UFC alumnus Kris Moutinho signs with BKFC
Kris Moutinho, who once had two stints in the UFC, has since left MMA behind for bare-knuckle boxing, with a debut set for late August.
Kris Moutinho isn't a name that most UFC fans will remember, as he found no meaningful success in the promotion. Fortunately for him, he is ready to ply his trade in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing, which has risen in popularity with the avdent of the BKFC. In fact, it's the BKFC that Moutinho has signed with, where he will hope that his celebrated toughness will serve him well.
Kris Moutinho and the BKFC may be a match made in heaven
The announcement was made by Kris Moutinho on Instagram. Not only has he signed with the BKFC, but he already has a fight booked with the promotion, as he is set to take on Mike Hernandez on Aug. 21 at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun. The bout will be contested at featherweight in five two-minute rounds.
Moutinho will hope to turn his combat sports luck around, as he struggled to find consistent success in MMA, at least at the highest level. He is 15-8, with two short stints in the UFC. The first saw him go winless in two fights, with his first loss in the promotion coming against future bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley, who TKO'd him in round three at UFC 264. That was followed by another TKO loss, this time in round one and against Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 203. After two back-to-back losses, Moutinho went on to find more success on the regional scene, where he is better known.
This eventually led to a return to the UFC, where he again failed to impress. He was matched up with rising bantamweight prospect Malcolm Wellmaker, and was knocked out in round one at UFC on ESPN 69 for his troubles. He was given one more chance to redeem himself and was booked to face Cristian Quiñonez at UFC Fight Night 268. Although Quiñonez was on a two-fight losing streak, he still managed to outwork Moutinho over three rounds to beat him via unanimous decision. On yet another two-fight losing streak, Moutinho parted ways with the UFC, returning to the regional scene before finding a new home in the BKFC.
