Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 45: Stewart vs. Lopez (also known as BKFC 45: Hollywood) will be a bare-knuckle fighting event held by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on June 23, 2023, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card
Lightweight Luis Palomino vs. James Lilley Lightweight Championship
Light Heavyweight Jake Bostwick vs. Erick Lozano
Lightweight Howard Davis vs. Eduardo Peralta
WelterweightRene Rodriguez vs. James Dennis
Cruiserweight Stephen Townsel vs. Dillion Winemiller
Bantamweight Gee Perez vs. Ryan Carroll
Bantamweight Alberto Blas vs. Robert Armas
Featherweight Bryan Duran vs. Gilberto Aguilar
Preliminary Card
Heavyweight Leonardo Perdomo vs. Joseph White
Bantamweight Chris Garcia vs. Robert Madrid
Cruiserweight Mike Lee vs. Drew Nolan/color]
[color=#FFFF00]Background
The two best undefeated bare knuckle fighters on the planet do battle in the Main Event of BKFC 45 on Friday – Luis “Baboon” Palomino (8-0) defends his BKFC World Lightweight Championship against James “Lights Out” Lilley (7-0-1) at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Palomino, simply put, is the greatest bare knuckle fighter of all time. No fighter except “Baboon” has ever started their career with eight straight victories, nobody but Palomino has ever been ranked No. 1 on the BKFC Pound-for-Pound rankings, and nobody has successfully defended their title six times, which the Peruvian-American is attempting to do Friday against Lilley. He also holds the BKFC World Welterweight Championship, for good measure.
Palomino has shared the Squared Circle with many of the sport’s toughest contenders over the years, but Lilley may very well be his most formidable opponent yet. The technical, hard-hitting Welshman has looked stellar in his time with BKFC, rattling off three straight wins since debuting with the organization in 2022. A stoppage victory on Friday would send shockwaves through the combat sports world, and would already be the third knockout of Lilley’s tenure with BKFC.
Fireworks are also guaranteed in Friday's Co-Main Event, which features heavy-handed light-heavyweight contenders “Brutal” Jake Bostwick and Erick “El Travieso” Lozano. Bostwick's record is 2-2-1 after most recently fighting to a highly competitive draw with title challenger Isaac Doolittle in April. Lozano is quickly establishing himself as one of the most game fighters on the BKFC roster. He lost his short-notice debut to none other than Lorenzo “The Juggernaut” Hunt and followed that up with a shocking 54-second KO victory over former champ Francesco Ricchi on the same card as Bostwick’s most recent bout. Bostwick and Lozano both bring extensive MMA experience into this must-see fight, combining for over 60 pro MMA matches.
Friday's action is stacked from top to bottom with must-see fights and fan-favorite contenders. The highly anticipated Feature Fight sees Guillermo “The Cutman” Perez trying to climb to 3-0 with a third KO against Ryan Carroll (0-1) in the stacked bantamweight division. Also in 135-pound action, Alberto “El Indio” Blas (1-0) takes on Robert Armas (1-1). Earlier on Friday will be a cruiserweight showdown between Steve "Tomahawk" Townsel (3-2) and Dillon Winemiller (1-1), and Rene “White Boy” Rodriguez (4-2) hunts for his fifth victory against James “Knucklehead” Dennis (1-1) in welterweight action. Fans are counting down the seconds until Howard "HD" Davis (3-1-1), the BKFC’s No. 2 featherweight contender, and undefeated 145-pound prospect Bryan Duran (3-0) return to the Squared Circle.
