Photo credit to Nick Vespe/ BKFC
Britain Hart defends strawweight title against Melanie Shah in BKFC 51 headliner
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has announced BKFC 51, their return to the state of Virginia on Friday, September 29 at the Salem Civic Center headlined by the BKFC Women’s Strawweight World Championship between Champion Britain Hart, (7-3) of Bedford, VA and Top-Rated Challenger Melanie Shah, (2-0) of the United Kingdom.
Tickets for BKFC-51 starting at $45 are Now On-Sale at BKFC.com. The Salem Civic Center is located at 1001 Roanoke, VA, 24153. BKFC-51 will also be broadcast internationally as part of the BKFC+ Subscription for $7.99 per month on the BKFC App – The Best Value in Combat Sports and is sponsored by Bucked Up, Fubo Sports, MIT 45, Only Fans, Crescent Tools and LIONS NOT SHEEP.
“We’re very excited to return to Virginia following our last sold-out event in March,” said David Feldman, President and Founder of BKFC. “This is a huge title defense for our champion Britain Hart near her hometown against the tough, undefeated challenger Melanie Shah and we expect another tremendous Virginia crowd for this event at the Salem Civic Center.”
Among the most popular female fighters in combat sports, Britain Hart claimed the inaugural BKFC Strawweight World Title at BKFC-29 with a dominant unanimous decision over Charisa Sigala on September 10, 2022. Following up on March 24, 2023, at BKFC-39, Hart defended her world title for the first time with a victory over Jenny Savage in Norfolk, Virginia in their highly anticipated rematch.
The tough as nails Hart also holds a career defining victory over former UFC Superstar Paige Van Zant (KnuckleMania 1), along with dominant wins over Bec Rawlings (BKFC-26), Pearl Gonzalez (BKFC-22), Jenny Savage (BKFC-19) and Randine Eckholm (BKFC-14).
Ranked #5 in the women’s strawweight division, Melanie Shah made her impressive BKFC debut on November 26, 2022, at BKFC Fight Night Newcastle, defeating Mathilda Wilson. Following up on the win, Shah successfully debuted in the United States with a victory over Sydney Smith at BKFC-48 earlier this month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Will the upset minded Shah be able to topple the Champion or will Hart once again prove to be too much for a 115lb. adversary? Tune in on September 29 to find out!
Further fights for this exciting night of action will be announced shortly.
