Mike “The Marine” Richman Returns from Retirement with Late Stoppage at BKFC Clearwater

April 15, 2024

1 month

Mike Richman wasn’t ready to give up being a professional athlete just yet. When the Minnesota native retired following a loss to David Mundell for the BKFC middleweight championship last July, Richman never felt at peace. Richman has been fighting in MMA or boxing since 2008 and thought he may have something left.

When Richman returned this past weekend in Clearwater, Florida, for a BKFC Fight Night, Richman showed he might want to make one more push for a championship. During a long fight with Erick Lozano, Richman utilized his experience to wear on his opponent. In the fifth round, Richman found what he was in search of.

Richman scored two knockdowns in the first 53 seconds of the fight to earn another knockout win. During Richman’s career in BKFC, he has finished all six of his victories by knockout.

“Erick Lozano is a beast,” Richman said. “He’s a monster. I knew it was going to be a challenging fight.”

Online boxing news shows that Richman was the interim BKFC light heavyweight champion. However, when Richman tried to consolidate the championship, he lost to Lorenzo Hunt in February 2023 for the undisputed belt. Now, Richman wants to ride his latest win to another shot at glory.

Richman said “A lot of things went through my mind when I saw I was going to retire, but I knew I still had a lot in me. That’s what drew me back. I knew I still had a lot in me. That’s why I’m here.”

He said he still feels good and is looking forward to fighting again. That should be scary for other people in his weight division. Pursuing a championship is important for Richman, who fell just short of major title contention in Bellator.

Richman made the finals of Bellator’s featherweight tournament in 2023, but lost a decision in the finals to Magomedrasul Khasbulaev.

Brito Makes Waves at Welterweight

Elvin Brito may suffer from a little delusion. Yes, Brito should be proud of his effort Friday night. He surprised people by halting a three-fight losing streak by knocking out previous undefeated Ja’Far Fortt in 40 seconds.

Brito, a former BKFC champion, immediately called out current welterweight champion Austin Trout for a shot at the championship. Brito is the No. 5 ranked contender but will likely need another strong performance before getting a shot at the champion.

However, Brito didn’t hold back his feelings for what he felt his next steps should be. The latest trending boxing news will show that Brito, 38, is still eager to continue.

“Give me Trout,” Brito said. “I’m the champ. You’re not the champ unless you beat me.”

Tyler Randall Escapes With Decision

BKFC-Clearwater-Tyler-Randall - Boxing News

There’s no date for when Tyler Randall will be able to compete for the flyweight championship. Current champion John Dodson will likely have to rematch Dagoberto Aguero after the two men fought to a draw in March. But Randall could at least put himself in the front of the line Friday.

Randall pulled off a minor upset, beating No. 1 contender JR Ridge by a split decision. This was an important win for Randall, who previously challenged for the flyweight championship.

Nightmare Lives Up to His Name

Abdiel “The Nightmare” Velazquez didn’t waste time trying to put away Travis Thompson. During their bantamweight fight, Velazquez sent Thompson toward the canvas twice in the first 66 seconds of the bout. The second knockdown led to the referee stopping the fight.

Before the loss to Velazquez, Thompson was viewed as a fringe title contender. Thompson was the No. 5 ranked bantamweight contender entering the fight, but both men saw the trajectory of their careers change with the result of this fight.

Jackson Puts Pace on Wasi

Jay Jackson didn’t want to let his foot off the gas. With the amount of volume Jackson landed, it was hard for his opponent, Idrees Wasi, to keep up in their light-heavyweight bout. Wasi would end up showing noticeable damage as the fight wore on.

After the third round, it was ruled that Wasi had sustained too much punishment, and the doctor stopped the fight to give Jackson his fourth victory in BKFC.

Former Bellator Fighter Continues Success

Jessica Borga had a brief stint with Bellator when the promotion was viewed as the No. 2 American organization. Notably, Borga lost to Leah McCourt, who is expected to fight for a championship at some point in the near future. However, Borga may have found her new home in bare-knuckle boxing.

Borga always kept Katharina Lehner from getting anything going during their fight. She dropped Lehner 41 seconds into the bout to earn a stoppage. Borga is now 2-0 in the BKGC, with both wins coming via KO.

It was a disappointing debut for Lehner. Before coming to the BKFC, Lehner fought at the top levels of women’s MMA with Bellator and Invicta. Lehner has seen a noticeable decline in her ability over the past five years.

Lehner started her MMA career with a 7-0 record. However, as Lehner moved up the ranks, she found life to be much more difficult. Lehner ended up losing four straight MMA fights and is now 8-5 overall in that sport.

Hernandez Was Efficient

Angel Hernandez should feel good about winning his fight against Rayne Wells in a matchup that featured two lightweights making their debut. But the way that Hernandez won the fight should also make him happy. Hernandez only took eight seconds to put Wells out of the fight.

It was the third-fastest stoppage in BKFC history. Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above: