In a historic night at the sold-out Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL, on March 20, 2026, “King” Kai Stewart successfully defended his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Featherweight Title for an unprecedented sixth time, matching a promotional record. Stewart, hailing from Great Falls, MT, secured his title defense in the BKFC 87 Main Event with a hard-fought unanimous decision against the previously undefeated #3 ranked contender, Nico “The Iron” Gaffie. Judges scored the intense bout 49-46 (twice) and 48-47, all favoring the reigning champion.
Following his victory, a triumphant Stewart declared, “I am the King of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. I’m the best bare knuckle fighter in the world. I’m going to continue to get better, I’m going to continue to grow, and I’m going to continue repping the most exciting sport in the world as the King!” This win improves Stewart’s perfect record in the Squared Circle to 9-0, while Gaffie, the former BKFC European Featherweight Champion from Marbella, Spain, now stands at 3-1.
Stewart now shares the distinction of six BKFC World Title defenses with only two other esteemed fighters: Christine “Misfit” Ferea and Luis “Baboon” Palomino. BKFC 87 was broadcast live globally via The BKFC App and marked the promotion’s fifteenth consecutive sold-out event at the iconic Hard Rock Live.
In the Co-Main Event, the undefeated Cuban heavyweight phenom Leonardo “El Zambo” Perdomo extended his dominant run, improving his record to 11-0 with his tenth first-round stoppage. His latest victim was UFC veteran Rashad “Daywalker” Coulter, whom the Miami fighter dispatched in a mere 67 seconds. Coulter’s bare-knuckle record now moves to 2-2.
As the #1 ranked contender in the BKFC heavyweight division, Perdomo wasted no time challenging current BKFC World Heavyweight Champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski, confronting him in the center of the ring: “Arlovski, where are you? Come at me, boy! Don’t be scared. Come on, papi. (The belt) is mine. It’s mine, and everybody knows it!”
The Featured Fight saw another swift victory as Cuban-born Miami fighter Bryan “El Gallo” Duran decimated Derek “Rage” Perez in just 19 seconds. Duran, a former BKFC World Featherweight Title challenger and the #5 ranked contender, now holds an 8-1-1 record. Perez, from Belem, NM, falls to 4-5. Post-fight, Duran reaffirmed his championship ambitions: “I apologize for letting you guys down (in my first BKFC title fight against Stewart). But I promise you that when I fight for the belt again, I’m bringing it home to Miami!”
Post-Event Highlights and Undercard Action
BKFC Founder/President David Feldman shared his thoughts at the post-event press conference, highlighting key performances and the overall success of BKFC 87.
Event Awards:
- Fight of the Night: Kai Stewart vs. Nico Gaffie
- Knockout of the Night: Bryan Duran
- Performance of the Night: Jancarlos Rivera
Feldman commented on the event: “We asked the guys to come fight, and they came to fight tonight. This was the liveliest crowd we’ve had in a long time. The energy out there was amazing. It was a great night; I’m very, very happy with the event.”
Regarding Kai Stewart’s future, Feldman stated, “We have to think about what’s next. What do the fans want? I’m always with what the fans want. It’s not always about the rankings. If the fans don’t want it and don’t enjoy it … I’ve got to give the fans what they want.”
On Perdomo’s dominant showing, Feldman observed: “He came in in great shape and got the first-round knockout. I think this was the most devastating he’s looked. His punches were shorter and he came out and scored a really, really great knockout against a tough veteran.”
In a significant upset, Anderson, IN’s strawweight Shelby “Boom Boom” Cannon secured the biggest victory of her career by handing the previously unbeaten Rosalinda “Venom” Rodriguez her first loss via split decision. Two judges scored the fight 48-46 and 49-45 for Cannon, with one judge scoring it 49-46 for Rodriguez. Cannon’s record now stands at 2-1, while Fort Lauderdale’s Rodriguez, formerly the #4 ranked contender in the BKFC women’s flyweight division, moves to 3-1.
Miami’s Leo “Lionheart” Carrera claimed a victory in his light-heavyweight clash against UFC veteran Sabah “Sleek Sheik” Homasi, who was disqualified in the second round (1:06) for an illegal spinning back fist. Carrera’s record improves to 3-2, while Coconut Creek, FL’s Homasi now stands at 1-2.
In a highly anticipated cruiserweight rematch, Johannesburg, South Africa’s Jeremy “Pitbull” Smith secured a hard-fought split-decision win over former BKFC World Middleweight Title challenger Donald Sanchez. This victory advances Smith’s record to 4-3 and marks his second win over Sanchez. Albuquerque, NM’s Sanchez, now 4-3, announced his retirement immediately after the bout.
Charleston, SC’s Roberto “El Gallo Negro” Armas delivered a strong performance in his tenth BKFC appearance, stopping the undefeated AJ “The Biggest” Rodriguez in bantamweight action. Rodriguez’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the third round, giving Armas a TKO victory and improving his record to 5-5. The Venezuelan-born Miami fighter Rodriguez suffers his first defeat, moving to 3-1.
Fort Myers, FL’s undefeated bantamweight Jancarlos “Baby Hulk” Rivera blasted his way to a 3-0 record with a first-round stoppage of Samuel “Ace O’ Spades” Samples. Rivera impressively recovered from an early knockdown to secure the TKO with just one second remaining in the opening round, marking his second consecutive first-round finish. Samples, from Madison County, GA, now holds a 3-5 record.
Clewiston, FL’s Chris “Dynamite” Garcia advanced to 6-1 with a second-round stoppage victory over Chancey “Supaflyy” Wilson, marking his second consecutive finish. Garcia dropped Wilson twice before the referee intervened 19 seconds into the second round. Wilson, representing Wichita, KS, now has a BKFC record of 3-6.
In a heavyweight battle, Broward County, FL’s Chino Blume, cornered by BKFC Women’s World Strawweight Champion Britain Hart, secured a hard-fought split-decision victory over Alex “The Rhino” Davis. Two judges scored the bout 30-27 for Blume, while one judge saw it 30-27 for Davis. Blume now boasts a 2-2 record with consecutive wins, and Davis, from Coal Mountain, WV, drops to 1-3.
Cuban-born Miami fighter Ernesto “Las Manos Benditas” Suarez maintained his perfect 2-0 BKFC record with another dominant first-round finish in his bantamweight debut against “Slick” Vic Flor. Suarez knocked Flor down three times, prompting the stoppage with just four seconds remaining in the opening round. This marks Suarez’s second consecutive first-round victory, while Flor, from Broward County, FL, was making his BKFC debut.
BKFC 87 Official Fight Card Results
- Featherweight Title Bout: Kai Stewart (C) def. Nico Gaffie via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) – Stewart successfully defends BKFC World Featherweight Title.
- Heavyweight Bout: Leonardo Perdomo def. Rashad Coulter via TKO in Round 1 (1:07)
- Featherweight Bout: Bryan Duran def. Derek Perez via TKO in Round 1 (0:19)
- Strawweight Bout: Shelby Cannon def. Rosalinda “Venom” Rodriguez via Split Decision (48-46, 49-45, 46-49)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Leo Carrera def. Sabah Homasi via Disqualification in Round 2 (1:06)
- Cruiserweight Bout: Jeremy Smith def. Donald Sanchez via Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
- Bantamweight Bout: Roberto Armas def. AJ Rodriguez via TKO in Round 3 (2:00)
- Bantamweight Bout: Jancarlos Rivera def. Samuel Samples via TKO in Round 1 (1:59)
- Bantamweight Bout: Chris Garcia def. Chancey Wilson via TKO in Round 2 (0:19)
- Heavyweight Bout: Chino Blume def. Alex Davis via Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 27-30)
- Bantamweight Bout: Ernesto Suarez def. Vic Flor via TKO in Round 1 (1:56)
