Masson-Wong and Roman Set for BKFC Edmonton Main Event
What is Jade Masson-Wong again? Is she an internet celebrity? A lingerie model (she poses in it enough to be one) or a fighter? Undefeated Gabrielle Roman will seek to disprove the Canadian’s bare-knuckle credentials in the main event. In addition, plenty of other prospect fighters are looking to make a name for themselves on this BKFC prospects card in Edmonton.
Can Masson-Wong Earn Flyweight Title Shot?
Jade Masson-Wong has undoubtedly put the hard yards into her fight career, which has attracted the attention of MMA news sites over the years. First, she was an amateur kickboxer, then putting together a 3-2 MMA record before shifting her focus to traditional and bare-knuckle boxing. Along the way, she’s gained notoriety for turning up to weigh-ins in lingerie and posing proactively online, complete with an OnlyFans account. Despite the lewd behavior and business interests, she’s the No.1 contender in the BKFC flyweight division. Now, with a 2-1 record in BKFC, another win could get Masson-Wong a title shot at the much more experienced Christine Ferea, who reportedly wants the fight with her. Masson-Wong can count on some home support despite being born in Quebec City and having this card set to take place in Edmonton, Alberta. Undoubtedly, she can draw upon some Quebec locals to make the long trip to the River Cree Resort and Casino.
The American, Gabrielle Roman, stands in the way of the potential title shot. She’s undefeated in her BKFC career, having drawn her first fight and followed that up with a victory against Martyna Krol in July last year. Roman is a lot less distinguished than her opponent in the fight game, having only fought in bare-knuckle and only starting her combat career in 2023. If she can knock off the much-fancied Masson-Wong, it could be a huge stepping stone for her, with other fights like Bec Rawlings and Taylor Starling likely to open up for her.
BKFC Rookie Takes on Bellator Grit Fighter
Sonny Smith earned a promotion from the BKB tier of bare-knuckle competition by winning his first two fights comprehensively to earn this chance on a BKFC prospects card. The British fighter had dabbled in MMA but put all his efforts into bare-knuckle boxing in 2022, having found moderate success with a 2-0 record.
This fight, however, will be Smith’s biggest test to date. He takes on the hardened and gritty Jeremiah Riggs. Big Rig has been in the fight game since 2007, and despite a mixed bag of results throughout his career, he serves as a stern acid test as to whether Smith can handle top-tier competition. Riggs’ biggest accomplishment to date was a three-fight run in Bellator between 2012 and 2013. Unfortunately, he lost each of those fights, failing to make MMA breaking news, but the appearance fees for this would have lined his pockets significantly.
Edmonton’s Surmacz Returns
Stan Surmacz might not be the biggest name in the boxing world (far from), but he holds a decent amount of support in his hometown of Edmonton. Despite being on the third fight from the main event, he could expect one of the biggest crowd pops of the night. Surmacz hasn’t competed in a boxing match since 2019. That night, he knocked out Mario Rodriguez in the first round on a card he headlined down the road at the Shaw Conference Centre. Since then, it looked like Surmacz had called it a day with at least three canceled fights between now and then. To revive his fight career, Stan has put down the conventional boxing gloves and is ready to make his bare-knuckle debut in his hometown against Reuben Roundstone.
Roundstone is also making his bare-knuckle debut here in this BKFC heavyweight-sanctioned fight. He also has a prosperous fight career with cage boxing and MMA on his resume. Strangely, Roundstone has already got another fight lined up after this match, as he’s set to fight on the Mountain Force MMA 41 card in a kickboxing fight. He’ll be hoping that Surmacz doesn’t rough him up too much so that he can still pick up his paycheque from Mountain Force!
All Canadian Clash in Kelly Against Stuve
Jason Kelly and Drew Stuve might not have much in common other than they’re both Canadian and transitioned from regular boxing to bare-knuckle to fight on this BKFC card. ‘Lethal’ Kelly is a hardened pro boxing veteran with 31 rounds of action to his name at the ripe old age of 40, essentially retiring back in 2018 after not fighting since then with a 3-5-1 record. He never recorded a KO win during his career, either. Now he’s back to fight under bare-knuckle rules to see if he can launch a second career in the fight game.
Stuve is the complete opposite. He’s also a pro boxer by trade but hasn’t nearly as much experience. In fact, Stuve only made his debut in December 2023. That was on a card held in La Paz, Mexico. Not only did Stuve win the fight, but he also did so with a third-round knockout, something his opponent Kelly here at BKFC prospects never achieved during the entirety of his career. Yet Kelly jumped at the chance to fight in front of his home Edmonton crowd, even if contested under bare-knuckle rules. A win against a wily Canadian boxer vet might even sway Stuve to pursue BKFC full-time if he can add another win to his resume.
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By Dean McHugh.
