A fight between Chris Leben and Dakota Cochrane served as the co-headliner of tonight’s BKFC 6 event in Tampa Bay.
Chris Leben (22-11 MMA, 2-0 BKF) was most recently seen in action at April’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 5 event, where he scored a first round knockout victory over Justin Baesman.
Prior to that, ‘The Crippler’ had starched fellow veteran Phil Baroni under the WBKFF banner.
Meanwhile, Dakota Cochrane (32-13 MMA, 1-0 BKF) was last seen in action this past November, where he scored a second round TKO victory over former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation.
Round one of the BKFC 6 co-main event begins and Cochrane steps in with a right. Leben ducks under and the fighters clinch. Good shots from inside by Cochrane. The referee steps in and separates the fighters. Leben with an uppercut and then another. He rips the body of his opponent. Cochrane breaks free and lands a big right hand. Leben circles to his right. Cochrane leaps in with a right. The fighters clinch and are forced to break. Cochrane with a nice right over the top. Chris Leben goes to the body and round one comes to end.
Round two begins and ‘The Crippler’ paws with his jab early. Dakota Cochrane leaps in with a right but misses the mark. Leben snaps a jab. Cochrane catches him with a right and then an uppercut. Chris Leben bites down on his mouthpiece and comes forward. Cochrane with another uppercut. Leben counters with a right hand. Chris with a big left now. Cochrane answers with a right hand before the bell.
Round three begins and Leben is on the attack early. Cochrane counters with a right but Chris just comes forward and unleashes punishment. Big combination from Chris Leben. Dakota appears to be hurt but he’s still on his feet. Leben with a big left and then a shot to the body. Cochrane comes forward but eats an uppercut. Chris Leben clinches up and goes to the body. Cochrane with a left hook that lands. Leben with an uppercut. Round three comes to an end.
Round four begins and Chris Leben comes forward with a combination that misses. The fighters clinch and then are forced to break. Cochrane with forward pressure now. Leben catches him with a jab. He looks for a right hand but Dakota ducks under the punch. Both men are winging punches now. Leben steps in with a body shot. Cochrane throws a wild right that just misses. Uppercuts from the clinch by both men. Round four comes to an end.
The fifth and final round begins and Chris Leben likely needs a big round to win this fight. Cochrane lands a right hand. ‘The Crippler’ appears to be slowing down here. He ducks under a right hook and forces the clinch. Dakota rips some shots to the body. Chris Leben with a big left hook followed by an uppercut. The fighters clinch and both men look exhausted. Another left lands for Leben. He goes to the body. Cochrane replies with some body shots of his own. Dakota Cochrane swings and misses, and the horn sounds to end round five.
Official BKFC 6 Result: Dakota Cochrane def. Chris Leben (49-46 x2, 48-47)
Who would you like to see Dakota Cochrane fight next following his victory over Chris Leben at tonight’s BKFC 6 event in Tampa Bay? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com June 22, 2019