The Best Bets from BKFC 60 in Milton Keynes

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is back in the United Kingdom for another enthralling card from Milton Keynes. How can you earn a little money from betting on the fights at Planet Ice? Let’s review some of the most appealing markets available to bettors.

Championship Fight Between Lilley and Tengalia Won’t Go the Distance

James ‘Lights Out’ Lilley is affectionately known for his propensity to earn KO wins in bare-knuckle boxing. Four of his last five BKFC matches have been stopped early, and he’s ascended in the lightweight rankings. Despite losing his last fight ten months ago, owing to his prior successes, he’s still been given the chance to fight for the vacant championship.

His opponent is Franco Tenaglia, a busy man who splits his time between MMA and bare-knuckle boxing. This Argentinian fighter has won his last two BKFC fights by way of KO and remains undefeated in the promotion. Given that he’s pairing up with Lights Out here, there’s no way this fight will last until the final bell. The smart money is to back an early finish. Those looking to bet on a stoppage win for a specific fight might err on the side of Lilley, given he’s a lot more invested in bare-knuckle sport than his opponent.

First-Round KO in Co-Main?

Predicting a first-round knockout is always tricky, as time is always against this selection. It doesn’t get much more manageable, given that the rounds are too short in BKFC. However, if a fight could provide a quick KO finish on this card, it’s the co-main. Both Danny Christie and David Round have scored first-round knockouts in the past, showing their desire to end fights. 

However, there’s quite an evident trend that eager bettors can take advantage of. Round tends to lose many fights in the first round across his multiple endeavors in MMA, kickboxing, and bare-knuckle fighting. Christie might have lost his battle, but he’s won his other BKFC fights all by stopping his opponent. Those looking for a quick win could benefit from backing him for another victory here.

The Hammer to End Wasserman

There might not be a more imposing or scary-looking fighter in the BKFC than Matt Hodgson, the Hammer. Grizzled on the mean streets of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Hodgson has put together an impressive run of form in bare-knuckle boxing, having won his last three fights by knockout. That includes his first two BKFC fights and his final match in BKB.

His opponent in Milton Keynes is Chaz Wasserman, a 37-year-old from South Africa. Wasserman has fought relatively few professional fights and needs more experience to trouble the BKFC light heavyweight division. The best bet here is to back Hodgson to the hill, as all the pre-fight analysis leads toward a comprehensive win for him, with a reasonable likelihood of it coming via KO.

Close Call Between Chipchase and Brown

Sometimes, it’s not worth backing a particular market, given how close the match will be. While there are plenty of selections to be had on the fight between Jonno Chipchase and Robbie Brown, all the pre-fight data makes this one look tough. The Manchester-born fighter Chipchase was successful in his BKFC debut, but that was only on a Prospects card, where the quality of opposition isn’t challenging nor relevant to MMA news sites.

Hartlepool’s Brown has a symmetrical 1-1 BKFC record, making it a torrid fight to call on statistical data alone. Ardent bettors might want to back Brown if they wish to make a match result wager due to his superior experience, as he has fought in MMA fights before turning his attention to bare-knuckle competition.

Cooke to Score KO Victory Against Oskar

This fight has an international feel as Poland’s Dawid Oskar fights the Northern Irish combatant Conor Cooke. Both men have extensive records in MMA at both professional and amateur levels, which would make for a fascinating follow-up fight. However, the two are booked for a bare-knuckle fight, which should entertain the crowd in Milton Keynes.

Cooke has had two BKFC fights, winning both matches as he knocked out his opponents, Nathan Owens and Robbie Kennedy. His opponent here, Oskar, looked pretty uninspiring in his last match, as he lost to Karl Thompson at BKFC 55—leading to the smart money being urged to back Cooke in this fight.

Another Loss for Ćwik

Researching Polish fighter Piotr Ćwik makes for exciting reading. All his fighter profile pages on mainstream sites are littered with records of him losing…every single fight. Nobody has ever seen this man win a competitive match. His professional MMA record is an elaborate 0-3, while he’s lost every other fight he’s been in across pro boxing, kickboxing, and important bare-knuckle boxing. While he might have fought and won in some European circles, the amateur leagues of the Będzin barroom brawls can’t be traced on MMA news websites.

Jack Draper is not the hottest commodity in the BKFC but he has won a professional fight. Anyone wanting to bet on this fight should be backing the man from Kent to be triumphant. However, if you have some spare loose change, maybe the odds will be so astronomical that Ćwik will win; it might be worth covering all bases just in case he upsets the applecart.

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

By Dean McHugh.