BKFC-51 RESULTS: BRITAIN HART RETAINS BKFC WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT WORLD TITLE

 Harris Stephenson and Brian Maxwell Compete in Epic Fight of the Year Candidate!

Click Here for BKFC-51 Fight Night Photos / BKFC

Salem, VA (September 29, 2023) Friday night in front of a sold-out Salem Civic Center, BKFC Women’s Strawweight World Champion Britain Hart, (8-3), successfully defended her title against top rated challenger Melanie Shah, (2-1), in the main of event of BKFC-51.

Dominating the action from the opening stanza, Hart controlled the slugfest with sharp power shots and multiple combinations against her aggressive United Kingdom based challenger. With her home state crowd cheering her on, Hart fought through Shah’s clinching attempts to continue her scoring through the second stanza.

Pressuring forward in the third and fourth rounds Shah attempted to take control of the action but the more skilled Hart continued her dominance of the fight. Closing the show like a true world champion, Hart showed no let up throughout the final stanza.

Scores for the triumphant Hart were 50-45 on all three judge’s scorecards.

“I hope you guys enjoyed the fight and I’m so happy to bring it here,” said Hart. “Melanie was a true pressure fighter and gave me a lot to deal with. Tonight’s fight showed that I’m ready for anything, any challenge, anything that comes my way.”

Hart is scheduled for a quick return against Po Denman at BKFC Thailand 5 on November 4.

In the Co-Main Event, Dustin ‘The Disciple’ Pague notched his third straight win with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over fellow fan-favorite Joe “Hitman” Elmore in their highly anticipated welterweight showdown. With the win, the UFC vet Pague climbed to 3-1 in the squared circle, while Elmore’s record fell to 2-3.

Fighting in the special attraction middleweight clash, Stanislav Grosu, (3-2), took the fight to the much taller Anthony Blake LaCaze, (1-4), aggressively working on the inside. Dropping LaCaze hard in the first round and twice more in the following stanza, Grosu was declared the winner at 1:51 of round two.

Bruce Abramski, (1-1), made his long-awaited return to the squared circle with a first-round knockout of Mark Culp, (0-1), fighting in the cruiserweight division. Abramski dropped Culp twice in the first round earning the stoppage at the time of 0:43. It was Abramski’s first bare-knuckle fight since BKFC-2 on August 25, 2018.

In the light heavyweight division, Joseph ‘The Dark Knight Creer, (1-1), proved too much for the BKFC debuting Ronnie Glass, (0-1). Fighting out of the southpaw stance, the much taller Creer knocked Glass down in the second round and twice more in the third as the fight was stopped at 1:18 of round three.

Fighting in a sure-fire combat sports Fight of the Year candidate, Harris ‘Sandman’ Stephenson, (5-3), was awarded a victory as Brian ‘Mr. Red Rims’ Maxwell, (1-7) was disqualified for an illegal ground strike in the final round.

Over the first rounds the two warriors displayed uncommon valor in a hellacious and bloody battle. Despite being dropped three times in the opening stanza, Maxwell marched forward in the second round opening numerous cuts on Stephenson’s face and dropping him to the canvas.

Stephenson would turn the tables, dropping Maxwell in each of the third and fourth rounds. However, Maxwell would mount a vicious assault in the fifth round, knocking down Stephenson with a wicked combination. Unfortunately, Maxwell would also strike the downed Stephenson resulting in an immediate stoppage of the clash with the time of the stoppage being :25 of the final round.

Kicking off the main card in the middleweight division, Brett Fields, (1-1), won his first BKFC fight turning the tide against the aggressive hometown hero, Kaine Tomlinson, (0-3), with a battering left hand to earn the victory at the 1:39 mark of the opening round. Tomlinson explosively scored at will before Fields sent him to the canvas in stunning fashion.

Fighting in the bantamweight division, Rick Caruso, (1-4), was victorious for the first time under the BKFC banner stopping Landon Williams, (0-1) in an action-packed opening stanza. Time of the stoppage was 1:43.

Opening the prelims in the lightweight division, Kasim Ruffin (2-0), scored five knockdowns against the valiant Daniel Gary, (0-4), before the fight was stopped at the 1:26 mark of the third stanza. The hard-hitting Ruffin sent Gary to the canvas twice in the second round and three times in the third.

Social Media

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Instagram: @BareKnuckleFC

Twitter: @BareKnuckleFC

Facebook: @BareKnuckleFC

YouTube: @BareKnuckleFightingChampionship

TikTok: @BareKnuckleFC

Website: www.BKFC.com

Media Contact/Credentials

Bernie Bahrmasel

Double B Sports

Phone: + 1 773 592-2986

Email: Bernie@BKFC.com

Twitter: @BernieBahrmasel

About Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC)

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is the first promotion allowed to hold a legal, sanctioned, and regulated bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889. Based in Philadelphia, and headed by President and former professional boxer David Feldman, BKFC is dedicated to preserving the historical legacy of bare knuckle fighting, while utilizing a specifically created rule set that emphasizes fighter safety. BKFC holds all of its bouts in a revolutionary circular four-rope ring, designed to encourage fast-paced and exciting bouts. The patented BKFC “Squared Circle” contains scratch lines, based on the Broughton Rules which governed bare knuckle fighting in the 19th century, and which requires fighters to “Toe the Line”: start every round face to face, and just inches apart.

In BKFC, only those fighters who are established professionals in boxing, MMA, kickboxing, or Muay Thai are allowed to compete. The referees and judges are required to have extensive professional combat sports experience. All fights are held under the auspices and control of an Athletic Commission. Unlike other fighting organizations and combat sports internationally which claim to be “bare knuckle”, but require wraps, tape, and gauze; BKFC is true to its word as fighters are not allowed to wrap their hands to within one inch of the knuckle. This makes BKFC unquestionably the truest form of bare knuckle fighting. BKFC is dedicated to not just creating the safest, most exciting, and highest-level bare-knuckle fighting organization in the world, it’s also leading the way for a new fully recognized professional combat sport. BKFC is truly the sport of the future, which fully respects its remarkable past.