BKFC Philly is a few days away. Less than 60 days removed from Wells Fargo Center playing host to KnuckleMania V, David Feldman‘s promotion heads back to The City of Brotherly Love for another night of bare-knuckle action in The Keystone State, this time originating from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Live coverage of the event begins with the countdown show at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT Friday evening on the official BKFC YouTube channel before moving onto DAZN for the fights themselves at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT.
As usual, all fights taking place throughout the evening during BKFC Philly are an advertised maximum of five rounds at two minutes per round. Barring any postponements on the schedule, the final version of BKFC Philly will feature 11 fights.
BKFC Philly Main Event: Dustin Pague vs. Andrew Angelcor
At the top of the bill this coming Friday night is a battle in the bantamweight division matching UFC alumnus Dustin Pague (3-2 bare-knuckle) against Andrew Angelcor (3-0-1 bare-knuckle.) The former was supposed to have fought in Philadelphia already this year.
Pague, who posted a record of 12-11 in MMA and a 1-5 mark in the UFC between December of 2011 and March of 2013, had been booked to appear during the Jan. 25 KnuckleMania V card before his fight versus JD Burns was withdrawn on the Thursday of fight week upon the latter being deemed medically unfit to compete, has gone 3-2 over his last five fights.
Last time out, he was on the losing end of a technical knockout at the end of the first round at the hands of Carlos Trinidad-Snake (6-0 bare-knuckle) in BKFC Fight Night: Omaha last May. Pague was ready to fight under two months ago only to find out less than 72 hours before the contest that his opponent couldn’t go.
He’s a native Pennsylvanian, born in the capital city of Harrisburg. With the eyes of the state peeled on their favorite son in the ring on Friday night, how will he do in BKFC Philly’s main event?
In the other corner, Andrew Angelcor will be making a cross-country trip to 2300 Arena for the main event of the evening sporting a 3-0-1 mark of his own over the last five contests in the promotion. Currently, he’s won two fights in a row.
Nearly a year ago, he scored a split decision victory over Ruben Warr (2-2 bare-knuckle) during the 2024 edition of KnuckleMania from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA. He had a home game last April, but now the roles are reversed.
The Californian will be playing the role of the heel this time around. Can he make the partisan crowd go home with frowns on their faces?
BKFC Philly Co-Main Event: Cody Vidal vs. Brandon Conley
Immediately beforehand, the co-main event of BKFC Philly sees action shift to the light heavyweight ranks for the match between Cody Vidal (1-1 bare-knuckle), who went 1-2 in MMA and Brandon Conley (2-0 bare-knuckle), who posted a record of 1-0-1 in traditional boxing. This is a battle between two fighters from neighboring states.
Vidal enters BKFC Philly on Friday night with a record of 2-3 in his most recent five fights dating back to his days in MMA. He’s looking to build off of a second-round knockout victory right before Thanksgiving against Kevin Sims during BKFC Los Angeles from Thunder Studios.
While Cody Vidal is, much like main-eventer Dustin Pague, a native Pennsylvanian, he trains out of California. Only time will tell if he’s able to notch a victory for his home state this coming weekend.
Across the way, Brandon Conley doesn’t need to travel too far for BKFC Philly this week. Born and raised in Chillicothe, OH, roughly a one-hour drive from Columbus, he’s sporting a 3-0-1 record inside the ring in traditional and bare-knuckle boxing.
Back in November in Long Beach, he bested Keith Richardson with a second-round TKO from Thunder Studios. Ohio has had a habit of winning of late. Can Conley continue the upswing here?
BKFC Philly Featured Fight: John Garbarino vs. Michael Jones
Also on BKFC Philly this Friday night, you’ll see a middleweight tilt pairing John Garbarino (1-0 bare-knuckle), who went 4-1 in MMA with Michael Jones (0-1 bare-knuckle), who posted an 0-2 mark inside the cage. Garbarino will be making his second consecutive appearance in front of his hometown fans.
Back in January during KnuckleMania V at Wells Fargo Center, he picked up a first-round knockout with one second remaining on the clock over Apostle Spencer (0-2 bare-knuckle). This is a quick turnaround for Garbarino.
By the time BKFC Philly begins on Friday, only 55 days will have elapsed between contests. Will the eight-week hiatus between contests be helpful or a hindrance for him?
Meanwhile, Michael Jones enters the fight having yet to win in his career as a fighter. He’s had a long stretch between contests, as Friday’s bout marks his first appearance in slightly over 20 months.
On July 14, 2023, he sustained a third-round knockout defeat to Tony Murphy (2-0 bare-knuckle) during BKFC 47 in Lakeland, FL. How much ring rust does Michael Jones have going into this one? Tune in and find out.
Final Thoughts
Take time out from watching basketball games and looking at your brackets and watch BKFC Philly. Which fight or fights are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
