Check out the results and highlights for BKFC 39, where Reggie Barnett Jr. defeated Frank Alvarez to retain his bantamweight title.
BKFC 39 just wrapped up from the gorgeous Norfolk, Virginia with two titles on the line in the main and co-main events. The top of the billing saw Virginia’s own Reggie Barnett Jr. stop Frank Alvarez before the fourth round to retain his 135-pound Title. Barnett had to overcome a couple of takedowns, but illegal grappling aside, Barnett was on fire!
In the BKFC 39 co-main event, Britain Hart won a pedestrian decision over Jenny Clausius to retain her 115-pound title. That fight was an dud, but there were plenty of shining moments on the undercard, including Will Worley making quick work of Dimitri Angelini in what was a downright flawless performance. Before that, we enjoyed a brilliant comeback knockout from Kyle Wright, who hurt Pat Casey so badly that he attempted a takedown, AND THEN THREW A SPINNING BACK KICK!
Main card:
Reginald Barnett Jr. def. Frank Alvarez by TKO at 2:00 of round 3: 135-pound Title
About 30-seconds into this one, Alvarez slammed Barnett on the canvas. After being down for a bit, Barnett stood back to his feet to the crowd’s delight. Alvarez was deducted two-points for the infraction, and the fight resumed. Barnett was sneaking in clean hooks on the inside in what turned out to be a massive round for the champ.
The second stanza opened up with Barnett showcasing some fast hands. He was getting Alvarez to open up, and would then counter him with crisp hands. The first knockdown occurred in this round, when Barnett unloaded a slick flurry off a clinch break. Alvarez answered the bell, but Barnett was putting it on him.
Alvarez was having trouble getting into range in the htird. Barnett may have been the shorter man out there, but he was doing a superb job of intercepting Alvarez with stinging punches. Then, Alvarez hit another takedown, causing another pause to the action. This break was much shorter, though, and also no point was deducted. Alvarez failed to answer the bell for the fourth round due to the advice of the doctor.
Britain Hart def. Jenny Clausius by unanimous decision (50-44 x2, 49-45): 115-pound title
We got a little bit of feeling out to start this one. Hart was the one moving forward, but we were getting a lot of feints from both sides. The round did end with a flurry, but few punches were actually landed. We got a ton of feeling out and measuring going on the second round. Maybe two or three punches landed the whole round.
We finally got a big moment in the third round, when Hart put together a combo that dropped Clausius. Jenny answered the count, but she was bleeding pretty good from her nose. The fourth frame slipped back into a feint fest, with things picking up a tiny bit in the fifth. We got a couple more exchanges, and some clinch fighting, but all in all the crowd was none too pleased with the lack of action.
Will Worley def. Dimitri Angelini by KO at 1:10 of round 1: 160-pounds
Worley was finding a home for his left hook from the get go. He was walking down Angelini, and the second Dimitri started to open up, Will pounced on him. The counters from Worley were so fast and crisp, that Angelini was getting dinked while failing to score with his own offense. Then came the haymaker that sent Angelini flying across the ring, and ultimately to the ground. Angelini was pretty badly hurt, and was unable to answer the count. What a showcase from Will Worley!
Ka’Sim Ruffin def. Trai Santos by KO at 1:47 of round 4: 145-pounds
The fighters tied up right away to get this one going, sharing short punches on the inside. Ruffin was pushing the pace, backing up Santos and opening up a cut around his left eye.
Santos started to land with his left hand early in the second round. His jab was being effective at slowing down the forward progress of Ruffin, but we still got plenty of tie ups. The clinch work continued into the third round, as both men seemed to want to be there. We got an accidental low blow to Santos that briefly paused the action, but upon the restart Trai connected with a three-piece that was the most impactful moment of the round.
Ruffin came out hot in the fourth frame, chasing after Santos with fists of Fury. An overwhelmed Santos elected to take a knee to get a much needed breath of air. Santos rose to his feet, but Ruffin smelled blood in the water. Ruffin attacked with some mean uppercuts, causing Santos to shell up and ultimately take a knee. The ref initiated the count, but Santos did not stand up in time.
Jay Jackson def. David Simpson by TKO at 1:32 of round 2: 185-pounds
Round uno was pretty competitive. It was Simpson who stung Jackson first, but shortly after that Jay realized a knockdown. The second round was scrappy, too. Both men were holding their own, but then a glancing hook opened up a cut around Simpson’s eye. The doctor was brought in to check on it, and that was the end of the match.
Stanislav Grosu def. Quartus Stitt by KO at 1:59 of round 2: 175-pounds
Stitt scored an early knockdown in the opening round, but he didn’t take much time for Grosu to answer the count. From there, it was actually Grosu who was pushing the pace and being the aggressor.
Grosu continued to press forward in the second round. The referee ended up warning him for punching to the back of the head while in the clinch, and then a low blow to Stitt caused a brief timeout. The fight resumed and Grosu staggered his opponent with a flurry, and then followed with another barrage to score the knockdown. Just as it looked like the round was going to end, Grosu put together another combination to earn another knockdown. This time, Stitt did not make the count.
Kyle Wright def. Pat Casey by KO in round 3: 185-pounds
Wright opened the bout with a jab to the body, but Casey was the first to draw blood. Casey knocked out the mouthpiece of Kyle, and it wasn’t until a slip that the referee was able to put it back in. In the closing moments of the round, Casey blitzed his opponent and scored a knockdown, with Wright answering the count.
The second round saw Wright press the action, but a hook from Casey dropped him. Kyle quickly answered the count, and went right back to pressing forward. Casey was somewhat stationary, and seemed content to launch counters.
Wright showed up in the third act and delivered a monstrous right hand that sat down Casey. The ref started the count, and the fight continued, but Casey didn’t seem to sure about fighting. Nonetheless, Wright went back to work and stung Pat yet again. Instincts kicked in and Casey delivered a SPINNING BACK KICK to the body. That’s when the referee stepped in and the fight was stopped. What a sight!
Prelims:
- Zachary Calmus def. Mikey Furnier by KO in round 2: 265-pounds
- Anthony Foye def. Cody Jenkins by unanimous decision: 145-pounds
- Brian Maxwell def. Dan Bunyan by TKO in round 1: 185-pounds