KEITH RICHARDSON DETHRONES REGGIE BARNETT JR. INJAW-DROPPING FASHION AT BKFC 52!
TONY SOTO DEFEATS KEVIN CROOM IN CO-MAIN
Click Here for BKFC-52 Fight Night Photos / BKFC
Columbia, SC (Oct. 20, 2023) Keith “The Rockstar” Richardson shocked combat sports fans around the world on Friday, Oct. 20 by dethroning defending Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Bantamweight Champion Reggie “Educated Hands” Barnett Jr. in the main event of BKFC-52 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina and broadcast LIVE globally on The BKFC App.
The hard-hitting Rock Hill, SC fighter improved to 4-0 with his third straight stoppage after dropping the defending champ Barnett Jr. three times in two rounds. The fight was stopped 58 seconds into round two with Richardson the winner via technical knockout. Barnett Jr., of Chesapeake, VA, was the #3 fighter on the BKFC Pound-for-Pound rankings heading into fight night and is widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever grace the squared circle. With the loss, his record falls to 9-3.
Richardson devoted the fight to the memory of his father, who passed away earlier this year.
“This one's for you, pops,” Richardson told the sold-out Colonial Life Arena.
In the BKFC-52 co-main event, the red-hot Tony “Loco” Soto improved to 6-0 with a unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Kevin “Crash” Croom in their highly anticipated lightweight showdown.
The undefeated Hickory, NC product entered fight night as the #3 contender in the stacked BKFC lightweight division and called for a shot at defending BKFC World Lightweight Champion Luis “Baboon” Palomino after his victory. Croom, a UFC vet representing Kansas City, MO, fell to 2-1 with the loss.
Jeremie “Hit Em” Holloway earned the first victory of his BKFC career with a unanimous decision over the debuting Cameron “Jump Man” VanCamp. Judges scored the highly entertaining welterweight matchup 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 in favor of the Conover, NC fighter Holloway, who improved to 1-0-1 with the win over the Indianapolis, IN-based UFC vet VanCamp.
In his BKFC debut, Swansea, SC’s Solon “Solo” Staley weathered an early blitzing before dropping Darrick “The Buck” Gates with a series of uppercuts at the end of the first round in their featherweight showdown. The fight was stopped by the ringside physician between rounds one and two after the Eagle, ID product couldn’t continue due to breathing issues. Gates’ record dropped to 1-4, 1 NC with the loss.
Myrtle Beach, SC lightweight Brandon “The Dream Killer” Bushaw earned his second knockout victory under the BKFC banner with a second-round stoppage victory over Atlanta’s Josh “Danger” Marer. The fight was stopped fifty seconds into the second stanza. Bushaw upped his BKFC record to 2-0, 1 NC with the win, while Marer slid to 0-3.
The debuting Jeremiah Scott celebrated his 30th birthday in style at BKFC-52 with a come-from-behind victory over Chevy “Wild Man” Bridges in their lightweight clash. The Myrtle Beach, SC fighter picked himself up off the canvas at the end of the first round to drop Bridges twice in the third, resulting in a knockout stoppage just four seconds shy of the fourth frame. With the loss, Bridges’ record fell to 1-3.
Derek “Rage” Perez dropped Ace Samples twice in the second round of their bantamweight bout, paving the way for a technical knockout victory 44 seconds into the second stanza of their matchup. Perez, who hails from Belen, NM, improved to 2-1 with the win; the Madcow, GA-based Samples drops to 1-1.
Summerville, SC’s Trukon “The Carolina Gamedog” Carson floored the debuting Daishaun “The Raging Demon” Middleton of Gastonia, NC three times in the first minute of their welterweight bout to open the BKFC-52 main card with a 61-second KO. Carson is now 2-1 on the strength of back-to-back, first-round finishes.
Daniel “Super” Cooper kicked off his BKFC career with a bang as the Columbus, GA fighter defeated Miach “The Machine” Lail of Conover, NC in light-heavyweight action. The doctor called a stop to the fight after Lail, who was also making his BKFC debut was deemed unable to continue due to intense swelling around his eye at the end of round four.
In the opening bout of the night, Bekhzod “Lion” Usmonov earned his first victory under the BKFC banner with a third-round, standing technical knockout victory over Trevor Loken in their featherweight showdown. The bout was stopped 24 seconds into the third round. The Tajikistan-born, Albuquerque, NM fighter climbed to 1-1 with the win, while Loken, of Raleigh, NC, fell to 1-2 with his second straight loss.
BKFC 52 Main Card
Keith Richardson def. Reggie Barnett Jr. via TKO in Round 2 (0:58)
Richardson wins BKFC World Bantamweight Title
Tony Soto def. Kevin Croom via Unanimous Decision (50-45x2, 48-47)
Jeremie Holloway def. Cameron VanCamp via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
Solon Staley def. Darrick Gates via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 1 (2:00)
Brandon Bushaw def. Josh Marer via KO in Round 2 (0:50)
Jeremiah Scott def. Chevy Bridges via KO in Round 3 (1:56)
Derek Perez def. Ace Samples via TKO in Round 2 (0:44)
Trukon Carson def. Daishaun Middleton via KO in Round 1 (1:01)
BKFC 52 Preliminary Card
Daniel Cooper def. Miach Lail via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 4 (2:00)
Bekhzod Usmonov def. Trevor Loken via TKO in Round 3 (0:24)
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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.
