MIAMI, FL (August 25, 2023) Gorjan "GoGo" Slaveski became the third BKFC World Welterweight Champion in bare knuckle fighting history on Friday, Aug. 25 as he beat the previously undefeated "Gypsy” Jake Lindsey to win the vacant title in the Main Event of BKFC 49 at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, FL, LIVE on The BKFC App.
Slaveski captured the belt with a Unanimous Decision victory over Lindsey after five grueling rounds. The judges scored the hard-fought bout 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 for Slaveski. With the win, the Macedonia-born Miami fighter elevated his status from No. 1 contender to the champion and improved his BKFC record to 6-0 (4 KOs). The Manhattan, KS product Lindsey, who entered fight night as the No. 2 contender, saw his record drop to 4-1 (4 KOs) as the battle-tested UFC vet left the Squared Circle in a state of disbelief.
With the victory, Slaveski became the first Macedonian to win a BKFC World Championship. “I’m on top of the world, baby!” the elated Slaveski said post-fight. “Macedonia, stand up! We are a small country and it’s so rare that you see a Macedonian on top of the world, but I made history tonight, man. I just made history.”
In the BKFC 49 Co-Main Event, Bryce "Baby Yaga" Henry proved once again he’s one of the top lightweight prospects on the planet, emphatically improving to 3-0 with a dominant win over longtime fan-favorite Tom "A Gentleman of Violence" Shoaff, the No. 4 contender in the 155-pound division. The sensational Broward County, FL product needed just 89 seconds to stop Shoaff via TKO (corner stoppage), earning his third finish in the process. Shoaff, of Lawton, OK, saw his record drop to 4-5 (4 KOs). After the win, Henry called out undefeated BKFC World Lightweight Champion Luis Palomino (9-0): “I want Palomino next! Bring that damn money … I’ve been ready. Put me in there with tough opponents, and I went out there and straight out-classed them. Let’s do it.”
In the BKFC 49 Feature Fight, Miami’s Bryan “El Gallo” Duran cruised to 5-0 with a 48-second KO over Dakota Highpine in their highly anticipated featherweight showdown. With the win – the Cuban-born Duran’s fifth finish in as many fights – he staked his claim as one of the top 145-pound prospects on the BKFC roster. Highpine fell to 1-2 with the loss.
Justin Ibarrola of Delray Beach, FL improved to 2-0 in his BKFC career with a Unanimous Decision over Quintan Foye of Greenville, NC. The judges scored the back-and-forth bantamweight bout 48-47, 49-46, 48-47. With the competitive loss, Foye’s record fell to 1-1.
Matanza, Cuba’s Alberto “El Indio” Blas floored Joao Pedro Guerra of Gainesville, FL twice in under a minute to up his spotless BKFC record to 3-0. After tonight’s TKO win was called in just 51 seconds, all of the fast-rising bantamweight’s BKFC victories have come by stoppage in under a minute. The Brazilian-born Guerra is now 0-1.
Broward County, FL’s Howard “HD” Davis, the No. 2 contender in the stacked BKFC featherweight division, scored his third straight stoppage in the Squared Circle, knocking out “Hungry” Jeff Chiffens of Wilmington, DE 72 seconds into the first round of their fight. Davis’ record is now 5-1-1 (4 KOs), and he repeated his callouts of the undefeated BKFC World Featherweight Champion Kai Stewart (4-0) after his big win in Miami. Chiffens, who was making his BKFC debut, dropped to 4-6 (4 KOs).
Miami welterweight Joshua “The Heartbreak Kid” Famez scored his second straight win in the Squared Circle with an 89-second KO over the debuting Aaron “The Joker” Sutterfield of Yellville, AK. Famez is now 3-3 with a pair of KOs under the BKFC banner.
In the sole female fight of the night, Laddy Mejia dug deep in her Squared Circle debut for a Split Decision nod over Boston’s Sarah “Mocha Madness” Click. The Peruvian-born Miami strawweight edged Click 49-46, 48-47, 47-48 according to the judges. Click’s BKFC record is now 0-2.
Kicking off the BKFC 49 Main Card in destructive fashion, Matt "Rambo" Russo required just 76 seconds to score a KO victory over the debuting Jaymes Hyder of Spokane, WS. The fast-rising Broward County, FL bantamweight prospect is now 2-0, with both of his wins coming by first-round stoppage.
Miami’s Freddy “Spider-Man” Masabo got even with Bovar “The Gladiator” Khanakov of Mariupol, Ukraine by defeating him via Unanimous Decision in their highly anticipated rematch at 145 pounds. Masabo and Khanakov first met at BKFC 38 in April, when Khanakov earned the Unanimous Decision over the Cuban-born Masabo. The judges scored tonight’s action 48-47x3 in favor of Masabo. Masabo is now 3-1 (2 KOs) after his return to the win column, while Khanakov’s BKFC record dropped to 1-1.
JoMi “The BKFC Hitman” Escoboza of Tamarac, FL kicked off the BKFC 49 Preliminary Card with a back-and-forth, Majority Decision victory over Grand Rapids, MI’s Esteban “The Mohawk” Rodriguez. The judges scored the cruiserweight matchup 47-47, 48-46x2. With the win, Escoboza improved his BKFC record to 2-1 (1 KO), and Rodriguez fell to 2-1 (2 KO). Escoboza’s overall bare knuckle fighting is now 8-1 (4 KOs).
BKFC 49 Main Card Results
Gorjan Slaveski def. Jake Lindsey via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
*for the vacant BKFC World Welterweight Title
Bryce Henry def. Tom Shoaff via TKO in Round 1 (1:29)
Bryan Duran def. Dakota Highpine via KO in Round 1 (:48)
Justin Ibarrola def. Quintan Foye via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 48-47
Alberto Blas def. Joao Pedro Guerra via TKO in Round 1 (:51)
Howard Davis def. Jeff Chiffens via KO in Round 1 (1:12)
Joshua Famez def. Aaron Sutterfield via KO in Round 1 (1:29)
Laddy Mejra def. Sarah Click via Split Decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
Matt Russo def. Jaymes Hyder via KO in Round 1 (1:16)
BKFC 49 Preliminary Card Results
Freddy Masabo def. Bovar Khanakov via Unanimous Decision (48-47x3)
JoMi Escoboza def. Esteban Rodriguez via Majority Decision (48-46x2, 47-47)
