KENNER, Louisiana – Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship touched down in the New Orleans area for the first time this weekend, as Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 36 took place Friday at Pontchartrain Convention & Civic Center.

In the main event, a new BKFC world heavyweight champion was crowned as Alan “The Talent” Belcher rallied after a pair of second-round knockdowns to defeat the defending champ Arnold “Bomaye” Adams via jaw-dropping, third-round KO. Belcher, a 15-time UFC vet, improved to 4-0 with his third straight KO to become the fourth heavyweight champion in BKFC history. Adams, who entered fight night as No. 3 on the BKFC pound-for-pound rankings, fell to 8-2 with the loss – his first defeat since 2019.

In the co-main event, James “Lights Out” Lilley improved to 3-0 under the BKFC banner and firmly staked his claim as the No. 1 contender in the BKFC’s stacked lightweight division by defeating the No. 3-ranked Bobby “ODB” Taylor via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at the end of the third round. Taylor fell to 5-2, while Lilley upped his overall record to 8-0-1 and called for the next shot at defending BKFC world lightweight champion Luis “Baboon” Palomino (8-0).

In a featured fight, Kaleb “Lionheart” Harris needed just 39 seconds to score the fastest win of his 10-fight BKFC tenure with a first-round KO victory over Brad “Machine Gun” Kelly. Harris entered the bout as the No. 3-ranked BKFC welterweight and climbed to 6-4 with the fast finish, while Kelly fell to 3-2.

Complete BJFC 36 results include:

MAIN CARD

• Alan Belcher def. Arnold Adams via knockout – Round 3, 0:55 – to claim heavyweight title
• James Lilley def. Bobby Taylor via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 3, 2:00
• Kaleb Harris def. Brad Kelly via TKO – Round 1, 0:39
• Duke Sensley def. Joseph Creer via unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 48-47)
• Dennis Labruzza def. Stephon Reese via knockout – Round 2, 1:24
• Tony Jenkins def. Dillon Winemiller via TKO – Round 3, 1:25
• Bryce Henry def. Brandon Shavers via knockout – Round 4, 1:53
• Andrew Angelcor vs. David Bosnick declared unanimous draw (47-47, 47-47, 47-47)
• Tyler Sammis def. Cody Schieve via knockout – Round 1, 1:32

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Blake Lacaze def. Brett Williams via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 3, 2:00
• Brandon Meneses vs. Cody Mitchell declared majority draw (48-46, 47-47, 47-47)
• Michael Manno def. Frankie Shughart via knockout in Round 1, 0:25