Britain Hart returns, defends BKFC strawweight title against Sarah Sehll
Philadelphia, PA – Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), has announced two explosive world title fights for Liberty Brawl, Philadelphia’s 250th Anniversary Celebration of America in the Philly promotions’ highly anticipated return to the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday, July 3.
Fighting in the Main Event at Liberty Brawl for the vacant BKFC Lightweight World Title, Undefeated and #2 Ranked Pound-for-Pound Fighter Austin ‘No Doubt’ Trout, (5-0), of Las Cruces, NM faces #1 Divisionally Ranked Lightweight and Former World Champion Ben ‘The Bomber’ Bonner, (5-2), of Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Co-headlining, BKFC Female Fighting Legend, Britain Hart, (10-3), of Bedford, VA defends her BKFC Strawweight World Title against #1 Divisionally Ranked and Undefeated Challenger Sarah ‘TNT’ Shell, (3-0), of Omaha, NE.
Also fighting at Liberty Brawl, Undefeated Contender and Philly Sports Fan Favorite Johnny ‘Cannoli’ Garbarino, (4-0, 4 KOs), makes his eagerly anticipated return to the Xfinity Mobile Arena against opposition to be announced.
“We’re thrilled to honor our country’s 250th Anniversary with this tremendous event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena,” said David Feldman, Founder and President of BKFC. “It’s a privilege to work with the City of Philadelphia, in our hometown for the Celebration of America on this truly historic occasion.”
“Over the last 18 months we’ve promoted two record setting sellouts at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, and we look forward to another packed house on Friday, July 3.”
“Austin Trout is one of the most talented combat sports fighters in the world with world title reigns in bare-knuckle fighting and professional boxing including victories over true legends; Luis Palomino and Miguel Cotto. However, Ben Bonner is coming from the UK looking to capitalize on his remarkable wins over Tony Soto to become a two-time world champion in this all-action main event.”
“Britain Hart is a true OG in BKFC, she’s been fighting and dominating for eight years with a massive legion of supporters who will be present as she makes her fifth world title defense. Sarah Shell has been talking about winning the world title since her BKFC debut and now she has the opportunity to manifest her dream.”
“Johnny Garbarino has become one of Philly’s most popular professional athletes and we are very excited to bring him back to the Xfinity Mobile Arena where two of his all-action victories have taken place.”
Tickets for Liberty Brawl are Now On-Sale and can be purchased online at BKFC.com. The Xfinity Mobile Arena is located at 3601 Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19149.
Liberty Brawl marks the third BKFC event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena; the previous two historical record setting sellouts taking place at Knuckle Mania VI on January 25, 2025 (Attendance 17,762) and Knuckle Mania VI on February 7, 2026 (Attendance 18, 217).
Ranked #2 in the Lightweight Division, Austin Trout won the BKFC Welterweight World Title by defeating longtime BKFC Icon, Luis Palomino at BKFC-57. Rematching Palomino most recently the former professional boxing world champion earned the victory at BKFC-85 with a ferocious third-round stoppage. With additional world title defenses against Rico Franco and Carlos Trinidad-Snake, Trout will be looking to become a two-division world champion against Bonner. The exciting southpaw is the only professional athlete in combat sports to attain world champion success in bare knuckle fighting and boxing, where he holds a victory over Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto and fought in a hotly contested distance clash with Mexican legend, Canelo Alvarez.
Over the last 12 months, Ben Bonner has fought in two of The Fight of the Year candidates with remarkable victories over longtime BKFC warrior Tony Soto. Bonner earned the BKFC Lightweight World Title with a sensational distance win over Soto at BKFC-76. After relinquishing the title to Franco Tenaglia in a hotly contested split decision at BKFC-83, Bonner would defeat Tony Soto again at KnuckleMania IV. The charismatic Brit also holds knockout victories over Lewis Keen (BKFC-68), Ray Putterill (BKFC-60) and Jamie Oldfield, (BKFC-37).
Britain Hart makes the fifth defense of her BKFC Strawweight Title at Liberty Brawl having previously defeated Melanie Shah (BKFC-51), Taylor Starling (BKFC-63), Tai Emery (BKFC-71) and Jenny Clausius (BKFC-30). Hart’s illustrious world title reign began by defeating Charisa Sigala on September 10, 2022. Her unprecedented career also includes outstanding victories over Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings and Pearl Gonzalez.
Sarah Shell quickly impressed BKFC fans with an exciting second round knockout of Audra Cummings at BKFC-33. Following up with distance, hometown victories over Crystal Van Wyk on May 17, 2024 and Valerie Mejia on April 18, 2025, the highly regarded contender is fully prepared for her first world title opportunity.
Among the most popular stars in the sport’s rich city of Philadelphia, the hard-hitting Johnny Garbarino burst onto the BKFC scene with a first-round stoppage against Apostle Spencer at KnuckleMania V. Following the victory, Garbarino proposed to his future wife Gianna to the roar of the crowd inside the sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena. Additional knockout victories in front of his massive local fan base came against Rayne Wells (KO-1), Erik Lopez (KO-2) and Kaine Tomlinson Jr. at KnuckleMania VI. A longtime chef specializing in Italian cooking, Garbarino has also impressed fans and media with cannoli’s at press events resulting in numerous viral moments
Additional fight announcements for Liberty Brawl will be forthcoming.
