Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) made a memorable debut in Hawaii on Saturday night at a sold-out Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The event, BKFC Fight Night Honolulu, showcased an exciting lineup of bare-knuckle boxing bouts.
In the main event, former BKFC Middleweight World Title challenger Doug Coltrane emerged victorious, defeating Maki “Coconut Bombz” Pitolo in Pitolo’s highly anticipated BKFC debut. The fight concluded with just one second remaining in the first round, as Coltrane secured a knockout win over the UFC veteran. This victory brings Coltrane’s professional record to 4-2.
Following his win, Coltrane issued a challenge to Marcus “Bad Intentions” Edwards, calling him out for his perceived evasiveness. “I said yes to a Top 5 guy but he didn’t show up. Talking all that trash on the internet. Marcus Edwards, where you at, baby?!” Coltrane exclaimed.
The co-main event saw Joseph “The Dark Knight” Creer of Columbus, GA, achieve his third consecutive stoppage victory. He defeated Keali’i “The Saint” Kanekoa in a light-heavyweight contest. The ringside doctor stopped the fight at the end of the third round. Creer’s BKFC record now stands at 6-3, while Kanekoa, from Pahoa, HI, was making his first appearance in the Squared Circle.
In another featured bout, Hilo, HI’s Toby “2 Quick” Misech battled back from two first-round knockdowns to defeat “Felony” Charles Bennett by unanimous decision in a featherweight clash. Misech, making his BKFC debut, managed to score two knockdowns of his own, impressing the judges who scored the fight 47-44 across the board. Bennett, representing Las Vegas, now holds a 1-4 record.
Justin Cornell of Jackson, CA, made a strong impression in his BKFC debut by stopping Zach Zane in the second round of their welterweight bout at 1:01 of the second frame. Zane, from Maui, HI, now has an 0-2 record.
Chris Inocencio, originally from the Philippines and now based in San Andreas, CA, needed only 75 seconds to secure a dominant victory in his BKFC debut against Jovan Alayon in a lightweight fight. Alayon, from Aiea, HI, was also making his first appearance in BKFC.
The light-heavyweight division saw Molokai, HI’s Namakana Pakala narrowly defeat Chris Cisneros in a closely contested bout. All three judges scored the fight 45-44 in favor of Pakala. The fight featured a total of six knockdowns, with Pakala scoring four and Cisneros two. Both fighters were debuting under the BKFC banner.
Randy Kamaiopili Jr. from Kailua, HI, delivered a commanding performance in his BKFC premiere, knocking down Shiro Hitto six times en route to a second-round TKO victory in their middleweight bout. The stoppage occurred just 27 seconds into the second round. Hitto, from Palolo, HI, was also making his BKFC debut.
Hazel Naheinaena emerged victorious in a battle between two Waianae, HI fighters, defeating Kat Rabellizsa. Two judges scored the fight 29-28, and a third scored it 30-27, all in favor of Naheinaena.
Maika Samson of Kapolei, HI, stopped Nalu Cenal in the second round of their bantamweight matchup. Samson achieved the knockout finish 32 seconds into the second round after scoring two knockdowns. Cenal represents Hilo, HI.
In a lightweight contest, Nick Saragosa of Kaneohe, HI, recovered from a knockdown to secure a second-round knockout victory over Kaylan Gorospe. The stoppage came at 1:30 of the second stanza. Gorospe is from Wailu, HI.
Joseph Calarruda from Waiahae, HI, earned a unanimous decision victory over Fatu Tuitasi in a welterweight bout. Calarruda dropped Tuitasi twice on his way to a decisive 30-25 verdict from all three judges. Tuitasi, from Kapaa, HI, was making his BKFC debut.
Jerome Macalino of Ewa Beach, HI, staged a comeback in his welterweight debut, knocking out Pono Enos in the first round at 1:54. Enos hails from Puna, HI. Both Macalino and Enos were making their BKFC debuts.
The inaugural BKFC fight in Hawaii saw cruiserweight Vince Aragona of Ewa Beach, HI, make a dominant statement. He needed only 36 seconds to defeat Simeon Crawford, scoring two knockdowns. Crawford, representing Lakeside, HI, was also debuting in BKFC. Aragona is an active member of the United States Armed Forces.
BKFC Honolulu Results:
Doug Coltrane def. Maki Pitolo via KO in Round 1 (1:59)
Joseph Creer def. Keali’i Kanekoa via TKO in Round 3 (2:00)
Toby Misech def. Felony Charles Bennett via Unanimous Decision (47-44×3)
Justin Cornell def. Zach Zane via TKO in Round 2 (1:01)
Chris Inocencio def. Jovan Alayon via TKO in Round 1 (1:15)
Namakana Pakala def. Chris Cisneros via Unanimous Decision (45-44×3)
Randy Kamaiopili Jr. def. Shiro Hitto via TKO in Round 2 (0:27)
Hazel Naheinaena def. Kat Rabellizsa via Unanimous Decision (29-28×2, 30-27)
Maika Samson def. Nalu Cenal via KO in Round 2 (0:32)
Nick Saragosa def. Kaylan Gorospe via KO in Round 2 (1:30)
Joseph Calarruda def. Fatu Tuitasi via Unanimous Decision (30-25×3)
Jerome Macalino def. Pono Enos via KO in Round 1 (1:54)
Vince Aragona def. Simeon Crawford via KO in Round 1 (0:36)
