BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing is heading back to Mississippi on October 23, with Bally’s Fightnight by BKB set for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.
The card is led by former BKB lightweight champion Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant against Bekhzod “The Lion” Usmonov. Grant enters looking to rejoin the title race after Jon Barnard stopped him to take the lightweight belt at BKB 53 in April. Usmonov, a Tajikistan-born fighter who has competed in MMA and bare-knuckle boxing, gets a major chance to make his case in the BKB lightweight division.
Grant’s listed BKB record for the matchup is 8-3 with one no contest, while Usmonov is 3-1 in the promotion. There is a little history behind Grant’s spot near the top of the division: he became BKB lightweight champion at BKB 41 and has previously been described by BKB as the first fighter to hold titles across BKB and BKFC. Biloxi gives him a chance to restart the climb, while Usmonov can turn a win over a former champion into the biggest result of his bare-knuckle run.
BKB Bally’s Fightnight Returns to Biloxi
The co-feature brings former BKB heavyweight champion Ike “Hurricane” Villanueva back into the Trigon against Cody “Freight Train” East in a bridgerweight bout. Villanueva is listed at 5-3 in BKB competition, and East brings a 2-1 mark with two knockouts. It is a straightforward pairing: two large men, limited room to work, and a name like “Freight Train” that doesn’t leave much room for a tactical chess match.
BKB’s Biloxi return follows the launch of the Bally’s Fightnight series at the same venue in January. That first event featured former women’s lightweight champion Monica Medina beating Monica Franco by unanimous decision, while Martin Brown stopped Bobby Taylor in the fifth round of the co-main event. The October show marks another chapter for the partnership between BKB and Bally’s, which combines a casino venue, event broadcast and in-fight tracking technology.
Sensors in the fighters’ wrist wraps are designed to track punch volume, punch type and force of impact in real time. The data is intended to appear across the live arena experience and Bally’s digital platforms, adding stats to a sport that has never had an issue supplying visible evidence of impact.
Bally’s Fightnight by BKB Biloxi will stream on the Bally Sports Live app and Stadium’s free ad-supported television channel. The January debut was also carried through those outlets. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, with further fights expected to be announced before October 23.
