Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship BKFC 49: Slaveski vs. Lindsey (also known as BKFC 49: Miami) will be a bare-knuckle fighting event held by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on August 25, 2023, at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card
Gorjan Slaveski vs. Jake Lindsey Welterweight Championship
Bryce Henry vs. Tom Shoaff
Bryan Duran vs. Dakota Highpine
John Michael Escoboza vs. Esteban Rodriguez
Howard Davis vs. Jeff Chiffens
Frank Alvarez vs. Jarod Grant
BKFC Prospect Series 1 (Thursday, August 24)
Gorjan Slaveski vs. Jake Lindsey
Bryce Henry vs. Tom Shoaff
Bryan Duran vs. Dakota Highpine
John Michael Escoboza vs. Esteban Rodriguez
Howard Davis vs. Jeff Chiffens
Background
It’s a super-sized Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Fight Week in Miami!
The star-studded BKFC 49 goes down Friday from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in The Magic City.
The vacant BKFC World Welterweight Championship is on the line in Friday’s Main Event. No. 1 contender Gorjan “GoGo” Slaveski (5-0, 4 KOs) and No. 2 contender Jake “The Gypsy” Lindsey (4-0, 4 KOs) will do battle in the Squared Circle, with only one man leaving Miami with their perfect record intact and the title belt around their waist. The judges shouldn’t be necessary for this one – Slaveski and Lindsey only have one decision between the two of them in their nine combined trips to the Squared Circle.
Friday’s Co-Main Event pits veteran experience versus youthful exuberance as longtime fan favorite Tom "A Gentleman of Violence" Shoaff (4-0, 4 KOs) meets undefeated upstart Bryce "Baby Yaga" Henry (2-0, 2 KOs) in lightweight action. Shoaff, the No. 4 contender in the division, is coming off a back-and-forth battle with BKFC Pound-for-Pound king Luis Palomino and will be stepping into the Squared Circle for the ninth time since making his debut at BKFC 2 in 2018. Henry has looked phenomenal in his first two BKFC fights, bringing home back-to-back finishes. The 22-year-old young gun tries to climb to 3-0 while also boasting a 6-0 (4 KOs) record as a professional gloved boxer.
Friday's action-packed event features a host of other elite BKFC talent, including No. 1 bantamweight contender Jarod "Kid Gatti" Grant (5-2, 4 KOs), No. 2 featherweight contender Howard "HD" Davis (4-1-1, 3 KOs) and former BKFC World Bantamweight Championship challenger Daniel Alvarez (1-1, 1 KO). Friday’s card also includes a pair of undefeated, fast-rising KO artists – featherweight Bryan "El Gallo" Duran (4-0, 4 KOs) and cruiserweight Esteban “Mohawk” Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs).
Five fighters ranked in the Top 5 of their respective weight classes return to the Squared Circle on Aug. 25 at BKFC 49 in Miami.
Gorjan "GoGo" Slaveski is the No. 1 contender in the BKFC welterweight division. He upped his perfect record to 5-0 in the Main Event of BKFC 35 in January, when he defeated UFC vet Yosdenis Cedeno via fourth-round finish. Four of his five victories in the Squared Circle have come by stoppage, including two in the first round. Slaveski also boasts a pro boxing record of 8-2, with five wins by KO. He takes on Jake Lindsey in the Main Event of BKFC 49.
Jake “Gypsy” Lindsey is the No. 2 contender in the BKFC welterweight division. Lindsey has finished his first four opponents under the BKFC banner. The UFC vet is riding high after his fourth-round stoppage over Connor Tierney in the BKFC 37 Main Event in March. He holds another notable victory in the Squared Circle over fellow former MMA star Brandon Girtz. He also has five KO victories on his MMA resume.
Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant is the No. 1 contender in the BKFC bantamweight division. The former BKFC Interim World Bantamweight Champion began his BKFC career with five straight victories. He's looking to return to the win column after back-to-back losses to BKFC World Bantamweight Champion Reggie Barnett Jr. and BKFC World Flyweight Champion John Dodson. Four of his five wins have come by stoppage.
Howard "HD" Davis is the No. 2 contender in the BKFC featherweight division. Davis is 4-1-1 on the strength of back-to-back stoppage victories. All but one of his wins have come by finish, and his only loss came via cut to No. 1 featherweight contender Louie Lopez. He holds a notable victory over No. 4 contender Rusty Crowder. He returns to action against Jeff Chiffens (4-5, 4 KOs).
Tom "A Gentleman of Violence" Shoaff shares the No. 4 contender spot in the BKFC lightweight division with Tony Soto. He's earned stoppage victories in three of his past four, with his sole loss since 2020 coming via eye injury to Luis Palomino in their BKFC World Lightweight Championship showdown in the Main Event of BKFC 34 in December. Shoaff, who made his BKFC debut at BKFC 2 in 2018, is 4-4, with all of his wins coming via stoppage. The Bellator vet is also 11-4 in the cage, with five KOs. He takes on the unbeaten Bryce Henry (2-0, 2 KOs), who's also 6-0 with four KOs as a professional boxer.
Before BKFC 49 on Friday, history will be made Thursday with the highly anticipated debut of the BKFC Prospect Series, also under the bright lights at Miami-Dade Fairgrounds.
The Prospect Series is a brand new pipeline to the BKFC Squared Circle. Fresh-faced fighters – and returning athletes seeking a shot at redemption – will throw down in front of BKFC Founder/President David Feldman. Fighters who impress the boss will leave Miami with a multi-fight contract with BKFC.
