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Check out the live results and highlights for BKFC Knucklemania 3, featuring UFC veterans Diego Sanchez, Greg Hardy and Jon Dodson. 

Stay up to date with what’s happening tonight’s BKFC Knucklemania 3 event, which is going down from the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The top of the billing will see a middleweight title fight between the champion, Lorenzo Hunt, and his challenger, Mike Richman. For the co-main event, we will see the BKFC debut of Albuquerque’s own Diego Sanchez, who will be taking on an actual professional boxer, Austin Trout. There are a couple of other UFC veterans on the docket as well, including John Dodson, who meets Jarod Grant, and Greg Hardy, who faces Josh Watson.

The main card is scheduled to begin at 9:00pm ET, and can be seen on FITE.tv. Typically the PPV cost is $29.99, but FITE is offering up Knucklemania 3 for a third of the price at $9.99. The preliminary bouts begin at 8:00pm ET and can be streamed on BKFC’s YouTube channel, and/or on the BKFC app.

Main card (9 p.m. ET on FITE.tv):

Lorenzo Hunt def. Mike Richman by KO at 1:50 of round 1

Austin Trout def. Diego Sanchez by TKO at 1:44 of round 4

Sanchez clipped Trout early to surprise him, but Austin regained his composure and started to swing back. Trout took the center and began jousting back the head of Sanchez with his jab. Sanchez found his moments when he was flurry in with a frenzied punches, but he wasn’t able to sustain those sort of bursts for very long.

Sanchez had a strong start to the second act. He was able to get Trout against the ropes, and was able to open up on him. Trout showcased some stellar head movement, bobbing and weaving to make Sanchez miss. In open space, Trout continued to pepper Diego with the jab, causing a couple of cuts on his face.

Trout returned to his jab in the third, keeping Sanchez at range. Diego was no longer exploding into the pocket like he was in the previous rounds, and that was playing right into Trout’s game. Trout also started to work the body, which was further fatiguing Sanchez.

The first knockdown of the fight came in the fourth when Trout caught Sanchez was a brilliant counter left. Sanchez made the count, and after the ref checked on one of his cuts, the fight continued. Trout went right back to work, and at this point the face of Diego was completely covered in blood. The doctor took a quick look at Sanchez and recommended that the fight be stopped.

John Dodson def. Jarod Grant by KO at 1:41 of round 1

Dodson showed his hand speed right away, and then quickly began using his footwork. In a blitz, Dodson connected with a clean uppercut to the nose that sent Grant falling to the floor. The 10-count was engaged, and Grant stood up, but then decided to take a knee. That’s where the fight was stopped.

Josh Watson def. Greg Hardy by KO at :19 of round 2

Watson blitzed right away, but Hardy took it and started to pump his jab. Hardy actually started to command the cage, keeping Watson on the outside. Watson was wearing it, but he wasn’t out. Just before the bell, he leaped in with a massive hook that would have dropped Hardy, had the ropes not held him up. By rule, it was ruled a knockdown, but Hardy made the count.

A doctor was brought in to check on a deep gash above the left eye of Watson, but was deemed fit to continue. The round started and Watson connected with an angry hook that dropped Hardy for good. Hardy tried to stand up in time, but he missed the count and was obviously still in bad shape. What an upset!

Jayme Hinshaw def. Charisa Sigala by KO at :38 of round 1

The fighters met in the middle and started trading right away. Hinshaw then connected with a haymaker that wobbled Sigala, and then pounced. She landed a wicked overhand right that sent Sigala crashing to the canvas. In a gruesome sight, Sigala twisted her leg n the way down in a way that looked like she broke it. The referee started his count, but after Sigala pointed to her mangled lower leg, the official quickly waved off the bout. EEK!

Will Santiago def. Noah Cutter by TKO at 2:00 of round 1

Santiago came out aggressive, with Cutter trying to counter and weather the storm. Being the shorter man, Santiago was having to explode in with strikes, and then use big explosive movements to get out of the way of Cutter’s counters. Just before the end of the round, a big cut opened up around the left eye of Cutter. The doctor was brought in before the start of the second round to check on the cut. The doctor deemed Cutter unfit to continue, so the match was stopped. **Edit: It was a cut to the lip that prompted the doctor to call the fight.

Gaston Reyno def. Dan Van Sickle by TKO at 1:26 of round 1

Reyno found his groove early in this one. Van Sickle would try to crash the pocket, but Reyno was clipping him on his way in. Then Reyno unleashed a looping right hand that dropped Van Sickle. Although Van Sickle quickly stood up and seemed to be fit to continue, the doctor was brought in. There was a cut around the right eye of Van Sickle, and that is what gave the doctor his reason to call off the fight.

Joshua Moreno def. Christian Torres by TKO at 1:02 of round 2

Moreno was pressuring right away, staying behind his jab and keeping Torres on the outside. Whenever Moreno would get too close, the fighters would clinch up until the ref stepped in. The round ended with a huge uppercut from Moreno that split open Torres.

At just 41-seconds into the second round, the ref paused the action so that the doctor could check on the cut between the eyes of Torres. The fight continued, and Moreno connected with another blistering uppercut that dropped Torres. Credit to Torres for getting up, but the referee wisely stopped the bout.

Kevin Croom def. Chevvy Bridges by KO at 1:11 of round 1

Croom closed the distance right away, working his dirty boxing. After a separation, Bridges tried to counter, but the advancing Croom kept crashing into the pocket. Then KABOOM! Croom uncorked a viscous right cross to left hook that put Bridges down. And that was that!

Prelims (8 p.m. ET on YouTube/BKFC App):

Eric Dodson def. Gene Perez by KO at 1:32 of round 1

Nick Gonzalez def. Lardy Navarro by KO at :41 of round 1

Derek Perez def. Anthony Sanchez by unanimous decision (49-45 x2, 50-44)

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About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)

Watch UFC vets Diego Sanchez, Greg Hardy and Jon Dodson compete at BKFC.

BKFC’s Knucklemania 3 is on tap for Friday night with a BKFC light heavyweight title unification bout and a slew of recognizable faces from UFC rosters of old. Most notable among those is original The Ultimate Fighter winner Diego Sanchez.

Sanchez will be making his bare knuckle boxing debut when he takes on former WBA (regular) light middleweight champion Austin Trout. There’s also Greg Hardy making his bare knuckle debut opposite 1-1 BKFC fighter Josh Watson.

You can watch the main card of BKFC Knucklemania 3 right here, via FITE.tv. The event is on sale for $9.99 (down from the usual price of $29.99).

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Full fight card

Main card (9 p.m. ET on FITE.tv)

• Lorenzo Hunt vs. Mike Richman
• Diego Sanchez vs. Austin Trout
• Will Santiago vs. Noah Cutter
• Jayme Hinshaw vs. Charisa Sigala
• Joshua Moreno vs. Christian Torres
• Chevvy Bridges vs. Kevin Croom
• John Dodson vs. Jarod Grant
• Greg Hardy vs. Josh Watson
• Gaston Reyno vs. D. Van Sickle

Prelims (8 p.m. ET on YouTube/BKFC App)

• Eric Dodson vs. Gene Perez
• Anthony Sanchez vs. Derek Perez

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Ciryl Gane is one of the most naturally talented men in MMA.

Gane spent a few years competing in Muay Thai prior to his MMA career, but he didn’t really have an extensive combat sports background. Nevertheless, he was able to pick up on wrestling and grappling incredibly quickly, joining the UFC roster after just three fights on the regional scene. Just another two years later, Gane was lifting the interim UFC Heavyweight title over his head.

His journey from professional debut to UFC title only took three years! That’s astounding, even at Heavyweight. Though he did come up short to another generational talent in Francis Ngannou, he’s since rebounded and put himself back in position to fight for the title against all-time great Jon Jones at UFC 285.

As it turns out, Gane may be even more talented than previously understood. While speaking with La Sueur, Gane recently revealed that he only trains in the lead up to fights, which is pretty wild considering how rapidly he still seems to be improving.

“I love grappling,” Gane said in French (via MMA Junkie). “But unfortunately, I’m lazy, that’s the truth. I only train when a fight is announced. I have a lot of media obligations. Professional opportunities outside of the sport. You can’t say no to all these things. I also have to give time to my family, rest well.”

“If I look back at my career, this a regret: I only train when a fight is announced,” Gane said. “I had my fight against Tuivasa (in September), barely trained since then, and now I’m back it since the Jones fight has been announced.”

Oddly enough, Gane’s opponent may be able to relate. Jones had admitted several times to neglecting training at the height of his powers, notably bragging that he beat up Daniel Cormier “after a weekend of cocaine.” Still, the results of either man cannot be questioned, as both have proven themselves more than capable of putting on championship-level performances across five rounds.

Insomnia

Will Kevin Lee allow Al Iaquinta to save his career? It’s basically time for a Rocky 3 moment!

Wow, I just learned that Jake Paul would absolutely embarrass Andrew Tate in a boxing match. This is damn near Stephen A. Smith calibre mitt work …

Is this side-by-side of Jones as favorable as the original tweet implies? I don’t see it.

Legless Liam Harrison sounds like a perfect opponent for Floyd Mayweather’s retirement tour.

Let’s check in on Diego Sanchez ahead of his boxing match tomorrow, I’m sure he’s training really hard! Oh wait, he’s in full Satanic Panic mode …

Shavkat Rakhmonov is an absolutely massive Welterweight, look at him dwarfing Lee and Li Jingliang!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

With as much respect as I can muster: that was an awful spinning back kick.

Getting soccer kicked by CRO COP of all people seems like a really bad time.

There’s some real skill in the amateur MMA scene.

Random Land

A drunken blast from the past.

Midnight Music: Rock, 1977

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

Beneil Dariush isn’t up in arms about Islam Makhachev and Intravenous therapy (I.V.) gate.

Dan Hooker’s post-UFC 284 claims of Lightweight champion, Makhachev, cheating with an I.V. after weigh-ins to rehydrate has snowballed into arguably the biggest story to come out of this past weekend’s (Feb. 11, 2023) champion versus champion duel. Speculation has run rampant on what exactly qualifies and doesn’t qualify under the legal usage of an I.V. when it comes to United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as well as the Australia athletic commission.

Whether there was or wasn’t foul play from team Makhachev, possible future title challenger, Dariush, isn’t bothered by any forbidden tactics.

“I could care less,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “He could take whatever he wants, it ain’t gonna make a difference. I don’t even think they test them in Dagestan. I’m pretty sure it’s very difficult to get into Dagestan. Bro, I don’t care. Take whatever you want, do whatever you want, just show up fight day and let’s see how this fight goes.”

While Dariush, 33, is currently in the middle of sorting out a bout with the former champion, Charles Oliveira, for May 2023, he hopes it doesn’t come together so he can fight for the title sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for “Benny,” the close nature of Makhachev’s unanimous decision victory (watch highlights) over Featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski, may snub him regardless.

“I think if the fight happens again, I would need some time to think about it,” Dariush said. “You could go either way again, Let’s just pick Volk this time just to be different.

“I hope that doesn’t happen, man,” he concluded. “I’m gonna fight for this title when I’m 40 at this rate.”

Dariush last fought, scoring an impressive unanimous decision win against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 in Oct. 2022.

Former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade shares some news on her financial situation following hard times.

Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade feels hopeful about 2023. Having gone through a difficult year in 2022, where she had to deal with a divorce and a financial crisis, the Brazilian now feels optimistic and ready to turn her life around.

The reason behind her happiness is mostly due to a newly-signed UFC contract, which Andrade claims to be three times better than the one she had before. In a conversation on MMA Fighting’s podcast Trocacao Franca, ‘Bate Estaca’ says the new deal is going to change her life.

“It was something really good, a great change in my career,” Andrade said adding that her new deal pays “almost three times more” than her old one. “Now I’ll really be able to make my nest egg and plan my life. Maybe my body won’t be the same in five or six years, so now I’ll be able to change my life and my family’s lives,”

“My last contract had 10 fights, but Ali (Abdelaziz) said that was crazy, that it wasn’t a good idea to have a contract with so many fights,” she said. “He said, ‘Let’s do the next contract with less fights, but with you getting paid more.’”

However, the new contract is not the only reason why Andrade feels positive about her future. In an interview with Ag Fight, Jessica also revealed that the UFC paid her in advance to help Jessica resolve a difficult financial situation that grew from her divorce and the mishandling of her money by her ex-wife.

“After we split up, there was the whole divorce thing. You have to lawyer up and then the money just vanishes. Before I realized it, I had no money. That’s why I say I work for the biggest promotion in the world, though. When I needed them the most, they were there for me. Life is all about overcoming hardships and learning,”

“I learned a lot this past year,” Jessica said. “From now on, I’ll have special people taking care of everything for me. Always by my side, you can’t go wrong with it. From now on, we’re going to the top. It’s going to be the opposite, we’ll be the ones lending money to the UFC. This is a very promising year.”

In her last outing, Andrade (24-9) put herself on a three-fight winning streak when she defeated Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision. Before that, the 31-year-old scored wins over Amanda Lemos and Cynthia Calvillo. The Brazilian’s last loss took place in April 2021, when she got TKO’d by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

The 31-year-old is currently looking at a quick turnaround after accepting a short notice officer to take on Erin Blanchfield at UFC Vegas 69’s main event this coming Saturday. The card is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 18.