Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship presented BKFC 42, a sensational 12-bout card in their Greenville, South Carolina debut on Friday night in front of a huge crowd at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The event was also broadcast globally on the BKFC app.
Said David Feldman, president and founder of BKFC, “Tonight was a great follow-up to our mega-event in Denver. The main event between Tony Soto and Tyler Goodjohn was a phenomenal fight and earned the ‘Fight of the Night.’ Brandon Allen won the ‘Knockout of the Night’ for his first-round stoppage of Trevor Lokan. I congratulate all of the fighters for really coming to fight tonight – super proud to have you as part of BKFC.”
Fighting in the lightweight main event of the evening, “Loco” Soto (5-0) and “El Tornado” Goodjohn (3-3) battled in one of the premier fights of BKFC’s five-year history. Soto started very strong early in the fight with blistering, precise shots, opening up two cuts above Goodjohn’s left eye. Although bleeding badly, the valiant Goodjohn fought his way back into the fight in the second and third rounds, working very effectively in the clinch.
The fourth stanza featured excellent two-way action with both combatants scoring with effective aggression. Soto came back strong in the final round and took the fight to Goodjohn with relentless aggression utilizing his full arsenal of punches. At the end of the classic battle, scores were 48-47 unanimously for Soto.
Said a euphoric Soto, “I’m built for this. Nothing but respect for Goodjohn, but today was my time. I’m here to put a show on and make them bow to the crown.”
Countered a disappointed Goodjohn, “I lost the first round but won the next four. I absolutely believe I won the fight. The cuts didn’t phase me, I’m always here to entertain the fans.”
In the middleweight co-feature, Doug “ColdRed” Coltrane (3-0) overcame a flash knockdown in the opening round to stop Blake Lacaze (1-2) in the second stanza with a massive, counter right hand earning the knockout. Time of the stoppage was 0:34.
In a special attraction bantamweight bout, local fan favorite Keith “The Rock Star” Richardson (2-0) dropped Cody Jenkins (0-2) from a barrage of punches which followed early, damaging body shots from the southpaw.
Competing in a women’s strawweight bout, BKFC debuting Sydney Smith (1-0) defeated No. 2-ranked Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen (2-1) over five rounds. With both women switching stances throughout in a mostly defensive matchup, Smith would overcome a late knockdown to win on all three judges’ scorecards, 48-46.
No. 4-ranked men’s featherweight Allen (3-1) won his third right in a row, knocking out Lokan (1-1) in the opening round. A three-punch combo capped by a massive left hand ended the fight at 1:29 of the stanza.
A featherweight bout came to an abrupt halt in the second round (0:33) as Brandon Bushaw (1-0) was cited for an unintentional foul against Rick Caruso (0-3), which caused the fight to be declared a no contest. Bushaw was down in the first round from a huge body shot.
In the welterweight division, Dustin Pague (2-1) scored an exciting, come-from-behind knockout victory over Wade Johnson (1-1). Down early in the first round from a left hook, Pague marched back in the second round, dropping Johnson three times to earn the stoppage at 1:38 of the round.
In the welterweight division, Trukon Carson (1-1) knocked out L.J. Hermreck (1-3) in the first round (1:16). Fighting in the featherweight division, Cole Ferrell (1-0) knocked out Cody Schieve (1-1) in round 2 (0:44).
Headlining the prelims in the cruiserweight division, Jonathan Miller (2-0) stopped BKFC newcomer Dustin Long (0-1) from a barrage of punches at the conclusion of round 2.
Fighting in the featherweight division, BKFC debuting Samuel Samples (1-0) was relentless in his attack of Glendel Futrell (0-3), scoring a knockdown from a huge left hand at the end of round 1. Following a huge second round for Samples, Futrell’s corner called a halt to the fight.
Opening the show in the lightweight division, Jon Barnard (1-0) impressed in his BKFC debut dropping Josh Marer (0-2) four times with strong and accurate counter punches as the fight was stopped at the end of the opening round.
