BKFC 53: Title Defended; Perfect Debuts in Orlando

The dust is still settling on BKFC 53. A stacked card showcased some of the top bare-knuckle fighters on the circuit. The Middleweight Championship hung in the balance in the main event as David Mundell fought Doug Coltrane.

Mundell Retains Middleweight Strap

David Mundell went to Orange County Convention Center as the BKFC Middleweight Champion and left the same. There was conjecture around a matchup against Doug Coltrane as the challenger entered the bout with an undefeated 3-0 record but now has an L on his bare-knuckle resume.

The fight was stopped less than 90 seconds into the second round as Mundell secured his fourth consecutive stoppage win to yet again raise his profile within the sport and dominance in the division. After the fight, Mundell spoke to Bare Knuckle News and said he wasn’t that happy with his performance, stating he got caught at the start of the fight. Later, he added that he’s keen to fight Mike Perry next, as the two previously fought in MMA and are now both in BKFC. If that fight gets made, then it will transcend both the boxing new sites and the MMA new websites.

Cut Stops Kazgan

There was a lot of excitement for Murat Kazgan’s second BKFC fight. He won his first via doctor stoppage, while at BKFC 53, it was his turn to be frustrated by the officials. With just seconds remaining of the third round, the ref decided the Turkish fighter’s eye was too damaged and needed immediate medical attention. The ringside doctor performed a very quick analysis before telling the ref to stop the fight. Kazgan was noticeably disappointed as Julian Lane picked up the victory.

The animosity between these fighters was bubbling over at the weigh-in, and a cut stoppage would not resolve anything, at least for the Kazgan camp. Could BKFC sanction a re-match?

Depee Scores First-Round Win on the Bell

The cruiserweight contest between Jonathan Miller and Sawyer Depee was a strange-looking fight. After the first few minutes, Miller appeared to be out of gas and staggered around as if not fully functional nor able to move with conviction. Depee couldn’t help but land straight flush fists on his opponent. Come the tail end of the round, one punch sent Miller into the ropes and then straight to the canvas on the rebound. The match was stopped just as the bell for the round was rung.

Stalemate in Romo-Baxter Fight

One of the only fights to go the distance on the night was the light heavyweight match between Diego Romo and Ravon Baxter. This was the bare-knuckle debut for Romo. The Ecuadorian dedicated the fight to his family and even his country. The man standing across the ring from him missed the memo as they fought all five two-minute rounds in what was an energetic and well-paced match.

While Romo was more-or-less slightly more aggressive in the fight, Baxter scored an imperative knockdown in the second round, which essentially led the judges to score it as a majority draw. The fans in attendance booed the decision, yet Baxter increased his popularity as he encouraged them to chant: “One more round!” Of course, this didn’t happen. Romo’s debut was slightly deflating, while Baxter at least stopped his losing streak.

Another quick win for Fortt

Ja’Far Fortt made trending boxing news with the bare-knuckle scene for his infamous 20-second win in his debut at BKFC 32. Well, this was another rapid-fire evening for Fortt as he won this bout against Aaron Sutterfield in 28 seconds to open the night. As such, extending his BKFC record to 3-0, all of which have been first-round stoppage wins.

The BKFC commentator even noted after the fight was stopped that the promotion officials will need to ‘step up his opponents’, as he’s a cut above those he’s currently competing against. Welterweight title fight maybe?

Watson Mistimes 10-Count Reaction

Despite hailing from Tampa, Florida, the Orlando crowd still gave Michael Larrimore a good reception. The fight lasted all of 61 seconds but looked like a very competitive contest while it lasted, with both Larrimore and Justin Watson landing hard blows.

Larrimore landed a well-placed firm straight on his opponent, which staggered Watson to the canvas, as the ref began to make the 10-count. Watson, for the most part, looked well to continue and tried to fully stand up at nine; however, the ref deemed he wasn’t up by 10 and called a halt to proceedings. Despite some initial frustration, Watson congratulated his opponent.

Sweet Science Converts to Bare-Knuckle Success

Dagoberto Aguero was the definition of the knockout artist during his boxing career. He opened up the main card here against Chance Wilson with his BKFC debut. He said in the build-up to the fight that he didn’t change a single part of his fight preparation, as he believed his boxing experience would see him win fights in BKFC.

Wilson was howling like a dog before the start of the fight in an attempt to psyche out his opponent in the seconds before. The fight itself got underway and was a clear clash of styles. Aguero was looking to implement his pro game, while Wilson wanted to make it into a street fight. This kind of contrasting strategy to fights is the type of matchmaking that makes online boxing news and the fight fans very excited.

Wilson appeared to be very tired toward the end of the first round. This would eventually lead him to get caught more often throughout the fight. Aguero used his superior conditioning to ground down his adversary and win the fight with a blood-inducing shot deep in the third round on this, his BKFC debut.

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on BoxingBlitz.