Lorenzo Hunt Makes History as First Three-Division BKFC Champion

Lorenzo Hunt achieved a historic milestone on Saturday night, becoming the inaugural three-division Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Champion. He secured the inaugural BKFC Ironweight World Title by defeating Walter “The Kraken” Pugliesi in the main event of BKFC-91, held at the packed Arena Flegrea in Naples, Italy.

Hunt, known as “The Juggernaut” and ranked #1 in the BKFC Pound-for-Pound rankings, demonstrated remarkable resilience. Despite being knocked down in the first round, he rallied to secure a fourth-round stoppage victory over the previously undefeated Pugliesi. The fight concluded at 1:09 of the fourth round.

With this win, Hunt, who represents Jacksonville, FL, improved his professional record to 14-2. Pugliesi, from Milan, Italy, now holds a 2-1 record under the BKFC banner.

In his post-fight interview, Hunt directly challenged BKFC star “Platinum” Mike Perry, who was present at ringside. Hunt stated, “To be the best in the world, to be the face of the organization I’ve worked so hard for, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry and I need to get in this ring and settle who the King of BKFC is.”

In the Co-Main Event, 21-year-old Jindrich Byrtus from Opava, Czech Republic, claimed the inaugural BKFC European Cruiserweight Title by defeating Ernesto “Big 20” Papa. Byrtus also overcame early adversity, hitting the canvas twice in the first round before scoring a knockdown of his own in the second. Papa’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the second round. Byrtus now stands at 11-2, while Papa, from Monsummano Terme, Italy, moves to 2-1.

Byrtus expressed his ambition for future fights, stating, “I only want to fight the best of the best at BKFC,” calling out BKFC Cruiserweight World Champion Esteban “Mohawk” Rodriguez.

The Feature Fight saw the undefeated Tomas Melis capture the inaugural BKFC European Light-Heavyweight Title by defeating Toni “Young Wolf” Estorer. The fight was stopped 25 seconds into the second round after Melis scored two knockdowns. Melis, from Žilina, Slovakia, maintains an undefeated record of 6-0, while Estorer, from Aachen, Germany, is now 5-3.

Melis attributed his victory to divine will, saying, “It was God’s plan for me. Thank you, Jesus, I’m coming for it all.”

BKFC Founder and President David Feldman shared his enthusiasm for the event's return to Italy. He remarked, “I am so, so excited to be here. The fans came out and the guys fought their (expletive) off. The one language that everybody knows here is violence… This has been an unbelievable night.” Feldman also discussed the upcoming “World’s Baddest Man Tournament” documentary series on Fox Nation and the highly anticipated BKFC 92 event at Fenway Park in Boston on August 29th.

In other notable bouts:

• The middleweight fight between Danny “The Bastard” Christie and Enzo “Osso Duro” Tobbia was ruled a No Contest due to an illegal headlock and throw by Christie.
• Lightweight Jimmy “The King” Sweeney of Sligo, Ireland, extended his impressive bare knuckle fighting record to 30-6 with a second-round technical knockout.
• Leonardo “Ram” Damiani made a spectacular BKFC debut, overcoming multiple knockdowns to stop former BKFC Cruiserweight World Title challenger Andrea “Italian Thunder” Bicchi in the third round.
• Dan “Indian Spice” Chapman rallied after a knockdown to secure a second-round stoppage victory.
• Cruiserweight Arbi “Borz” Chakaev delivered a quick 44-second stoppage.
• Gianni “The Punisher” Melillo impressed in his BKFC debut with a second-round TKO.
• Pawel “The Gorilla” Werszynin knocked out Ramy Elsayes in just 64 seconds.
• Cristian Sabbatini defeated Charli Marta via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.
• Cristian Brinzan knocked out Marco Saccaro in the opening round of his BKFC debut.
• Guglielmo “The Pitbull” Gicco secured a win in his debut by unanimous decision.

BKFC 91 Results

• Lorenzo Hunt def. Walter Pugliesi via KO in Round 4 (1:09) – Wins Inaugural BKFC Ironweight World Title
• Jindric Byrtus def. Ernesto Papa via TKO in Round 2 (2:00) – Wins Inaugural BKFC European Cruiserweight Title
• Tomas Melis def. Toni Estorer via TKO in Round 2 (0:25) – Wins Inaugural BKFC European Light-Heavyweight Title
• Danny Christie vs. Enzo Tobbia declared No Contest in Round 2 (0:27)
• Jimmy Sweeney def. Nicholas Vescio via TKO in Round 2 (0:22)
• Leonardo Damiani def. Andrea Bicchi via TKO in Round 3 (2:00)
• Dan Chapman def. Marco Giustarini via KO in Round 2 (0:08)
• Arbi Chakaev def. Dominik Herold via TKO in Round 1 (0:44)
• Gianni Melillo def. Dawid Chylinski via TKO in Round 2 (0:47)
• Pawel Werszynin def. Ramy Elsayes via KO in Round 1 (1:04)
• Cristian Sabbatini def. Charli Marta via Unanimous Decision (29-27×2, 30-27)
• Cristian Brinzan def. Marco Saccaro via KO in Round 1 (1:12)
• Guglielmo Gicco def. Antonio Moscatiello via Unanimous Decision (29-28×2, 30-27)