) Much like his previous two BKFC fights, this contest is a “home game” for the one nicknamed “Johnny Cannoli.” With a partisan crowd behind their favorite son once again, can he deliver another highlight-reel finish?
In the other corner, Erik Lopez has posted a mark of 2-3 in his last five fights across all combative disciplines. Back in June, he was defeated in a traditional boxing match by way of unanimous decision after four rounds against Shon Cross (1-0, 0 KOs) in Ogden, UT in the latter’s professional boxing debut.
He’ll be playing the role of the heel in the BKFC Fight Night Philly featured fight this Friday. Will he knock Garbarino from the ranks of the undefeated by the time the weekend rolls around?
Final Thoughts
Which fight or fights on BKFC Fight Night Philly are you looking forward to this Friday? Let us know in the comments.
