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Thiago Alves is set to take on fellow UFC veteran Phil Baroni on September 19 at BKFC 13.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves finally has an opponent for his Bare Knukcle Fighting Championship debut, and it is none other than the ‘New York Badass’ himself Phil Baroni. The pair is now scheduled to meet on September 19, at BKFC 13.
On his Twitter, MMA commentator Brad Wharton shared a screenshot of the company’s schedule, which shows two more upcoming cards for the next months and BKFC 13’s co-main event, which will feature two other Octagon veterans: Hector Lombard and Kendall Grove.
Jesus Christ. Thiago Alves vs Phil Baroni and Hector Lombard vs Kendal Grove on September 19th at BKFC. pic.twitter.com/Ll3XX86U49
— (@MMABrad48) July 25, 2020
Alves (23-15) left the UFC with a 15-12 record, on a two-fight losing skid with losses to Tim Means and Laureano Staropoli. The 36-year-old’s last win came in February 2019, when he edged out Max Griffin via split decision.
Baroni (16-19) has previously competed in bare knuckle boxing, with a November 2018 TKO loss to Chris Leben at World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation. In MMA, the 44-year-old was tapped out by Sai Wang, in September 2019. Before that, the New York Badass scored a May 2018 TKO win over Matt Lagler.
Former Bellator middleweight champion Lombard (34-10-1-2 NC) will look for his second bare knuckle boxing win following a February unanimous decision victory over David Mundell. The 42-year-old left his MMA career on a six-fight losing streak, with defeats to Thales Leites, Johny Hendricks and Dan Henderson, among others. The Cuban’s last victory happened in March 2014, when he bested Jake Shields via unanimous decision.
The Ultimate Fighter 3 champion Grove (24-18-1 NC) has one win and one defeat under BKFC’s banner, with a knockout defeat to Marcel Stamps in October 2018 and a unanimous decision win against Bruce Abramski, in August of the same year. In mixed martial arts, ‘Da Spyder’ picked up a submission win in his last outing, tapping out Anthony Ruiz via guillotine choke back in August 2019.
Now, Grove is expected to take on Hector Lombard at BKFC 13, on September 19, at an undisclosed location.