On Saturday, February 23, BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing made its return to London when it hosted BKB 51: Heavy Lies the Crown. In the main event, fans were treated to another dominating performance by one of the, if not THE, best pound-for-pound bare knuckle fighters in the world, as Bridgerweight Champion Marko Martinjak (Zagreb, Croatia) successfully defended his title against former BKB Heavyweight Champion and UFC veteran Ike Villanueva (Houston, TX, USA). Martinjak’s speed overwhelmed Villanueva, knocking him down multiple times in the round, before scoring the first-round knockout.
In the co-main event, a rematch from 2022, veteran Scott McHugh once again defeated Martin Reffell, this time by split decision.
In a featured matchup, former Bellator fighter Adel Altamimi kept his bare knuckle record perfect in his Trigon debut with a highlight reel first-round knockout of Jay Eggleston.
Joe Cokayne bested fellow udefeated Heavyweight Ant Scotford in the Fight of the Night with a fourth-round knockout.
Full results:
Main Card
Marko Martinjak def. Ike Villanueva – KO1
Scott McHugh def. Martin Reffell – SD5
Adel Altamimi def. Jay Eggleston – KO1
Kevin Greenwood def. Tony Barratt – KO1
Joe Cokayne def. Anthony Scotford – KO4
Hector Galbraith / Harvey Dossett – NC1 (Accidental Elbow)
Dan Gittens def. Corey Healey – TKO2
Prelims
Tom Pratt def. Will Dermietzel – UD5
Dan Matthews def. Mark O’Neil – KO2
Aaron Ashton def. Brad Donovan – KO1
Liam Teruel def. Jamie Haley – KO1
Ashley Devenport def. Liam Blackwell – TKO2
Ollie Sentance def. Nico Earwaker – TKO4
BKB returns to action March 28 with BKB 52: No Turning Back live from Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut, USA. Visit bkbbareknuckle.com and follow @bkbbareknuckle for news and information.