BKFC Albuquerque is upon us. After a few weeks away, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will be back in action this coming Friday night. Kiva Auditorium is the site for Friday’s bare-knuckle extravaganza.
Live coverage of the event begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on YouTube with the countdown show before moving onto the BKFC mobile app and DAZN at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT for the fights themselves.
All told, barring any late adjustments to the bout order, the final version of BKFC Albuquerque features a slate of 12 bare-knuckle boxing fights. Although no championships are to be defended or offered during the card this Friday night, the show won’t be short on excitement.
BKFC Albuquerque Main Event: Keith Richardson vs. Bekhzod Usmonov
At the top of the bill on Friday, you’ll see action in the bantamweight division between No. 1 contender Keith Richardson (27-12 combat sports, 5-1 BKFC), a 33-fight veteran of MMA, and unranked Bekhzod Usmonov (12-6 combat sports, 1-1 BKFC), who fought 16 times inside the cage. All fights on BKFC Albuquerque, the main event included, will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round.
Richardson enters the Friday night headliner having posted a record of 4-1 in his last five appearances. He comes in after having a short hiatus between fights.
Right before the Christmas holiday on Dec. 6, he needed just 21 seconds to finish off Michael Larrimore with a left-handed shot. Referee Dan Miragliotta wasted no time calling an end to the fight.
If his performance on Friday is anything like the one that Keith Richardson turned in on Dec. 6, he could be looking at a bantamweight title shot next time out. Tune in and find out how he fares this time.
Across the way, Bekhzod Usmonov comes into the bout with a mark of 1-4 in his last five professional bouts across MMA, bare-knuckle boxing and traditional boxing. A veteran of the LFA, he dropped a unanimous decision loss to Justin Wetzell (10-2 MMA) during the Oct. 25 LFA 195 from Vail, CO on UFC Fight Pass.
Usmonov has split his fights under the BKFC promotional banner. A victory against the top-ranked contender at bantamweight can do wonders for his long-term prospects in the sport.
BKFC Albuquerque Co-Main Event: Donald Sanchez vs. Harrison Aiken
Immediately beforehand, the co-main event of the evening at BKFC Albuquerque sees a light heavyweight tilt between Donald Sanchez (39-24 combat sports, 3-1 bare-knuckle), a 50-fight veteran of MMA, and Harrison Aiken (3-6 combat sports, 3-3 bare-knuckle.)
Sanchez will come into New Mexico on the strength of a 4-1 record in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a four-fight winning streak dating back to August of 2023.
Back in June of last year, he bested Bryant McClain by way of split decision after 10 rounds in a traditional boxing match from Albuquerque, where he’s a native. This is a “home game” for Sanchez, so can he give the locals something to smile about?
In the other corner, Harrison Aiken has the inverse record ahead of Friday’s BKFC Albuquerque, 1-4. Most recently, he saw a five-fight losing streak across all competitions snapped by way of unanimous decision versus Brock Walker.
To borrow a term from sports entertainment, Aiken will be playing the role of the heel in the co-main event on Friday night. Can he tune out the boos that the crowd will give him in BKFC Albuquerque this weekend?
BKFC Albuquerque Featured Bout: Manuel Otero vs. Braxton Smith
Heavyweights knuckle up in the BKFC Albuquerque featured bout on Friday night when Manuel Otero (8-15 combat sports, 1-0 bare-knuckle) squares off against Braxton Smith (6-2 combat sports, 1-0 bare-knuckle.) Both are veterans of MMA.
Otero will make the walk to the ring this weekend having gone 1-4 in his last five fights. A year ago, he returned to the world of competitive violence for the first time since 2016 with a second-round knockout victory over Mikey Furnier (1-6 combat sports, 0-3 bare-knuckle) in BKFC 59 from Albuquerque.
He was born in New Mexico and has fought in front of the locals before. Only time will tell if Manuel Otero can bring home a win again this week.
Meanwhile, Braxton Smith, who spent time in the UFC in 2023, enters this contest at 4-1 over his last five contests. Back in December, he made his way back to the win column thanks to a third-round knockout of Alex Davis (6-8-1 combat sports, 1-1 bare-knuckle.)
He’s set foot on one of combat sports’ biggest stage. How will he do on this stage?
Final Thoughts
Which fight or fights are you looking forward to on BKFC Albuquerque? Let us know in the comments.