BKFC 84 fight week is here. For the only time in the month of November, David Feldman’s promotion takes the stage this coming Saturday. While UFC 322 will undoubtedly be the focal point of this weekend’s schedule of competitive violence inside the United States, fans of pugilism will crave more of The Sweet Science.
This Saturday evening, following the anticipated rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn on DAZN, BKFC 84 is the nightcap of a doubleheader of boxing action on the streaming service from Palm Desert, CA and Acrisure Arena. Coverage begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT with the countdown show on YouTube.
The fights themselves begin at just past 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on DAZN. All told, if there are no adjustments to the bout order between now and this coming weekend, the final version of Saturday night’s card features a slate of 11 matches under bare-knuckle rules.
BKFC 84 Main Event: BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship: [C] Josh Dyer vs. Lorenzo Hunt II
At the top of the bill at BKFC 84 is another rematch for a championship, this one taking place at light heavyweight (185 lbs.) Current BKFC Light Heavyweight Champion Josh Dyer (5-1, 2 NC bare-knuckle) meets former BKFC Light Heavyweight and BKFC Cruiserweight Champion Lorenzo Hunt (11-2 bare-knuckle) for the second time.
Their initial meeting in April of 2021 during BKFC 17 ended in the fifth round of the contest when Dyer could not press forward due to losing his eye contact, losing by TKO. How will chapter two of this story play out?
As with all fights in BKFC, Saturday’s main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round. Dyer, who was supposed to have fought David Mundell this weekend before the fight was postponed, enters this rematch having gone 3-0 with two no-contests in his last five matches. Most recently, he secured the strap at 185 with a fourth-round knockout of Mike Richman (7-4, 1 NC bare-knuckle in Salt Lake City on DAZN.
It’s been over four and a half years’ time since the original contest against Lorenzo Hunt, but one thing’s crystal clear going into BKFC 84: Revenge is on his mind this Saturday night.
Across the way, Lorenzo Hunt will be making the walk to the ring over the weekend sporting a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. It’s been a long time between fights for Hunt and his camp, however. Prior to BKFC 84 on Saturday night, he last competed on April 27 of last year.
That spring evening, he suffered a dislocated arm in the first round of his fight against Mick Terrill (10-2 bare-knuckle,) thwarting his bid at the BKFC Heavyweight Championship at BKFC KnuckleMania IV in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater.
A planned return fight for April 26 of this year versus Chris Camozzi in Rome, Italy never materialized due to Hunt suffering an injury. He’s already held the BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship once before in his career, so can he score the title a second time?
BKFC 84 Co-Main Event: Drew Stuve vs. Zeb Vincent
Immediately prior to the headliner, the co-main event of BKFC 84 happens at middleweight (175 lbs.) Drew Stuve (3-0 bare-knuckle) comes in on 10 days’ notice to square off against Zeb Vincent (3-2 bare-knuckle.) Stuve has yet to lose under bare-knuckle rules. Last time out, he scored a first-round knockout of Will Santiago (2-2-1 bare-knuckle) on Aug. 9 in Edmonton, AL
Stuve is a replacement for Vincent’s original opponent at BKFC 84, Steven Sainsbury (1-0 bare-knuckle) after Sainsbury withdrew from the event late last week. With only a week and a half to prepare for this contest, how will he do when the command to knuckle up is given?
Meanwhile, Zeb Vincent enters this contest on the strength of a 3-2 record across all competitions in his last five fights. Most recently, he lost via first-round knockout to Dionisio Ramirez (2-0 bare-knuckle) on April 18.
Vincent had expected to meet Steven Sainsbury until the latter bowed out of the contest a week ago. Will the change in opponent be helpful or a hindrance?
BKFC 84 Featured Fight: Aspen Ladd vs. Shyanna Bintliff
Also on BKFC 84’s main card, the featured fight of the evening brings about the bare-knuckle debut of a UFC and PFL veteran in a women’s featherweight bout. Aspen Ladd, who posted a 12-5 record in MMA, makes her first walk as a bare-knuckle fighter when she fights Shyanna Bintliff (2-1 bare-knuckle.)
Ladd comes into the fight having had almost 18 months away from competition. On May 17, 2024 in Bellator Champions Series Paris, she bested Ekaterina Shakalova (9-4 MMA) by way of unanimous decision. Aspen Ladd hasn’t had a fight since that evening in France.
A fight against Alejandra Lara in the Global Fight League this past spring was scrubbed after the promotion’s initial events were also canceled, delaying Aspen Ladd’s return to competition until now. Is a win in the cards for her this Saturday night in California?
In the other corner, Shyanna Bintliff made her BKFC debut a successful one on Aug. 2, finishing Marisol Ruelas (0-2 bare-knuckle) in Sturgis, SD. She’ll have quite the challenge awaiting her in the form of Aspen Ladd for her sophomore BKFC appearance, but can she meet this challenge?
Rest of the Card
The BKFC 84 main card is rounded out by the following fights:
- a light heavyweight affair matching Cody Vidal (2-1-1 bare-knuckle) with David Simpson (3-4 bare-knuckle,)
- a welterweight showdown between Evgenii Kurdanov (5-2 bare-knuckle) and Paulo Games (1-1 bare-knuckle,)
- a featherweight contest pairing Daniel Alvarez (2-2 bare-knuckle) against Jared Lennon (1-1 bare-knuckle,)
- a bantamweight fight versing David Diaz (2-1-1 bare-knuckle) with Justyn Martinez (2-5 bare-knuckle,)
- a welterweight showcase between Ryan Petersen (2-1 bare-knuckle) and Enkhtur Bayartsogt (bare-knuckle debut,)
- and a heavyweight bout versing Chase Gormley (1-1 bare-knuckle) against Nelson Best (bare-knuckle debut.)
Which fights are you looking forward to on BKFC 84’s main card? Let us know in the comments.
