On Saturday night, legal, fully sanctioned bareknuckle boxing returned to America for the first time since 1889. The sport’s triumphant return came courtesy of upstart promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. The promotion’s first card, which went down in Cheyenne, Wyoming, featured a number of combat sports notables, such as former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, Bellator and UFC veteran Joey Beltran, heavyweight journeyman Tony Lopez, UFC veteran Bec Rawlings, and Bellator tournament winner Eric Prindle.
Here are the full results from the bloody event (via MMAJunkie)
- Ricco Rodriguez def. Lewis Rumsey via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47)
- Joey Beltran def. Tony Lopez via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-46)
- Bec Rawlings def. Alma Garcia via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 2:00
- Sam Shewmaker def. Eric Prindle via knockout – Round 1, 0:18
- Bobby Gunn def. Irineu Beato Costa Jr. via knockout – Round 1, 0:41
- Johnny Bedford def. Nick Mamalis via TKO – Round 2, 1:41
- Reggie Barnett def. Travis Thompson via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Maurice Jackson def. Dale Sopi via TKO – Round 1, 1:10
- Estevan Payan def. Omar Avelar via knockout – Round 1, 1:57
- Arnold Adams def. D.J. Linderman via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 2:00
Here are some of the highlights of the card:
https://twitter.com/streetfitebanch/status/1003116049284456449
https://twitter.com/GIFsByZP/status/1003107489724948480
https://twitter.com/GIFsByZP/status/1003100413116198913
https://twitter.com/GIFsByZP/status/1003102754347405313
Will you be tuning in for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s second event?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/3/2018.