BKFC UK Light Heavyweight Champion Conor Cooke will face former world champion Jared Warren on 24 April. The bout headlines BKFC Fight Night Clearwater 3 at the OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater, Florida.
It’s the America debut for Cooke (7-1, 5 KOs), fighting out of Antrim in Northern Ireland. Nicknamed “Da Crook”, Cooke is going into the Warren showdown riding a four-fight win streak.
Cooke started his bare knuckle career with three straight wins before a stoppage loss to Polish spoiler Dawid Oskar. He rebounded with wins over veterans Mason Shaw and Matty Hodgson, then stopped Stevie Taylor in the first round.
In his last bout, Cooke won the BKFC UK title with a third-round TKO win over Anthony Holmes. He’s been rewarded with a main event fight against Florida’s Warren, currently the third-ranked BKFC light heavyweight.
Warren (8-3, 6 KOs) is returning after an 11-month layoff. The former champion hasn’t fought since a first-round stoppage win over Joseph Creer last May. It was Warren’s first fight since losing the BKFC Light Heavyweight Title to Mike Richman in December 2024.
Warren-Cooke is an important fight for both men. For Cooke, a win proves he’s at the world level and should move him into title contention.
Warren can’t afford a defeat. A loss would make the road back to a title that much longer.
The BKFC Light Heavyweight Title is currently held by Lorenzo Hunt. Hunt regained the title last November with a wild, come-from-behind knockout of Josh Dyer.
Unbeatens Perdomo, Rodriguez return at BKFC 87
Unbeaten contenders Leonardo Perdomo and Rosalinda Rodriguez have been added to the BKFC 87 fight card.
BKFC 87 takes place on 20 March at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Kai Stewart defends the BKFC Featherweight Title Against unbeaten Nico Gaffie in the main event.
Perdomo (10-0, 10 KOs) is the number-one ranked BKFC heavyweight contender. The Miami-based Cuban has only been past the first round once-Corey Willis extended him to the third round last December. He’ll face Rashad Coulter, a UFC veteran with bare knuckle boxing experience.
Coulter competed in BKB back in 2023. He went 2-1 (2 KOs) in the promotion with wins over Quentin Domingos and Jordan Mitchell before a stoppage loss to DJ Linderman.
The hard-hitting Perdomo has naturally drawn comparisons to boxing great Mike Tyson for his ferocity and punching power. A win over Coulter puts him in line to face newly crowned BKFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Arlovski won the belt earlier this month at Knucklemania with a TKO stoppage over Ben Rothwell.
Rosalinda Rodriguez Meets Shelby Cannon in Contender Showdown
Also official for BKFC 87 is an intriguing matchup between unbeaten Rosalinda Rodriguez (3-0) and veteran Shelby Cannon
The 39-year-old Rodriguez went 14-0 as a pro boxer between 2015 and 2024.
She won a unanimous decision over Maia Kahaunaele in her BKFC debut in 2023, then stopped Monica Franco in her second bare knuckle fight in March 2024.
In her last bout, Rodriguez stopped Gabrielle Roman in three rounds last year.
Cannon will be Rodriguez’s most experienced and talented opponent thus far in bare knuckle. She’ll need to be at her best if Rodriguez wants to remain unbeaten.
Cannon (4-2, 1 KO) debuted in 2023 with a win at BYB 18 in London. After a win over Cecilia Ulloa, Cannon lost a decision to Agnesa Kirakosian in a bid for the Police Gazette super flyweight belt.
The Indiana fighter joined BKFC last year and defeated Kat Paprocki in her BKFC debut. She was then matched with former title challenger Taylor Starling in the BKFC Sturgis co-main event.
Cannon more than held her own with Starling and some viewers felt she deserved the decision victory. The judges favoured Starling by scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
She gets another chance to knock off a ranked opponent. Rodriguez is the fourth-ranked womens flyweight contender.
