CLEARWATER, FL — The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) made a triumphant return to the iconic OCC Road House on Friday night, delivering a sold-out card filled with high-stakes action, rapid-fire stoppages, and intense title-chase rhetoric. Streamed live worldwide on The BKFC App, BKFC Fight Night Clearwater proved to be a pivotal evening for the promotion’s bantamweight and middleweight divisions as top contenders solidified their rankings and immediately set their sights on championship gold.
In the main event of the evening, former BKFC Bantamweight World Title challenger “Royal” Ryan Reber put on an impressive display of tactical grit and durability. Facing off against Justin “The Nightmare” Street in a high-profile bantamweight clash, Reber utilized superior movement and striking precision to secure a unanimous decision victory. The ringside judges turned in scores of 49-46 twice and 48-47, reflecting Reber’s control across the majority of the five-round contest.
With the victory, the Clearwater, FL product improved his professional bare-knuckle record to 9-2, riding the momentum of back-to-back wins. Entering the squared circle as the #2-ranked contender in the division, Reber successfully defended his status near the top of the ladder. Meanwhile, Street, representing Westland, MI, fell to 5-3 following a hard-fought effort that tested the local favorite deep into the championship rounds.
Never one to waste time following a victory, Reber used his post-fight interview to immediately call out the reigning division kingpin. Addressing BKFC management directly, Reber made his intentions crystal clear to the live crowd and global viewing audience, declaring, “Mr. Feldman, I’m here for a good time, not a long time — let’s make it happen!” He specifically targeted a championship showdown against BKFC Bantamweight World Champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring.
The bantamweight division’s spotlight burned just as brightly in the co-main event, where another Clearwater local added his name firmly into the championship conversation. Michael “Papa G” Larrimore stepped into the squared circle to face the previously undefeated Nate “The Bad Man” Morrow in a critical 135-pound matchup. Larrimore, entering the night as the division’s #3-ranked contender, delivered a statement performance by overwhelming Morrow with heavy hands before the referee mercifully called a halt to the bout.
Larrimore logged a pair of decisive knockdowns in the opening rounds, establishing his power early against a resilient opponent. The bout was officially waved off at the 1:31 mark of the second stanza, improving Larrimore’s promotional record to 4-2. Historically, Larrimore’s only blemishes under the BKFC banner have come against elite company, specifically against current champion Jamel Herring and former BKFC Bantamweight World Champion Keith “The Rockstar” Richardson.
Standing tall in front of his hometown supporters, Larrimore wasted no time establishing his place in the queue for a title opportunity. Directing his attention both toward the newly concluded main event and the championship picture as a whole, Larrimore delivered an impassioned warning to the division’s elite: “Ryan Reber, Justin Street, you better fight your asses off, because I’m coming for the winner of that fight, boys!”
Action lower down the main card provided plenty of explosive finishes, highlighted by the feature fight of the evening. Smithville, North Carolina’s Doug “ColdRed” Coltrane surged to a 5-2 record by delivering a devastating knockout in middleweight action against the previously undefeated Tony “TMurph” Murphy. Coltrane, whose reputation for finishing opponents precedes him, brought a definitive end to the bout just 53 seconds into the second round. With the victory, nearly all of Coltrane’s professional victories have now come by way of stoppage.
Capitalizing on the microphone after his emphatic win, Coltrane immediately turned his sights toward the summit of his weight class. Issuing a direct challenge to the reigning, undefeated BKFC Middleweight World Champion, Coltrane called out Jack “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Cullen. “Let me get the title shot! I’m knocking people out with both hands!” Coltrane proclaimed to the electrified Clearwater crowd.
The preliminary and undercard matchups offered equal drama, highlighted by gritty comebacks and impressive promotional debuts. In a compelling welterweight showdown, Birmingham, Alabama’s Rickie “Crimson King” McConnico secured his first-ever BKFC victory by weathering an early storm. After picking himself up off the canvas following a knockdown in the opening phases of the fight, McConnico mounted an impressive rally. He dropped his opponent twice in turn before the referee stepped in to signal a technical knockout 47 seconds into the third round, handing Clearwater’s Mike Heckert his second loss and bringing Heckert’s record to 2-2.
In flyweight action, Hudson, Florida’s Chachi Versace earned a hard-fought majority decision over Angelo “The Phenomenal Fighter” Trujillo. Versace scored the sole knockdown of the contest, a crucial sequence that swayed two judges to score the bout 48-46 in his favor, while a third judge scored it even at 47-47. The victory lifted Versace’s record to 1-2-1, while Trujillo, representing Grand Junction, Colorado, moved to 0-3 in his bare-knuckle career.
Debutants on the card also made lasting impressions in front of the packed Florida crowd. Donny “The Destroyer” Korbel, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio, overwhelmed Jadon “The Prince of Puerto Rico” Lee during a bantamweight encounter. Korbel sent Lee to the canvas three separate times before the cageside officials called a halt to the action at the conclusion of the second round, spoiling the promotional debut of Lee, who hails nearby from Spring Hill, Florida.
In light-heavyweight action, Tampa local Sam “Sicario” Delao successfully transitioned to the BKFC squared circle, earning a unanimous decision victory over fellow debutant Chris “Coco Bear” Keirn. Two judges scored the bout 30-27 and a third scored it 29-28, all sweep cards in favor of Delao, handing a tough opening loss to Keirn, who represents New Port Richey, Florida.
Opening the card with lightning speed, Lakeland, Florida middleweight Tyler “Boom Boom” Baker needed less than a minute to make a triumphant statement in his promotional premiere. Baker dropped Yari “Bash Bro” Kaganovsky with a sharp combination in the opening frame before the bout was waved off via standing technical knockout just 43 seconds into the first round. Kaganovsky, who originally hails from Ukraine and now fights out of Round Lake, Illinois, was also making his maiden appearance in the BKFC.
Official results from BKFC Fight Night Clearwater concluded with Ryan Reber defeating Justin Street via unanimous decision (49-46 twice, 48-47); Michael Larrimore defeating Nate Morrow via knockout at 1:31 of the second round; Doug Coltrane defeating Tony Murphy via knockout at 0:53 of the second round; Rickie McConnico defeating Mike Heckert via technical knockout at 0:47 of the third round; Chachi Versace defeating Angelo Trujillo via majority decision (48-46 twice, 47-47); Donny Korbel defeating Jadon Lee via knockout at the conclusion of the second round; Sam Delao defeating Chris Keirn via unanimous decision (30-27 twice, 29-28); and Tyler Baker defeating Yari Kaganovsky via technical knockout at 0:43 of the first round.
