Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship visits Italy this Saturday 25 October for the second time.
BKFC 83 takes place at the Palazzo Dello Sport in Rome. Fans can catch the action on the BKFC App, Fubo Sports, DAZN and Triller TV. The start time is 7pm UK time (2pm EST).
UFC Veterans Camozzi and Sakara Battle in BKFC 83 Main Event
BKFC Cruiserweight Champion Chris Camozzi makes his second title defence against fellow UFC vet Alessio Sakara in the main event.
Camozzi, an American of Italian descent, defeated Andrea Bicchi by unanimous decision at the BKFC event in Florence in April. He returns to his ancestors’ home to defend against another Italian warrior, “The Legionnaire”, Alessio Sakara.
A native Italian, Sakara will have home support when he challenges Camozzi. He’s taking a big step up in competition. Sakara has only fought once in BKFC-a stoppage win over veteran Erick Lozano in July.
Camozzi has a 4-1 bare knuckle record-with three wins by first-round stoppage. His only loss was by split decision to then-champion Lorenzo Hunt in 2023.
Camozzi won the vacant title after Hunt was suspended for a positive drug test, knocking out Sawyer Depee with a devastating punch to the nose.
It should be an exciting main event to cap off a stacked fight card.
Franco Tenaglia, Ben Bonner Collide in Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
The BKFC 83 co-main event is between the UK’s Ben Bonner and former champ Franco Tenaglia. The winner faces the winner of December’s other semifinal between Austin Trout and Luis Palomino for the BKFC lightweight belt.
Tenaglia held the title but was stripped after accepting an MMA fight “outside the organisation”. Tenaglia had defeated Soto for the then-vacant title in one of 2024’s best fights.
Bonner stepped in for Tenaglia to face Soto at BKFC Texas. He beat Soto by decision and earned a place in the lightweight tournament. It’s a shame Tenaglia lost the title outside the ring. The good news is he’s got a chance to reclaim the belt, but he’ll have to win two fights to do so.
Modern Bare Knuckle Legend Jimmy Sweeney Returns at BKFC 83
Modern bare knuckle era legend Jimmy Sweeney is back in action Saturday.
The Slago, Ireland native will look for his first BKFC win against former title challenger Carlos Trinidad.
Sweeney debuted in BKFC at April’s Florence event. He lost an extra-round decision to rival Rico Franco.
Now 40, Sweeney may be entering the sunset of his career. He’s fought everyone put in front of him. Taking on Trinidad is another feather in his cap-some fighters would be reluctant to face the talented Native American.
This is Trinidad’s first bout since an extra-round decision loss to Austin Trout. Trinidad knocked Trout down, and came ever so close to pulling the upset on the judges’ scorecards. It seemed to this layman observer that Trinidad could have prevailed if he moved his hands more. But critiques are always easier when you’re not the one getting punched in the face.
Trout vacated the belt and Julian Lane is the new BKFC welterweight king. Trinidad is the second-ranked contender.
A win over Sweeney not only adds a legend’s scalp to his CV, but could put him next in line for a title shot at Lane.
Dan Chapman, Karl Thompson in Action
Two UK standouts will see action Saturday night.
Unbeaten Dan “Indian Spice” Chapman and Karl Thompson appear in separate bouts.
Former BKB star Chapman makes his second BKFC appearance. He won his debut last year in Spain, stopping Mike Jurik in a one-sided contest.
He faces James “Get Down” Brown, a 4-1 American whose only defeat came to contender Howard Davis.
Thompson, the reigning BKFC UK Cruiserweight Champion, fights for the first time since a thrilling first-round stoppage over Rob Boardman. He faces the heavily tattooed Walter Pugliesi of Italy.
Francesco Ricchi Comeback Continues
Former middleweight champion Francesco Ricchi continues his comeback at BKFC 83.
Ricchi, born in Italy but residing in Florida, has won two straight bouts since back-to-back knockout losses to David Mundell and Erick Lozano. He’ll face 1-0 Czech fighter Jozef Hala.
There’s also a heavyweight bout between New Zealand’s Haze Hepi (1-0) and UK based Pole, Krzystof Wisniewski (2-0).
Five more bouts round out the card, including three prelims.
Visit BKFC.com for the full fight card. Don’t forget to tune in at 7pm UK time Saturday to catch the action!
