BKFC 55: Tough Night for British Fighters in Leeds
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hosted another of its international events. This time, BKFC took place live in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. Would the home crowd and turf play into the hands of the British fighters?
Christie Falls in Main Event
Danny Christie headlined the card here at Planet Ice in Leeds. While not a local lad, the Carlisle-born fighter was cheered ahead of his American opponent. Unfortunately for him, the Yorkshire crowd was not treated to an English win. Instead, Jared Warren secured his sixth bare-knuckle win. Unfortunately, the fight will be remembered more for Christie’s post-fight behavior, shouting and swearing at the ref who stopped the fight in the first round.
Christie has since gone on to apologize for his actions and said he intends to take some time out after the fight, acknowledging that this was far from his best performance both in the fight and in his actions. Jared Warren is now 6-2 in his BKFC career and will be angling toward a light heavyweight title shot shortly.
Yorkshire Gladiator Unsuccessful in BKFC
Anthony Holmes, for many, was the fighter they wanted to see succeed on this card. The 38-year-old was born in the nearby town of Castleford and proudly represents Yorkshire. Many years ago, he participated in the local amateur ranks of the MMA world with moderate success, a 3-0 record. After transitioning to bare-knuckle competition, he enjoyed victories with the British promotion Bare Knuckle Boxing, winning four out of four fights. His tenure in BKFC however, hasn’t proved to be as fruitful as he earned his second L on his resume.
Bartlomiej Krol, the Polish fighter, had done the damage to Holmes by the end of the fourth round as the Englishman’s corner decided to call a halt to proceedings. Krol spoke to Bare Knuckle News in the aftermath of the fight and delivered a motivational speech, stating that it’s important to train hard and that persistence is key to success. He’s now 3-0, he’s gaining traction in the bare-knuckle boxing news sites, and in the BKFC roster, he will be eyeing up more ranking climbing fights.
Cheesecake Assassin Comes Out of Retirement to Win
Doncaster’s very own Danny Mitchell was a storied figure of English MMA, celebrated by the local MMA news websites. He spent a very brief time with the UFC back in 2014 before returning to the European ranks, where he would often finish fights in the very first round. Affectionately known as the Cheesecake Assassin, he stepped away from the cage in 2017 after winning his last scuffle in his hometown. Well, he’s back fighting in BKFC.
He came back to the fight game for this fight and uncharacteristically took the match to the distance. His opponent, ‘Big Bad’ John Ferguson, would have been a favorite for the contest, having fought multiple boxing and bare-knuckle bouts before. Yet, it was Mitchell who prevailed via the judges’ decision. Does this triumph debut call for more from Mitchell? Or will the age of 37 and his administrative duties at his judo club put him off a full return?
Thompson Ends Oskar’s Perfect Year
The Polish-British fighter, Dawid Oskar, was on quite the winning streak before this event in Leeds. He’s won all three of his BKFC fights, having defeated Lee Browne, Matty Hill, and Florian De La Motte all in 2023. Could he have gone too far by accepting a fourth fight in a calendar year?
Karl Thompson was on hand to answer that question for him as the Sedgefield-born fighter went the distance with Oskar. Thompson was a lot more efficient with his strikes as he landed a lot more and scored two pivotal knockdowns, leading the judges to award him the decision victory. Now 2-0 in BKFC, Thompson will be demanding more fights in the promotion.
Italian Experience Overcomes Czech Youth
Only in the BKFC would you have a 41-year-old veteran boxer who has fought for continental titles on an Anthony Joshua card take on a 21-year-old from the Czech Republic. That was the first fight of the main card here in Leeds as the storied Antonio Moscatiello fought Hynek Hospodářský.
The clash of styles was evident as the Italian celebrated a wealth of professional experience in the ring, while the Czech youngster brought up only backyard wrestling-style events. The bout was concluded within the first round as the Milanese fighter ended it with a fierce right hand. Antonio Moscatiello picked up a win in his BKFC debut; could there be more from the experienced boxer in this discipline? Or now he’s relevant again, and in recent boxing news, does he fancy another crack at the sweet science?
Leeds Lad Opens Show with Win
There was a lot for local fight fans to get excited about in the early prelims. Jonny Graham, a Leeds lad, was able to pick up his second consecutive BKFC victory. Throughout his bout with Abel Radomski, he appeared the more technical and gifted fighter as he was able to score multiple knockdowns and employ different strategies with little resistance from his Polish opponent.
Radomski was in the process of getting up from a fierce strike but, doing so, told the ref he no longer wanted to continue the fight. As such, the contest was ended with 20 seconds left on the clock of round two.
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