PHILADELPHIA (October 11, 2018) – Quarterfinal matchups are now set for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) lightweight tournament as Joe Pegg battles Rusty Crowder while Abdiel “The Nightmare” Velazquez takes on Shawn “The Exception” West Saturday, October 20at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and live on pay-per-view.
These showdowns round out the lightweight tournament that includes previously announced matchups featuring the BKFC returns of Johnny Bedford and Reggie Barnett Jr. as Bedford battles Matt “The KO Kid” Murphy and Barnett takes on Josue “El Guerrero” Rivera.
“We’re thrilled to be able to kick off this lightweight tournament on October 20 with four high-octane matchups featuring fighters looking to make a statement in this opening round,” said BKFC founder and president David Feldman. “We look forward to seeing how these fights shake out and who will eventually be the last man left standing. In addition, it’s great to have a matchup of hard-nosed women’s fighters such as Christine Ferea and Jennifer Tate on an already jam-packed night of action featuring local attractions and prominent names from the fight game.”
BKFC 3: The Takeover” will be broadcast across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc., on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.95. Tickets for “BKFC 3: The Takeover” are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv beginning at $35.
The stacked night of action will also feature a 125-pound women’s contest between San Jose’s Christine “Misfit” Ferea and Jennifer “Rosebud” Tate. “Queen of Bare Knuckle” Bec Rawlings will have her eye on this matchup and a potential future showdown with the winner.
Plus, Gulfport Police officer Harris Stephenson steps into his second bare knuckle fight to battle Florida’s Elvin Britto in a 170-pound attraction while 56-fight professional MMA veteran Aaron Brink will square-off against 26-fight professional boxing veteran Michael Bissett in a 205-pound fight.
The event is headlined by undefeated professional boxer Sam “The Hillbilly Hammer” Shewmaker facing veteran MMA fighter Arnold “AJ” Adams in the finals of the BKFC heavyweight tournament, a fight that serves as the first legally regulated and sanctioned championship bare knuckle fight in history.
This card will also showcase a 185-pound battle between UFC and Bellator veteran Kendall Grove and former University of Alabama linebacker Marcel Stamps, who is undefeated in both MMA and bare knuckle fighting, plus Joe Riggs, who has a lengthy resume with the UFC, meeting MMA veteran Brok Weaver in a 185-pound showdown.
The lightweight tournament features two fighters returning to the BKFC as Ohio’s Bedford and Virginia’s Barnett look to build on the experience they gained from victories on BKFC 1. A veteran of UFC, Bellator and the Ultimate Fighter series, Bedford is set to take on Missouri’s Murphy, who has 16 professional MMA fights under his belt, including a Bellator victory in 2016. Barnett brings a 6-1 professional boxing record, in addition to six professional MMA fights, into the ring against Philadelphia’s Rivera, who has fought in 11 professional boxing matches in his career.
Fighting out of Amelia, Ohio, Pegg owns six professional MMA victories in 11 contests and will matchup against the 28-year-old Crowder, who fights out of Carrollton, Georgia throughout a professional MMA career that spans 14 fights dating back to 2013. Rounding out the exciting lightweight tournament matchups is the 25-year-old Velazquez, who fights out of New Port Richey, Florida and has a 9-6 professional MMA record, as he takes on Davenport, Iowa’s West. The 29-year-old West has compiled a 15-10 record in professional MMA contests since turning pro in 2010.
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About Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
On June 2, 2018, Philadelphia-based Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) made combat sports history when it promoted the first legal, sanctioned and regulated bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889. “BKFC 1: The Beginning” took place in Cheyenne, Wyoming and featured 10 professional bouts, all under the auspices and control of the Wyoming Combative Sports Commission.
BKFC uses only established fighters who have previously competed professionally in boxing, MMA, kickboxing and/or Muay Thai. All BKFC bouts are sanctioned and regulated by ABC member Athletic Commissions.
“BKFC 3: The Takeover” will be sanctioned and regulated by the Mississippi Athletic Commission, which is headed by Chairman Jon Lewis.
For more information visit www.bareknuckle.tv or follow on Twitter at @BareKnuckleFC, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bareknucklefc and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bareknucklefc.
