GREAT FALLS, Montana – Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship brought another outstanding sold-out event, BKFC 44 on Friday night, to the Pacific Steel and Recycling Arena at Montana Expo Park.
Said BKFC President and Founder David Feldman, “This was a great evening of fights in front of another sold-out crowd here in Great Falls, Montana. Kai Stewart showed true grit and determination in winning the title over Louie Lopez. Lloyd Mix had a good win over Dallas Davison in a great fight. Bryce Henry, a potential big star, looked terrific in a competitive fight with Billy Wagner.”
“The featherweight division is stacked, and there will be no shortage of high-quality challengers for the new champion, Kai Stewart.”
In the highly anticipated cross-town rivalry showdown main event, No. 1-ranked “Hefty Bag” Stewart (4-0) won the BKFC featherweight world championship over “El Loco” Lopez (3-2) by unanimous decision. Scores for the outstanding battle were 49-45 and 48-46 twice.
Lopez started very strong, landing often. However, Stewart turned the tables in round 2, dropping Lopez with a big left hand. The third stanza was fought with excellent two-way action followed by a strong fourth round for Stewart.
The final round saw both fighters with their hometown fans cheering them on, fighting to the end in search of BKFC’s first featherweight world title. Said the victorious Stewart after the fight, “I’ve worked very hard to get here. Louie was much tougher than I expected, but the beef should be over now. Dat Nguyen, Brandon Allen and Howard Davis can all get a shot.”
In the co-main event fighting in the welterweight division, “Cupcake” Mix (2-0) of Missoula, Montana defeated Great Falls native Davison (2-2), who suffered a bad cut leading to a medical stoppage at the conclusion of round 4. All four rounds saw tremendous, evenly paced action with both fighters exhibiting accurate punching and solid defensive tactics.
Florida’s Bryce “Baby Yaga” Henry (2-0) stayed undefeated with a TKO victory over local fan favorite Billy Wagner (2-1) of Great Falls. Following an even and exciting first two rounds, Henry dropped Wagner with a hard combination in the third stanza and again in the same round from a hard left hand. Prior to the start of the fourth round, the ringside physician called a halt to the fight, declaring that the battered Wagner could not continue.
In the cruiserweight division, popular Montana native Sawyer “Diesel” Depee (3-2) knocked out Gabriel “Hands of Stone” Mota (1-1), of Hammond, Indiana. Mota was dropped from an accumulation of hard shots in the first round. With Mota deemed unable to continue, the fight was stopped at the 0:46 mark of round 1.
Competing in the welterweight division, Jordan “The Haymaker” Christensen (2-3), of Las Vegas, Nevada won a unanimous decision over Kerry “The Batterer” Lattimer (0-1) of American Falls, Idaho. With Lattimer hitting the canvas in the first round, scores for Christensen were 50-44 twice and 49-45.
Dorian Long (1-0) stopped ultra-tough Mark Johnson (0-2) at the end of round 2. Long overcame a knockdown in round 1 to turn the tables in the second stanza, earning the knockout victory at the 1:59 mark of round 2 with a big left hand to the jaw, which sent Johnson to the canvas.
Ryan “Skinny” Ibsen (1-0) won his BKFC debut when Dakota Highpine (1-1) was declared unable to continue by the ringside physician at the end of round 2. Highpine suffered a bad cut during their two rounds of exciting action.
In the heavyweight division, 6-foot-7 Brady Meister (1-0) overcame a strong start from Connor McKenna (0-1) to score three knockdowns, the last resulting in the TKO stoppage at the 1:35 mark of round 2.
In the featherweight division, Darrick “The Buck” Gates (1-2) won his first BKFC fight with a first-round knockout of Koda Greenwood (0-2). Time was 1:20 of the opening stanza.
Popular local cruiserweight Leo Bercier (3-1) dropped a valiant Willie Sears (0-3) three times with accurate power shots to earn the KO stoppage at 1:55 of the first round.
In the bantamweight division, Dre Coles (1-0) won an impressive unanimous decision over David Loureiro (0-1). Scores were 49-45 on all three scorecards.
