Four title fights will highlight BKFC 18 in June including the return of heavyweight champion Joey Beltran as well as several ex-UFC fighters in action including Thiago Alves, Hector Lombard and Joe Riggs.
The event will take place in Miami with a date and location for the card to be announced in the coming days.
At the top of the card, Beltran will defend his BKFC heavyweight title against Sam Shewmaker, who comes into the fight following a win over Bobo O’Bannon in his most recent appearance in the ring. Shewmaker is 4-1-1 overall in bare-knuckle competition and he’s been part of the promotion since it first launched in 2018.
As for Beltran, he’ll be looking to extend his four-fight unbeaten run, which includes wins over UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman and Marcel Stamps in his two most recent performances.
The BKFC middleweight title will also go up for grabs with UFC veterans Hector Lombard and Joe Riggs square off in June. Lombard is currently 2-0 under the BKFC banner including a knockout over former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove in his last fight.
Riggs is also undefeated in bare-knuckle competition with a 3-0-1 record including a win over UFC veteran Brok Weaver.
Former UFC title challenger Thiago Alves will look to build on his BKFC debut when he faces knockout sensation Uly Diaz for the welterweight championship. Alves was successful in a back-and-forth battle in his first appearance in BKFC but he’ll face a stiff test in June while facing off with Diaz, who is looking to capitalize on his viral three-second knockout from 2020.
Finally, BKFC 155-pound champion Luis Palomino will look for the first defense of his title when he faces off with British slugger Tyler Goodjohn. Palomino has been perfect in his bare-knuckle fighting career with a 3-0 record including a stunning knockout over UFC veteran Jim Alers in his last outing.
As for Goodjohn, he’ll look to build on his successful BKFC debut when he earned a unanimous decision over Charles “Felony” Bennett this past December.
More fights will be added to the BKFC 18 card in the coming days along with confirmation of the date and location for the event in June.