The King and Queen of Violence have been anointed on one of the most brutal nights in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship history.
Much had been made about BKFC 82, which took place Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — particularly when bare-knuckle matchmakers placed Mike Perry and Christine Ferea in separate showcase fights in the main and co-main events.
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Perry took on fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens at middleweight in the headlining bout, and while Stephens started the action in a commanding position, it did not take long for the momentum to switch — for Perry to take over and score knockdown after knockdown in one ruthless beating.
The 34-year-old popped Stephens with his jab, cracked his jaw with uppercuts from close range, and landed more often than not with his overhand shots, knocking down Stephens six times en route to a fifth-round stoppage.
Perry out-threw and out-landed Stephens in every round, connecting with 130 of his 245 strikes by the finish, which is more than double what Stephens managed with 62 from 110.
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To Stephens’s credit, he showed an extraordinary amount of heart to keep picking himself up from the canvas, but ultimately six knockdowns within five rounds were too much to recover from, and he succumbed in the final round to Perry’s finish.
Advancing his BKFC record to 6-0-0 with 4 KOs, Perry retained his title as the organization’s King of Violence, with his latest win only underlining that claim. But he’s also something more for BKFC. Something tangible. He’s in-demand.
A fight against David Mundell in a pound-for-pound battle is a no-brainer next. And, who knows, the winner of that bout could even be the favorite in one against the BKFC part-owner Conor McGregor. It’s all still to play for.
Perry didn’t have the only spectacular performance at BKFC 82, as Christine Ferea climbed off the canvas to rearrange Jessica Borga’s face in the fourth round of their extraordinary co-feature.
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Ferea added Borga to a hulking résumé that also included BKFC wins over Britain Hart, Taylor Starling, Bec Rawlings and Jade Masson-Wong. But it is the victory over Borga that is arguably the most impressive of the lot, as Ferea showed she still has fight-finishing capabilities at 43 years old.
In the fourth round, with the fight precariously-poised at two rounds to one in Ferea’s favor, the veteran landed a monstrous right hand. Borga stepped back, dropped to a knee, and her body language showed that the fight was over. When the dust settled it was clear what had happened — Ferea had shattered Borga’s nose.
It was a suitable way for the Queen of Violence to claim her crown.
Also on the card, Jimmie Rivera defeated Timmy Mason by third-round knockout, Oluwale Bamgbose scored three knockdowns in a finish over Karl Roberson, and Quentin Gaskins marched to a quick-fire win over Phil Caracappa. Elsewhere, Jeff Lentz beat Elijah Harris to the ground again and again, made him puke, and won via medical TKO. And, in the first pay-per-view bout on the card, Mike Trizano demolished JC “Corazon” Deleon in the opening round.
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Main Card
King of Violence Championship: Mike Perry def. Jeremy Stephens via KO in R5 | Watch finish
Queen of Violence Championship: Christine Ferea def. Jessica Borga via KO in R4 | Watch finish
Lightweight: Jimmie Rivera def. Timmy Mason via KO in R3
Cruiserweight: Oluwale Bamgbose def. Karl Roberson via KO in R2
Bantamweight: Quentin Gaskins def. Phil Caracappa via KO in R1 | Watch finish
Lightweight: Jeff Lentz def. Elijah Harris via medical TKO in R1 | Watch finish
Lightweight: Mike Trizano def. JC “Corazon” Deleon via KO in R1 | Watch finish
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Prelims
Heavyweight: Pat Carroll def. Aleem Whitfield via KO in R2 | Watch finish
Lightweight: Jmani Oliver def. Irakli Ghvinjilia via unanimous decision (48-45, 48-44, 47-45)
Featherweight: Justin Clarke def. Ishiah Carson via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-43, 50-43)