BKFC KnuckleMania streams live via FITE TV’s Online PPV TONIGHT, Friday, February 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET, from the RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida. Order from FITE TV HERE ($39.99)!
The prelims will stream LIVE ON THE UNDERGROUND FOR FREE at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The weigh-ins were lively, with main event fighters Paige VanZant and Britain Hart getting into it at the 3:05 mark.
At the pre-fight press conference, PVZ said she is all in.
I was really fortunate to have some amazing offers when I left UFC,” she began. “I chose my passion which is BKFC and with my striking skills this is the one sport where I see myself being the most successful.
Relatively unheralded challenger Britain Hart vowed to spoil the party.
I’m here to rise up to this and take advantage of this opportunity,” said Hart. “I was never handed anything. Getting into the ring in BKFC is not something everyone can do. Regardless of who is in front of me, it’s about what I’m going to do to win and has nothing to do with them. Anyone who wants to sit there and calls me a mediocre boxer has another thing coming to them.
And Chris Leben, 40, a veteran of hard battles in and out of combat sports, talked about his final fight.
It’s bittersweet, BKFC has become part of my life,” he said. “You’ll still see me around but not fighting after Friday night. They say you’re only as good as your last fight and this is the one to cap my career.
PVZ and Leben made their names outside BKFC. Bantamweight champion Johnny Bedford, 38, is a veteran of over a decade in MMA, including two fights on TUF and four in the UFC, but has risen to the greatest prominence of his career in bare knuckle boxing.
I said the first day I met David Feldman at the first BKFC event I would be the face of the company and that’s what I’ve become,” he said. “I’ve continued to defeat everyone they’ve put in front of me and on Friday night it will be more of the same.
And promoter David Feldman offered the final word.
Seems like we’re coming full circle with this event, welcoming in Paige VanZant for her BKFC debut while saying goodbye to Chris Leben as he prepares for his final BKFC event as a competitor,” said Feldman. The fans in this area really love BKFC and this card from top-to-bottom is the best card we’ve ever put together. Along with the three featured bouts we also have a wealth of great newcomers on the card.
Main Card (Live on FITE.TV PPV, 9:00 PM EST)
-Britain Hart defeated Paige VanZant by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
-Dat Nguyen defeated Johnny Bedford by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
-Chris Leben defeated Quentin Henry by KO (Round 1, 1:07)
-Martin Brown defeated Zach Zane by TKO (Round 2, 1:28)
-Lorenzo Hunt defeated Rob Morrow by knockout (Round 4, 2:00)
-John Chalbeck defeated Greg Bono by KO (Round 3, 0:28)
-Haim Gozali defeated John McCallister by KO (Round 2, 1:08)
-Dillon Cleckler defeated Chris Jensen by TKO (Round 1, 0:24)
-Charisa Sigala defeated Taylor Starling by Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-43, 49-44)
Preliminary Card(YouTube, 8:00 PM EST)
-Travis Thompson defeated Dave Morgan by TKO (Round 2, 0:22)
-Jarod Grant defeated Brandon Lambert by KO (Round 3, 1:11)
-Jeff Bailey defeated Drew Lipton by KO (Round 1, 1:32)
