In the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) main event at the sold-out Gas South Arena in Atlanta. former BKFC bantamweight champion Keith "The Rockstar" Richardson needed just 21 seconds to steamroll Michael "Papa G" Larrimore. The South Carolina product is now 5-1 and back in the win column after losing his belt to Alberto “El Indio” Blas in June. “I’m back, baby,” Richardson told the jam-packed Gas South Arena. “The belt belongs in South Carolina at Modern Warrior MMA.” Larrimore, who represents Tampa, FL, is now 2-1 in his BKFC career.
Chicago welterweight Derrick "Superman" Findley edged out fan-favorite Atlanta fighter Joe "Hitman 187" Elmore for the split decision victory in their back-and-forth showdown. Two judges scored the highly competitive fight 48-47 in favor of Findley, while one judge had it 49-46 for Elmore. With the win, the former World Boxing Council United States middleweight championship challenger evened his BKFC record to 2-2. In traditional boxing, Findlay sports a mark of 36-31-1. Elmore's record fell to 2-4. “BKFC, y’all are (expletive) dope, man,” Findley told the Gas South Arena. “This is the #1 combat sport in the world and I’m proud to be a part of it. Let’s go. Thank you to the judges for scoring this fight fairly — I did what I had to do to get the win. I want some of the big fish now — let’s get it!”
UFC vet Nate “Mayhem” Maness was victorious in his BKFC debut, stopping Nick “No Holdz Barz” Burgos via standing finish in the third round of a bantamweight matchup. The Kentucky product was ruled the winner via TKO with just one second left in the third stanza. Burgos, who hails from Pennsylvania, is now 0-1.
Another UFC vet, Braxton "The Beautiful Monster" Smith, was also victorious in his BKFC debut, dropping Alex "The Rhino" Davis three times in a heavyweight showdown. The bout was called off 57 seconds into the third round, with the Austin, TX big man Smith taking home the win after picking himself up from the canvas once. Davis, a product of Coal Mountain, WV, sees his BKFC record drop to 1-1.
Atlanta featherweight Nathan "The Reaper" Rivera cruised to 3-0 in his BKFC career with a one-sided, unanimous decision victory over Justin "The Nightmare" Street. All three judges scored it 50-44 in favor of Rivera, who logged the sole knockdown of the fight. Street, who hails from Dearborn, MI, is now 1-2 under the BKFC banner.
Martinsville, VA’s "Ruthless" Joe Ray smashed his way to 2-0 in the BKFC’s heavyweight division with a third-round TKO over debuting Atlanta fighter Dexter Carthon. Ray sent Carthon to the canvas once in the contest, paving the way for the KO stoppage 68 seconds into the third frame.
Columbus, GA’s Joseph "The Dark Knight" Creer climbed to 3-2 under the BKFC banner with a unanimous decision victory over David Simpson in their light-heavyweight matchup. Two judges scored it 49-45, while one had it 50-44, all in favor of Creer, who’s now won three of his past four fights. Creer notched the sole knockdown of the fight. With the loss, the Smith Center, KS product Simpson’s BKFC record dropped to 2-4.
South African-born Lake Wylie, NC fighter Crystal "The Lovely" Van Wyk returned to the win column and climbed to 2-1 in her BKFC career with a unanimous decision victory over Emma "Eazy E" Murray in women’s strawweight action. All three judges scored it 48-47 in favor of Van Wyk. Murray, who represents Columbus, GA, is now 0-1.
Madcow, GA’s Ace “O’ Spades” Samples logged two knockdowns en route to a first-round knockout over “Savage” Mike Livingston in bantamweight action. Time of the stoppage was 1:08. Samples is now 2-1 with a pair of KOs in the BKFC Squared Circle. Livingston, who represents St. Louis, is now 0-3 under the BKFC banner.
Columbus, GA’s Daniel "Super" Cooper upped his BKFC record to 2-0 by stopping Louis Brewington in the opening round of their light heavyweight matchup. The bout was called to a halt with just two seconds remaining in the first round. Both of Cooper’s BKFC victories have come inside the distance. Brewington, who hails from Miami, is now 0-1 following his TKO loss.
Saturday’s BKFC event in Atlanta featured what seems to be the fastest knockout in combat sports history, as North Carolina featherweight Justin Watson recorded a
two-second, one-punch KO victory over Cole Ferrell. The two-second KO was enabled by BKFC rules, which have the combatants starting in the center of the ring, not in their corners like standard boxing. The record was previously held by Ulysses Diaz, who scored a three-second KO over Donelei Benedetto at BKFC 14 in 2020. Watson improved his BKFC record to 1-2 with the jaw-dropping win after entering the contest as a +607 betting underdog according to NXTbets. The Atlanta product Ferrell, who boasts an 11-1 professional MMA record, is now 1-1 in his BKFC career.
BKFC 69 Results
Keith Richardson def. Michael Larrimore via KO in Round 1 (0:21)
Derrick Findley def. Joe Elmore via Split Decision (48-47x2, 46-49)
Nate Maness def. Nick Burgos via TKO in Round 3 (1:59)
Nathan Rivera def. Justin Street via Unanimous Decision (50-44x3)
Joe Ray def. Dexter Carthon via KO in Round 3 (1:08)
Joseph Creer def. David Simpson via Unanimous Decision (49-45x2, 50-44)
Crystal Van Wyk def. Emma Murray via Unanimous Decision (48-47x3)
Justin Watson def. Cole Ferrell via KO in Round 1 (0:03)
Braxton Smith def. Alex Davis via TKO in Round 3 (0:57)
Ace Samples def. Mike Livingston via KO in Round 1 (1:08)
Daniel Cooper def. Louis Brewington via TKO in Round 1 (1:58)
