BKFC flyweight champion Christine Ferea will no longer compete at the upcoming BKFC KnuckleMania 3 card on Feb. 17, but she already has her next assignment booked.
After losing her original opponent Usanakorn Thawilsuhannawang at the last minute, Ferea will now face ex-bare knuckle champion Bec Rawlings at an upcoming BKFC card scheduled in April. The exact date and location for the card will be announced in the coming days.
BKFC officials confirmed the change to MMA Fighting on Saturday.
Ferea has been a wrecking machine over her past few fights en route to becoming BKFC champion. She’s earned victories over Calista Silgado, Calie Cutler and Britain Hart-Beltran before laying waste to Taylor Starling in her last appearance this past August.
As for Rawlings, she’ll be making her second appearance since re-signing with BKFC following a brief stint in Bellator MMA. In her return, Rawlings lost a close decision to Hart-Beltran, which served as her first defeat in bare-knuckle competition after previously going 3-0 with the promotion.
Rawlings previously held the Police Gazette and World Boxing Foundation Latin America titles in BKFC prior to the organization introducing its own championships.
Ferea vs. Rawlings will likely serve as the main event for an upcoming card in April, although full details for the card are still to be determined.