BKFC 18 results: Thiago Alves claims middleweight title with comeback TKO of Ulysses Diaz

Thiago Alves claimed bareknuckle gold by defeating Ulysses Diaz on Saturday evening at BKFC 18.

Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] claimed gold in BKFC on Saturday.

In a bout between two incoming undefeated bareknuckle fighters, Alves (2-0 BKFC) pulled off an incredible comeback against Ulysses Diaz in the second of four title fights on Saturday evening.

BKFC 18 took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., airing on FITE TV.

The two men traded hard strikes throughout the first round, but Diaz (2-1 BKFC) had the upper hand at the conclusion of the opening frame.

With blood flowing from both fighters in the second round, Diaz dropped Alves with a clean right hand with just over a minute remaining. Alves would get back to his feet and almost immediately began trading punches again.

In the third round, the momentum shifted quickly towards Alves who began putting together hard combinations, resulting in a total of three knockdowns over the course of the round. Diaz managed to return to his feet each time and saw the end of the round, but the doctor called the fight off between rounds after assessing the damage.

 

“I got a little bit reckless at one point, but I’m the king of this sh*t,” Alves said during his post-fight interview. “When it comes to trading punches and staying in the pocket, nobody can f*ck with me.”

Alves claimed the BKFC middleweight title after mounting an incredible comeback victory in his second bareknuckle bout.

Up-to-the-minute results of BKFC 18 include:

    • Thiago Alves def. Ulysses Diaz via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 3, 5:00 *for middleweight title
    • Luis Palomino def. Tyler Goodjohn via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) *for lightweight title
    • Pearl Gonzalez def. Charisa Sigala via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
    • Julian Lane def. Jake Bostwick via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 48-45)
    • Jarod Grant def. Travis Thompson via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 4, 0:35
    • Eddie Hoch def. Bruce Lutchmedial via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
    • Steve Herelius def. Juan Torres via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
    • Francisco Ricchi def. Brian Maxwell via TKO – Round 2, 1:25
    • Montaser Aboughaly def. Luke Parson via knockout – Round 1, 0:34
    • Famez def. Paul Teague via knockout – Round 1, 0:17
    • Yosdenis Cedeno def. Alan Arzeno via split decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)
    • Eduardo Conception def. Gabriel Brown via knockout – Round 1, 0:05

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