Friday card coverage begins at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT with the countdown show on YouTube before heading to the fights themselves at 7pm ET/4pm PT. As always, the show can be viewed in its entirety via DAZN.
If no adjustments are made to Friday’s schedule between now and then, the final version of BKFC 85 will feature a full 12-fight card from David Feldman’s promotion in The Sunshine State of Florida. Tournament action also takes place on Friday evening in the headliner.
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BKFC 85 Main Event: BKFC Lightweight Tournament Semi-Final #2: Austin Trout vs. #4 Contender Luis Palomino
Highlighting Friday evening, the second semi-final of the ongoing BKFC Lightweight Tournament serves as the focus for your main event of the evening. It will be a rematch between Austin Trout (4-0 bare-knuckle) and No. 4 contender Luis Palomino (10-1 bare-knuckle).
All fights, including the main event, will last a maximum of five rounds of two minutes per round. The winner of Friday night’s main event will advance to the finals of the lightweight tournament, where Franco Tenaglia awaits in the new year.
Trout and Palomino first met in February 2024. That night, the former scored a unanimous decision after 10 minutes of action in the BKFC 57 main event for the promotion’s welterweight championship (165 lbs.). What’s going to happen now?
Austin Trout has yet to lose under bare knuckle rules. Last time out, he defeated Carlos-Trinidad Snake (7-1 bare-knuckle) via split decision on April 4 in the main event of BKFC 71. Trout has shown every day that he’s a tough shopper, so will he go 2-on-2 against Palomino?
Speaking of Luis Palomino, an alumnus of the late Bellator MMA, he has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five appearances in BKFC 85. He is currently looking to build on a unanimous victory over Howard Davis last March in a fight that was also held in Hollywood, FL.
Although there is no championship on the line this time, revenge is on the line for Palomino this weekend in the BKFC 85 main event. Only time will tell if he can even the score.
BKFC 85 Co-Main Event: BKFC Bantamweight Championship: #1 Contender Justin Ibarrola vs. #2 Contender Ryan Reber
Immediately before that, it’s title time in the evening’s BKFC 85 co-main event. The vacant BKFC Bantamweight Championship will be on the line when No. 1 contender Justin Ibarrola (8-0 bare-knuckle) takes on No. 2 contender Ryan Reber (6-1-1 bare-knuckle).
Ibarrola is undefeated so far. In July, at BKFC 78, he defeated Robert Armas (3-4 bare-knuckle) via split decision.
This young man is only 27 years old and now he is just 10 minutes of action away from adding a championship title to his mantle. Can he handle the pressure in this title fight?
Meanwhile, Ryan Reber has posted a record of 3-1-1 in his last five trips to the ring. Last spring he scored a split-decision victory over Matt Guymon (2-1 bare-knuckle) at BKFC Clearwater.
Like his opponent, Reber has eight bare-knuckle fights under his belt. A win here over undefeated Justin Ibarrola on Friday night will be a fantastic highlight on his combat sports resume.
BKFC 85 Featured Fight: #1 Contender Leonardo Perdomo vs. Corey Willis
In the featured fight of the evening on BKFC 85, the big boys go to battle. Heavyweight action takes place when #1 contender Leonardo Perdomo (9-0 bare-knuckle) collides with Corey Willis (2-0 bare-knuckle). Both fighters are undefeated in bare-knuckle boxing heading into Friday’s fight.
Perdomo has had an active 2025, as BKFC 85 is his fourth fight of the year. Less than three months ago, he stopped Arnold Adams (7-5 bare-knuckle) in a rematch of a July fight in the main event of BKFC 80. Since December of last year, Perdomos has competed in four matches, all of which took place in Hollywood, FL.
Will he end his year with another trip to victory lane? Tune in and find out.
In the other corner, Corey Willis has gone 3-2 in all contests in his last five fights. Most recently, he scored a second-round TKO against Zach Calmus (5-4 bare-knuckle) in Sturgis last August.
While his boxing career is still in its infancy, if Willis defeats the top contender at heavyweight, he will begin his climb to the title.
Rest of the map
The main card of BKFC 85 is completed by these fights:
- A women’s flyweight bout between Christine Vicens (4-1 bare-knuckle) and Carina Damm (bare-knuckle debut)
- a welterweight bout pairing Gorjan Slaveski (6-1 bare-knuckle) with Ja’Far Fort “Knox” (3-1 bare-knuckle)
- a cruiserweight affair that pairs Steven Townsel (5-4 bare-knuckle) with Julio Perez Rodriguez (3-1 bare-knuckle)
- a lightweight showdown with No. 5 contender Howard Davis (8-3-1 bare-knuckle) and Ramiro Figueroa (2-1 bare-knuckle)
- a flyweight bout between Gee Perez (5-2 bare-knuckle) and Chancey Wilson (3-4 bare-knuckle)
- and a bantamweight bout that paired Matt “Rambo” Russo (3-1 bare-knuckle) with Samuel Samples (2-2 bare-knuckle).
What fight or fights are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
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