Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship heads to one of the most iconic venues in American sports on Saturday, Aug. 29, when BKFC 92 Boston: Stewart vs. Gigliotti takes over Fenway Park in Boston.
Two championship fights sit atop the card, as undefeated BKFC featherweight champion Kai Stewart puts his belt on the line against Harry Gigliotti in the main event. In the co-main event, longtime women’s flyweight champion Christine Ferea defends her title against Argentina’s Sofia Landi.
Beyond the championship fights, BKFC 92 has a distinctly New England flavor, with UFC veterans Joe Lauzon and Charles Rosa among the familiar names competing at Fenway.
Kai Stewart vs. Harry Gigliotti
Stewart has become one of BKFC’s homegrown stars, and the featherweight champion will once again put his unbeaten record and title on the line when he meets Gigliotti.
Stewart has built his success around pressure, toughness and an ability to thrive in the type of close-range exchanges that define bare-knuckle boxing. At this point in his career, there is little mystery surrounding his approach. Opponents know what is coming, but stopping it has proven to be another matter entirely.
Gigliotti now gets his opportunity to solve that puzzle on BKFC’s biggest stage in Boston.
The challenger will need to prevent Stewart from dictating the geography of the fight. Giving the champion opportunities to consistently close distance and turn the bout into a battle in the pocket could make for a difficult night. Gigliotti’s ability to disrupt Stewart’s rhythm early could go a long way toward determining whether the title changes hands.
Christine Ferea vs. Sofia Landi
Few fighters have become more synonymous with BKFC than Ferea.
The women’s flyweight champion has established herself as one of the promotion’s most dominant competitors, combining physicality and aggression with years of experience under the bare-knuckle ruleset. She enters Boston with another challenger attempting to end her championship reign.
This time, that challenger is Landi.
The Argentine steps into a difficult assignment against a champion who is comfortable forcing opponents backward and turning fights into physical battles. Ferea’s experience in championship rounds also gives her another significant advantage if the contest develops into a prolonged war of attrition.
For Landi, however, the opportunity is enormous. A victory over Ferea would immediately establish her as one of the biggest names in the BKFC women’s division.
Joe Lauzon Returns to Action in Boston
One of the most intriguing attractions on the card comes at welterweight, where longtime UFC veteran Lauzon faces Stash Kuykendall.
Few fighters on the lineup have stronger ties to the region than Lauzon, who spent years as one of New England’s most recognizable MMA fighters. Now, he gets the opportunity to compete at Fenway Park under an entirely different ruleset.
Lauzon built much of his MMA reputation around aggressive, fan-friendly performances, but bare-knuckle boxing presents a different challenge. There are no takedowns or submissions to fall back on, leaving Lauzon and Kuykendall to settle matters entirely with their hands.
New England Takes Center Stage at Fenway
Lauzon is not the only former UFC fighter representing the region.
Massachusetts native Rosa takes on Charon Spain in a lightweight contest, while Rico Disciullo meets Tray Martin at featherweight. Pat Casey faces Dallas Davison at middleweight, and Peter Barrett takes on Elijah Harris in another lightweight matchup.
Taylor Starling also returns against Kat Paprocki in a women’s strawweight contest. Guilherme Viana meets Robinson Perez at ironweight, while James Murrin faces Chris Rooney and Jake Pilla takes on Angelo Colon in separate featherweight fights. David Burke and David Simpson meet at light heavyweight.
BKFC has steadily expanded the scale of its events, but Fenway Park represents a unique backdrop. A venue synonymous with Boston sports will trade baseball for bare-knuckle fighting for one night, with a pair of championships and several New England fighters providing the centerpiece.
Stewart and Ferea arrive as champions with targets on their backs. Gigliotti and Landi arrive with the opportunity to leave Boston with gold.
At Fenway Park, BKFC 92 will give them one of the biggest stages the promotion has offered to find out.