After an exciting return to London last weekend for BKB 51, BKB Bare Knuckle’s next event is exactly a month away.
BKB 52 takes place on 28 March at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut and three world title fights are scheduled.
Cub Hawkins Defends Belt Against Jessie Ronson
In the main event, BKB Light Heavyweight Champion Nicholas “Cub” Hawkins faces Jesse Ronson in his first title defence since regaining the belt last November. Hawkins defeated Welsh legend Barry Jones to win back the title he lost to Gregoris Cisneros. Cub, whose Trigon record is an impressive 9-1 with 8 KOs, also holds the BKB Cruiserweight Title.
Canada’s Ronson earned the title opportunity by stopping longtime contender Ryan Jett last September. A veteran of nearly 40 MMA bouts, Ronson has competed in the UFC, PFL, Canada’s TKO organisation, and also in bare knuckle MMA. The 40-year-old will pull off a massive upset if he’s able to dethrone Hawkins, widely considered one of BKB’s best pound-for-pound fighters.
Unbeatens Ramirez, Williams Vie for BKB Featherweight Title
The BKB 52 co-main event is evenly matched on paper. Both Cuba’s Yampier Ramirez and Wales’s Ash Williams are unbeaten in three bare knuckle bouts, and both featherweight contenders have stopped all of their opponents inside two rounds. Ramirez has the better CV, with a stoppage win over former title challenger Brandon Birr.
Fernandez vs Wilson for BKB Cruiserweight Belt
Julian Fernandez gets a second opportunity to win the BKB Cruiserweight Title in the third title fight. Fernandez (2-0, 1 No Contest) fought to a no contest against Yordan Fuentes at BKB 48 last November. He’ll face the UK’s Alex Wilson (4-2), who has won 4 of 5 bouts since a loss to Will Cairns in his 2021 debut. Wilson’s only other defeat was to former title challenger and UFC veteran Jack Marshman.
BKB 52: Other Bouts
Two other fights are official for BKB 52. Veteran Eric Olsen faces BKB newcomer Braxton Smith, a combat sports veteran who has competed in Karate Combat, Dirty Boxing, the UFC and also for BKFC. Smith brings a 1-0 bare knuckle record into the fight with Olsen, who will be looking for his first BKB win in nearly three years.
A super featherweight fight pits Matt Almy (1-0) against George Martinez (1-0).
