Alberto Blas defends BKFC title with 56-second KO at BKFC 66
The undefeated Alberto Blas defended his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Bantamweight Title for the first time with a stunning 56-second KO over the previously unbeaten “Royal” Ryan Reber in the BKFC 66 Main Event on Friday night at the sold-out Hard Rock Live – Hollywood, FL.
The Cuban-born Miami product dropped Reber twice, upping his spotless BKFC record to 6-0 with a sixth straight, first-round finish. Reber is now 6-1 in the squared circle. The Clearwater, FL fighter entered fight night as the #2 ranked contender in the BKFC bantamweight division.
Alberto Blas Just finished another title fight in the first round 😱 #AndStill #BKFC66 pic.twitter.com/Ub7IxkP7z8
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) September 14, 2024
“Who is next?” the undefeated Blas told the jam-packed venue. “Hello, hello, 135ers. I am back!”
Combat sports legend/BKFC Partner Conor McGregor was in attendance to help celebrate BKFC’s newly announced three-year broadcast partnership with DAZN, the world’s leading over-the-top sports streaming and entertainment platform. Additional announcements made by BKFC Founder and President David Feldman including the sanctioning of BKFC in their home state of Pennsylvania along with the Performances of the Night to Howard Davis and AJ Rodriguez and Knockout of the Night to Leonardo Perdomo.Said McGregor, “It’s great to be here – this is our home. Rock ‘n’ roll and bare knuckle, baby. It’s an honor to be here for the fights. The DAZN broadcast partnership is a testament to where we are as an organization and where we’re going.”
BKFC 66 was the company’s 100th Promotional Event and its ninth at Hard Rock Live – Hollywood, FL, the last six of which have sold out.
In the BKFC 66 Co-Main Event, Howard “HD” Davis sent James “Get Down” Brown to the canvas three times en route to the first-round technical knockout victory. Time of the stoppage was 1:41. Davis entered fight night as the #3 ranked contender in the BKFC featherweight division, while Brown held the #4 spot. With the victory – his second straight win – the Broward County, FL fighter upped his record to 7-2-1. Brown, who represents Wilmington, NC, is now 3-1.
“I train every single day. Blood, sweat and tears. 155, 165, 145 – I’m there,” Howard said in his post-fight interview. “Tell Conor to call me!”
In the BKFC 66 Feature Fight, the #4 ranked contender in the BKFC heavyweight division, Leonardo “El Zombo” Perdomo, smashed his way to 5-0 with a fifth straight, first-round finish over Steven “The Panda” Banks. The Cuban-born Miami fighter sent Banks to the canvas twice en route to the 44-second technical knockout victory. Banks, a product of Jeffersonville, IN, is now 3-2 in his BKFC career.
Justin “Joy Boy” Ibarrola climbed to 5-0 under the BKFC banner with a unanimous decision victory at the expense of the previously unbeaten Justin “The Nightmare” Street in their back-and-forth bantamweight matchup. All three judges scored it 49-46 for the Delray Beach, FL fighter, who entered fight night as the #3 ranked contender in the BKFC bantamweight division. Street, who represents Detroit, is now 1-1.
AJ “The Biggest” Rodriguez shined in his BKFC debut as he defeated the previously unbeaten Dameko “Lotto” Labon in their battle of Miami bantamweights. The ringside doctor called the bout to a halt at the conclusion of the first round due to Labon’s injured eye. Rodriguez sent Labon to the canvas once in the opening round. Labon is now 2-1.
Stephen “Tomahawk” Townsel improved to 4-4 in his bare-knuckle career with a fourth-round, doctor-stoppage TKO victory over Jeremy “Pitbull” Smith, the #2 ranked contender in the BKFC cruiserweight division. Townsel, a product of Fort Pierce, FL, scored the only knockdown of the fight in the opening round. The ringside doctor stopped the bout 47 seconds into the fourth frame when Smith was unable to continue due to damage to his eye. The South African contender Smith is now 3-3.
Leo “Lionheart” Carrera edged out Sean “Bam Bam” Hotusing for the split decision in their clash of Miami light-heavyweights. Two judges scored it 48-47 in favor of Carrera, who improved to 2-1 with the win. One judge scored it 49-46 for Hotusing, who moved to 0-2 with the loss.
“D2G” Peter Peraza improved to 2-1 with a third-round TKO over Raymond “Honkey Kong” Pell in the welterweight division. The Miami product logged both knockdowns of the fight, paving the way for the stoppage 1:26 into the third frame. Pell, who hails from Samsula, FL, is now 1-2.
Joseph “The Punisher” White picked himself up off the canvas to defeat Kendrick “Big Problem” Miree via fourth-round technical knockout in heavyweight action. Time of the stoppage was 44 seconds into the fourth frame. The Broward County, FL fighter is now 2-1 in his BKFC career. Miree, who represents Jupiter, FL, was making his BKFC debut.
Jim “Alexander” Pulgar scored three knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision victory over Joshua “Famez” Alvarez in their welterweight showdown. All three judges scored it 48-44 in favor of Pulgar. The Venezuelan-born Miami fighter is now 1-1 under the BKFC banner, while fellow Miami product Alvarez sees his BKFC record move to 4-5.
Julio “The Cuban Horse” Perez needed only 13 seconds to smash his way to 2-0 in his BKFC career with a first-round, face-plant knockout over Devonte “Mr. Unknown” Jeffery in cruiserweight action. Both of the Cuban-born Miami product’s victories have come by first-round stoppage. Jeffery, who hails from Orlando, FL, falls to 0-2 with the loss.
Kazakhstan-born Pahokee, FL fighter Almat “Kazakh Titan” Jumanov was victorious in his BKFC debut, defeating Rayne “The Guy On The Couch” Wells via first-round TKO in their welterweight matchup. Time of the stoppage was 1:41 in the opening round. Wells, who represents Mount Version, WA, is now 0-2.
BKFC 66 Results
(c) Alberto Blas def. Ryan Reber via KO in Round 1 (0:56)
For BKFC World Bantamweight Title
Howard Davis def. James Brown via TKO in Round 1 (1:41)
Leonardo Perdomo def. Steven Banks via TKO in Round 1 (0:44)
Justin Ibarrola def. Justin Street via Unanimous Decision (49-46×3)
AJ Rodriguez def. Dameko Labon via TKO in Round 1 (2:00)
Stephen Townsel def. Jeremy Smith via TKO in Round 4 (0:47)
Leo Carrera def. Sean Hotusing via Split Decision (48-47×2, 46-49)
Peter Peraza def. Raymond Pell via TKO in Round 3 (1:26)
Joseph White def. Kendrick Miree via TKO in Round 4 (0:44)
Jim Pulgar def. Joshua Alvarez via Unanimous Decision (48-44×3)
Julio Perez def. Devonte Jeffery via KO in Round 1 (0:13)
Almat Jumanov def. Rayne Wells via TKO in Round 1 (1:41)
