Josh Dyer is the new BKFC light heavyweight champion, dethroning Mike Richman in the main event of BKFC 74 Salt Lake City. The bare-knuckle boxing showdown took place at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah on May 10.
Dyer (5-1) claimed the win via TKO, sending Richman (7-3) to the canvas along the way. The fight was stopped by the doctor due to a cut on the defending champion’s forehead. The official time of the stoppage was 58 seconds into the fourth round.
Josh Dyer of Sioux Falls, SD, who entered the ring as the No. 4-ranked contender, claimed the 185-pound title on his first attempt. Post-fight, the 34-year-old called out Mike Perry.
39-year-old Mike Richman of Saint Paul, MN didn’t succeed in his first championship defense and lost the title.
In the co-main event, Ben Moa (2-0) of Salt Lake City dropped and stopped Bobby Brents (2-4) of Springfield, IL in the second round at heavyweight. The official time was 1:00 into the round.
In the featured bout, Mike Jones (2-1) of Price, UT stopped Sean Hotusing (0-3) of Miami, FL in the second round at light heavyweight. The official time was 1:20 into the round. On his way to victory, Jones dropped Hotusing once in the first and once in the second round.
In other BKFC 74 Salt Lake City action
Among other BKFC 74 Salt Lake City results, Shane Fichter (1-0) of Billings, MT stopped local Daniel Gardner (0-1) in the first round at light heavyweight. The time was 1:59 into the opening round. Both fighters made their promotional debut.
In another contest at light heavyweight, local Zack Partridge (1-0) successfully debuted in the BKFC, knocking out Cody Beierle (0-3) of Missoula, MT in eight seconds.
Josenaldo Silva (1-0) of Las Vegas defeated Jordan Smith (0-1) of Kaysville, UT by knockout in the third round at middleweight. The official time of the stoppage was 1:48 into the round. Smith scored three knockdowns in the second round, while the third round saw both fighters go down once. Both fighters made their BKFC debut.
Local Dominico Salas (2-0) defeated debuting Jeremiah Truhlar (0-1) of Temple, TX by unanimous decision at welterweight. The scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45.
Shelby Cannon (1-0) of Anderson, IN made a successful BKFC debut, scoring a unanimous decision over Kathryn Paprocki (1-1) of Westminster, CO. Over the course of the strawweight bout, Paprocki scored a knockdown in the opening round, while Cannon paid her back in the third. The scores were 48-45, 48-45, and 47-46.
Atop the prelims, local Zac Cavender (2-0) stopped Erick Lozano (2-3) of Zeeland, MI at cruiserweight. The official time was 1:03 into the first round.
Kicking off the action, Trever Bradshaw (2-1) of Salt Lake City defeated Jim Pulgar (1-2) of Miami by TKO. The lightweight bout was stopped at 1:41 of the fourth round. Over the course of the fight, Bradshaw scored five knockdowns, while Pulgar sent him down three times.