SALEM, Virginia – Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has announced BKFC 51, their return to the state of Virginia, on Friday, September 29 at the Salem Civic Center headlined by the BKFC women’s strawweight world championship between champion Britain Hart (7-3) of Bedford, Virginia and top-rated challenger Melanie Shah (2-0) of the United Kingdom.
Tickets for BKFC 51 starting at $45 are now on-sale at BKFC.com.
BKFC 51 will also be broadcast internationally as part of the BKFC+ subscription for $7.99 per month on the BKFC app – “The Best Value in Combat Sports” – and is sponsored by Bucked Up, Fubo Sports, MIT 45, Only Fans, Crescent Tools and LIONS NOT SHEEP.
“We’re very excited to return to Virginia following our last sold-out event in March,” said David Feldman, president and founder of BKFC. “This is a huge title defense for our champion, Britain Hart, near her hometown against the tough, undefeated challenger Melanie Shah, and we expect another tremendous Virginia crowd for this event at the Salem Civic Center.”
Among the most popular female fighters in combat sports, Hart claimed the inaugural BKFC strawweight world title at BKFC 29 with a dominant unanimous decision over Charisa Sigala on September 10, 2022. Following up on March 24, 2023 at BKFC 39, Hart defended her world title for the first time with a victory over Jenny Savage in Norfolk, Virginia in their highly anticipated rematch.
The tough as nails Hart also holds a career defining victory over former UFC superstar Paige VanZant (KnuckleMania 1), along with dominant wins over Bec Rawlings (BKFC 26), Pearl Gonzalez (BKFC 22), Savage (BKFC 19) and Randine Eckholm (BKFC 14).
Ranked No. 5 in the women’s strawweight division, Shah made her impressive BKFC debut on November 26, 2022 at BKFC Fight Night Newcastle, defeating Mathilda Wilson. Following up on the win, Shah successfully debuted in the United States with a victory over Sydney Smith at BKFC 48 earlier this month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Will the upset minded Shah be able to topple the champion, or will Hart once again prove to be too much for a 115-pound adversary? Tune in on September 29 to find out!
Further fights for this exciting night of action will be announced shortly.
