BKFC 86 fight week is here. After a period of several weeks without cards due to the holiday break, the schedule of events is back to normal, beginning this weekend in Uncasville, CT.
Mohegan Sun Arena, which played host to the Dec. 20 BKFC Fight Night, is hosting its second BKFC show in under a month when the first show of the new year takes place this coming Saturday. Coverage of the event begins Saturday evening at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT on the official BKFC YouTube channel with the countdown show.
The fights themselves begin one hour later at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT. As is customary, BKFC 86 will be streamed gavel-to-gavel via DAZN inside the United States of America. If there are no adjustments to be made to this weekend’s itinerary, the final version of Saturday’s card will feature a slate of 11 bare-knuckle contests from David Feldman’s promotion.
BKFC 86 Main Event: BKFC Welterweight Championship: [C] Julian Lane vs. No. 4 Contender Dustin Pague
At the top of the bill on Saturday night in Uncasville, the BKFC Welterweight Championship is at stake when current titleholder Julian Lane (9-8 bare-knuckle) collides with challenger Dustin Pague (5-2 bare-knuckle.) As with all fights in BKFC, the BKFC 86 main event will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round to close out the evening’s activities.
Lane enters this main event encounter having posted a record of 4-1 in his last five contests. At the moment, he’s gotten his hand raised in the last three successive bouts.
Last summer, he scored a unanimous decision victory after 10 minutes of action over Gorjan “Gogo” Slaveski (7-1 bare-knuckle) against the backdrop of the Sturgis Bike Rally in Sturgis, SD to capture the title. The one nicknamed “Let Me Bang” has had close to six months’ time to reflect and improve on what went right. Can he make his initial defense of the strap a successful one?
Across the way, Dustin Pague comes into the weekend with a record of 4-1 himself over the last five bouts. Most recently, he finished Ryan Petersen (3-2 bare-knuckle) inside the second round of their fight last July in Philadelphia at 2300 Arena to run his current winning streak to two.
It’s been close to six months between fights for Pague, but a victory here in the BKFC 86 main event on Saturday evening will be a resume-builder for him. Will he hear “…and new…” after the fight?
BKFC 86 Co-Main Event: Jamel Herring vs. Matt Guymon
Immediately beforehand, the BKFC 86 co-main event of the evening takes place at bantamweight. An anticipated bare-knuckle debut will also be the focus of the co-headliner.
Former WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jamel Herring (24-5, 12 KOs) crosses over from the world of traditional pugilism when he faces off against Matt Guymon (2-1 bare-knuckle.) Herring makes his bare-knuckle debut on Saturday night with a mark of 2-3 in his last five treks to the squared circle.
He made his last appearance in traditional boxing in the spring of 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. That night down under, he went down in defeat by way of split decision after 10 rounds of action to Jackson Jon England (19-3, 10 KOs.) At stake: The WBO Global Super Featherweight Championship.
That was over 21 months ago. How will Jamel Herring fare when the gloves come off on Saturday?
Meanwhile, Matt Guymon has gone 3-2 in his professional career in combat sports across all disciplines. Eight and a half months ago, he dropped a majority decision at the hands of Ryan Reber (7-2 bare-knuckle) in Clearwater, FL.
Is Guymon going to give Herring a rude awakening in his bare-knuckle debut? Tune in and find out.
BKFC 86 Featured Fight: Dalvin Blair vs. Ramiro Figueroa
Also on BKFC 86’s main card on Saturday evening, the featured fight of the show happens at welterweight when undefeated Dalvin Blair (2-0 bare-knuckle) collides with Ramiro Figueroa (3-1 bare-knuckle.) The former will be making the walk to the ring this weekend having made quick work out of his first two opponents.
Since joining BKFC’s active roster in March of last year, out of a possible 20 minutes of fight time, he’s only been in the ring for one minute and 27 seconds. Back in July inside 2300 Arena, he stopped Jason DiNunzio (0-1 bare-knuckle) in a minute and 23 seconds.
Blair is dealing with a change in opponent as he gears up for the BKFC 86 featured bout this weekend. Initially, he was booked to fight Javier Fortuna on Saturday night, but he remains on an indefinite suspension by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation.
No word on when the former WBA Super Featherweight Champion will make his bare-knuckle debut. Will Blair’s third BKFC appearance result in another quick finish?
In the other corner, Ramiro Figueroa has gone 3-2 in his last five fights counting both bare-knuckle and traditional boxing matches. Currently, he’s won two fights in a row.
Last month, he scored a TKO at the end of the second round over Howard Davis (9-3-1 bare-knuckle) during BKFC 85 from Hollywood, FL.
Figueroa faces a quick turnaround going into BKFC 86 on Saturday. By the time he walks into the ring, 43 days will have passed between appearances. Will the short hiatus be helpful or a hindrance?
Rest of the Card
BKFC 86’s main card is rounded out by these contests:
- A lightweight affair between Rico DiSciullo (2-0 bare-knuckle) and Ashton Caniglia (1-0 bare-knuckle,)
- a heavyweight contest matching Guilherme Viana (1-0 bare-knuckle) with Juan Figuerva (1-0 bare-knuckle,)
- a heavyweight fight versing Ras Hylton and Branko Busick in the bare-knuckle debut for both men,
- a lightweight bout pairing debutantes Nate Ghareeb and Tray Martin,
- and a featherweight contest versing the debuting Joey Gambino with Kurtis Ellis (0-1 bare-knuckle.)
Which fights are you looking forward to in BKFC 86? Let us know in the comments.
