Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) kicked off its highly anticipated debut in Tennessee with a memorable event, BKFC Fight Night Nashville, held at a sold-out Pinnacle. The night was marked by significant upsets in both the main and co-main events.
In the main event, JC DeLeon emerged victorious against former BKFC World Title challenger Tony “Loco” Soto. Soto’s corner stopped the fight at the end of the third round. DeLeon, representing Fort Worth, TX, improved his BKFC record to 3-1. Soto, a top-ranked lightweight contender from Hickory, NC, now holds a 6-4 record in BKFC.
“I’m on my way up and he’s on his way out. Respect to Tony Soto; he’s a hell of a fighter. God bless him and his family,” DeLeon stated after the fight, expressing his hope that the audience enjoyed the show.
The co-main event saw an upset as Tray “Big Dog” Martin defeated the #2 ranked featherweight contender, Nathan “The Reaper” Rivera. After a closely contested five rounds, Martin secured the win in a decisive overtime round via judges’ decision. Martin, from Columbia, MO, remains undefeated at 2-0, while Rivera, from Smyrna, GA, now stands at 5-1.
Martin, after his victory, called out BKFC World Featherweight Champion “King” Kai Stewart and Bryan “El Gallo” Duran, emphasizing his extensive combat sports experience.
In a featured lightweight bout, Bobby “ODB” Taylor delivered an impressive performance, scoring six knockdowns against Angel “OG” Hernandez en route to a second-round technical knockout victory. Taylor, from Pocahontas, TN, now has a 7-4 record, while Hernandez from Gary, IN, moves to 1-2.
The event also saw the first-ever Ironweight bout in BKFC history, where Prince McLean from Pori, Finland, defeated Jeramy “The Cowboy” Karshner of Lithopolis, OH, by technical knockout in the first round. Both fighters were making their BKFC debuts.
Other notable results included:
- Cole Ferrell (Woodstock, GA) defeated Quintan “The Hitman” Foye (Greensboro, NC) by TKO in the fifth round, improving his record to 2-1.
- Ravon “Big Shot” Baxter (Nashville, TN) secured a TKO victory in 93 seconds against Junior “The Joker” Hicks (Greenfield, IA) in the light-heavyweight division, moving to 2-1-1.
- Caleb “Batman” Harvey (Nashville, TN) won his BKFC debut against Josh “Jigsaw” Whiteside (Memphis, TN) by unanimous decision.
- Zach “The Ripper” Russ (Fort Thomas, KY) dominated Kelvin “Next Level” Rayford (Ada, OK) with a first-round TKO in his BKFC debut.
- Payton “The Horseman” Hayes (Nashville, TN) impressed in his debut, stopping Julian Valencia (Kenosha, WI) by KO in the first round.
- Joby “Jobywankenobi” Steffensmeier (Davenport, IA) defeated Robert “Ohteht” Fichtner (Liberal, KS) by split decision in the first BKFC fight held in Tennessee.
Celebrities in attendance included Tennessee Titans cornerback Micah Robinson, media personality Bunnie Xo, and BKFC Cruiserweight World Champion Esteban “Mohawk” Rodriguez.
BKFC Fight Night Nashville Results Summary:
- JC DeLeon def. Tony Soto via TKO (Round 3, 2:00)
- Tray Martin def. Nathan Rivera via Unanimous Decision (Overtime Round)
- Bobby Taylor def. Angel Hernandez via TKO (Round 2, 0:58)
- Prince McLean def. Jeramy Karshner via TKO (Round 1, 1:48)
- Cole Ferrell def. Quintan Foye via TKO (Round 5, 0:38)
- Ravon Baxter def. Junior Hicks via TKO (Round 1, 1:33)
- Caleb Harvey def. Josh Whiteside via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
- Zach Russ def. Kelvin Rayford via TKO (Round 1, 0:45)
- Payton Hayes def. Julian Valencia via KO (Round 1, 1:41)
- Joby Steffensmeier def. Robert Fichtner via Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)