Story & Photos By David Algranati
Jamel Herring Wins Split Decision Over John Dodson in BKFC 95 Main Event
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship returned to Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center for BKFC 95, presenting a ten-bout card headlined by an undefeated-versus-undefeated championship matchup between BKFC Flyweight Champion John “The Magician” Dodson and BKFC Bantamweight World Champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring.
Herring successfully defended his bantamweight title, earning a split-decision victory over Dodson in a competitive main event. The judges scored the five-round contest 49-46 for Herring, 49-46 for Dodson, and 48-47 for Herring.
Dodson moved up in weight to challenge for Herring’s title, using his shorter stature to work his way inside and outwork the champion in the clinch. Herring found success at range in the second round, utilizing his reach advantage. Both fighters had their moments throughout the contest, which ended without a knockdown.
With the victory, Herring remained undefeated in bare-knuckle competition, improving his record to 3-0. Dodson’s record moved to 4-1-1 (3).
Rivera Stops Meyer in the Co-Main Event
Ramsey, New Jersey’s Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera returned to the Prudential Center, where he had scored a bare-knuckle knockout last October, to face Brandon “Beast Mode” Meyer in the five-round super lightweight co-main event.
Rivera controlled the action through the first three rounds before landing a decisive left hook in the fourth. The punch knocked Meyer unconscious and sent him face-first to the canvas, prompting an immediate stoppage.
Rivera earned the TKO victory at 0:46 of the fourth round, improving his record to 4-2-1 (2). Meyer fell to 3-5 (2).
Soto Ends Losing Streak With Knockout of Pike
Tony “Loco” Soto, the most experienced bare-knuckle fighter on the card with ten previous bouts, faced Anthony “The Pistol” Pike in a five-round lightweight contest.
Pike had the edge during an opening round in which both fighters found success. In the second, however, Soto connected with a left hook as Pike threw one of his own, dropping Pike hard to the canvas. The referee immediately stopped the contest.
Soto earned the TKO at 0:40 of the second round, snapping a four-bout losing streak and improving his record to 7-4 (4). Pike dropped to 1-2 (1).
Curatolo Makes Successful Bare-Knuckle Debut
Santo Curatolo made his bare-knuckle debut against Anthony “The Devil’s Advocate” Yost in a five-round flyweight bout.
Curatolo scored a knockdown with a right hand late in the first round, but Yost beat the count and finished the round. Curatolo continued to find success with the right in the second, eventually dropping Yost for a second time.
Yost could not beat referee David Fields’ count, giving Curatolo the knockout victory at 0:37 of the second round. Curatolo began his bare-knuckle career at 1-0 (1), while Yost fell to 2-3.
Blair Scores First-Round Knockout
Dalvin “HippieDisciple” Blair faced Parris Boyd in a lightweight bout on the main card.
Blair took control as the aggressor, and a body shot just over a minute into the opening round sent Boyd to the canvas. Boyd was unable to beat the ten count as the referee waved off the contest.
Blair earned the knockout at 1:22 of the first round, improving to 3-1 (4). Boyd’s record moved to 1-1 (1).
Getahoun and Bailey Battle to a Draw
Noah Getahoun and Dustin Ray Bailey, both making their bare-knuckle boxing debuts after competing in the cage, met in a three-round middleweight bout.
Bailey outworked Getahoun in the first two rounds, but Getahoun changed the complexion of the fight in the third with a straight right hand that sent Bailey to the canvas. Bailey beat the count, and Getahoun controlled the remainder of the round.
The bout went to the scorecards, with all three judges scoring it 28-28 for a unanimous draw. Both fighters left their debuts with records of 0-0-1.
Cameron Knocks Out Caracappa in First Round
The main card opened with a three-round bantamweight matchup between Phil Caracappa and Cole Cameron.
Caracappa entered his third bare-knuckle contest, while Cameron made his bare-knuckle debut after making his boxing debut in August.
Cameron dropped Caracappa with a right hand during the opening minute. Caracappa beat the count and continued, but another right hand later in the round sent him down hard. This time, Caracappa could not beat the count.
Cameron secured the knockout at 1:44 of the first round, moving to 1-0 (1). Caracappa fell to 1-2.
Medrano Takes Split Decision Over Emerson
Mike Medrano and Rob “The Saint” Emerson made their bare-knuckle debuts against one another in a three-round welterweight bout featured on BKFC’s free YouTube stream.
Medrano started strongly, moving forward and outworking the taller Emerson in the opening round. Emerson increased his activity in the second, and both fighters had their moments in the third.
With no knockdowns, the contest went to the judges. One official scored it 30-27 for Emerson, while the other two scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Medrano, giving Medrano the split-decision victory.
Medrano improved to 1-0, while Emerson fell to 0-1.
Pitt Wins Debut With First-Round Stoppage
Dylan Pitt made his bare-knuckle debut against undefeated Nick “One Shot” Saragosa in a three-round lightweight contest on the free stream.
Pitt scored two knockdowns in the opening round. Following the second, the ringside doctor advised the referee to stop the fight.
Pitt earned the TKO victory at 0:52 of the first round, beginning his bare-knuckle career at 1-0 (1). Saragosa suffered the first loss of his career, dropping to 1-1 (1).
Evans Scores Three Knockdowns in Victory Over Roman
BKFC 95 opened with a three-round flyweight bout between Gabrielle Roman and “Bareknuckle” Brooke Evans.
Evans took the initiative early, pressing forward and throwing more punches despite suffering a cut over her right eye in the first round. She also scored a knockdown after unleashing a flurry of punches with Roman backed against the ropes.
Evans continued her pressure in the second round, scoring three knockdowns. Following the third, the referee stopped the contest.
Evans earned the TKO at 1:59 of the second round, securing the first stoppage victory of her career and improving to 2-0 (1). Roman’s record moved to 2-4-1 (1).
BKFC 95 delivered a mix of early knockouts, technical stoppages, close decisions and a draw across its ten bouts at the Prudential Center. The evening concluded with Herring retaining his bantamweight title by split decision against Dodson, preserving his unbeaten record in bare-knuckle competition.
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