Four fast-rising athletes ranked in the Top 5 of their respective weight classes return to the Squared Circle at BKFC 48 in Albuquerque, NM on Friday, LIVE on The BKFC App. 

x JR “The Lion” Ridge is the No. 1 contender in the BKFC flyweight division. Ridge is 3-1 on the strength of back-to-back victories in 2022. His only loss was by cut to former BKFC Bantamweight World Championship challenger Frank Alvarez. He holds a notable win over Chancy Wilson. At BKFC 48, he hunts for his third KO against John Dodson for the vacant inaugural BKFC World Flyweight Championship.

x John “The Magician” Dodson is the No. 2 contender in the BKFC flyweight division. He’s 2-0 with a pair of first-round stoppage victories over former BKFC World Bantamweight Champion Jarod Grant and fellow UFC vet Ryan Benoit. Prior to joining BKFC in 2022, Dodson was an accomplished MMA fighter. The 17-time UFC vet twice fought for the UFC flyweight title.

x Sydney “Sundance” Smith is the No. 4 contender in the BKFC women’s strawweight division. Smith is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over fan-favorite Andy Nguyen in her Squared Circle debut in May. Smith fights top British prospect Melanie Shah (1-0).

x Eric “Thuggy Bear” Dodson is the No. 5 contender in the BKFC featherweight division. Eric, the younger brother of BKFC 48 headliner John Dodson, is also 2-0 with two first-round stoppages in his bare knuckle fighting career. He returns to the Squared Circle against Robert Arnas (1-2, 1 KO).