The Best Bets from BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout

The biggest Bare-Knuckle promotion is hosting another major event, this time at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It’s time to pick out the best betting selections and outcomes for the bouts ahead of the card.

Palomino and Trout to go the Distance in the Main Event

The main event at BKFC 57 pits Luis Palomino against Austin Trout in a welterweight contest. While every fight fan wants to see an exciting finish to a fight that makes trending boxing news with an enthralling strike, history suggests that the Peruvian and American won’t be able to provide one here. Both fighters typically rely on their boxing IQ to win fights by points and decisions. Palomino has to look back to 2020 for the last time he won a fight by knockout, while only one of Trout’s previous seven fights has been stopped early. A smart bet would be to opt for this BKFC welterweight championship fight to go from bell to bell.

Henry KO Win Presents High Likelihood

The co-main event on the card presents an enthralling lightweight contest between two men with 3-0 BKFC records, Bryce Henry and Robbie Peralta. However, a deeper look at the two men’s resumes reveals that Bryce Henry has a high propensity to finish fights with a KO win. Affectionately known as Baby Yaga, he’s been fighting in both pro boxing and bare-knuckle competitions since 2020. Henry showed great power during this time, winning seven of his nine fights by knockout, going undefeated. The odds will favor Henry as he’s been much more active than his opponent.

While Peralta has previously fought at an elite level, his most significant accolades were in MMA with the UFC. He’s won all his bare-knuckle fights by decision; given he’s got less boxing experience and hasn’t fought since the summer of 2022, the pre-fight predictions have to go against Peralta.

Duran to Dominate Against Inconsistent Lopez

Bare-knuckle is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot for a competitor to want to step in the ring with an opponent without gloves on. Louie Lopez has not been consistent in his fight career by any stretch. The Montana-based Mexican has fought in kickboxing, MMA, pro boxing, and bare-knuckle. Including his upcoming fight against Bryan Duran, his last three fights will have been contested in three different disciplines. While he will have a rich skill set, he can’t use them all in the BKFC, which breeds inconsistency.

If there’s one man that Lopez doesn’t want to show weakness against, it’s Duran. El Gallo, from Miami, Florida, has been on a surging campaign since entering the bare-knuckle circuit in 2022. He’s won every fight in the BKFC since then by stoppage, and most of them in the first round. Any bettor wanting to wager on this fight would be wise not to bet against Duran.

Decision Seems Likely Between Vicens and Smith

The only female fight on the BKFC 57 card is the match between Christine Vicens and Sydney Smith, two women who are relatively new to bare-knuckle and combat sports in general. Smith has fought in MMA before, but all her fights across both fight disciplines have ended after all of the allotted time. In fact, she never won a fight during her amateur MMA career by stopping her opponent.

Christine Vicens hasn’t fought as many overall fighters as her opponent but does have one KO win on her resume. That came against journeywoman fighter Jade Masson-Wong back in 2022. Ultimately, neither combatant has shown that they have the skills to finish fights. Betting on this fight to go the distance seems like a sensible decision that doesn’t go against the grain of online boxing news.

Russo Favorite to Win

Matt Russo should be considered the odds-on favorite in his fight with Justin Street. Russo has won his first two BKFC fights, both by KO within the first round, having showcased exuberant power punches, which finished Jakobi Lowery and Jaymes Hyder in no time. ‘The Nightmare’ Justin Street is making his BKFC debut, which puts him at a disadvantage, having not previously fought within the bare-knuckle parameters. In addition to that, he’s also on a three-match losing streak from his prior MMA career, which hasn’t made MMA breaking news for the right reasons. 

Of course, anyone brave enough to back Street will be backing a massive underdog, and should he reveal a capacity to fight in this discipline, lucky bettors will surely take home a good pay packet.

Look for Value in the Prelim Bout between Reber and Perez

Not every sportsbook will offer markets and odds for the prelim bouts, but if you can find one, it’s worth studying all the value propositions for the Ryan Reber against Derek Perez fight. This is because the two fighters have attracted strange results in the past, with seemingly every outcome meaning that bettors can take advantage of high odds.

Reber’s last three fights have ended in a draw (a relatively rare outcome in bare-knuckle boxing), a disqualification win after he was headbutted intentionally by his opponent, and a loss by retirement. All three fight outcomes yield high odds as they are uncommon events.

By comparison, Derek Perez isn’t quite as exciting, but in his last two fights, he’s won and lost via KO, meaning that what he lacks in defensive understanding, he makes up for in a desire to win. It’s unlikely that the fight will go the distance between the two fighters. The safest bet would be to opt for the fight to be stopped in some manner. 

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA-breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh