For the second consecutive time, Bare Knuckle FC’s attempt at booking former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard has been blocked.
For the second consecutive time, Bare Knuckle FC’s attempt at booking former UFC fighter [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] has been blocked.
The Colorado Combative Sports Commission said Thursday that it won’t allow Guillard to compete after BKFC had announced his return against promotional newcomer [autotag]Evgeny Kurdanov[/autotag] for BKFC 31 on Oct. 15 at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo.
“Mr. Guillard is not currently licensed in Colorado and the Oct. 15 bout will not take place as scheduled,” the commission said in a statement to MMA Junkie.
In a prior statement to MyMMANews, the commission said, “We value the safety of all athletes in Colorado and after further research have decided to disallow this fight.”
Colorado’s decision comes eight months after Guillard, 39, was pulled from a Feb. 19 fight booking vs. Ulysses Diaz. In that instance, the Florida Commission, in conjunction with the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), intervened to stop Guillard from competing.
The ABC also cited Guillard’s health as the reason why.
“After doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard,” ABC said in a statement then. The association also placed Guillard on suspension pending a neurological exam.
Guillard is on a seven-fight losing streak combined between MMA and bare-knuckle and has lost 14 of his past 15 fights. He’s 0-4 in BKFC after most recently losing to Joe Riggs by knockout in 59 seconds at BKFC Fight Night: Montana in October 2021.
With the change, the full BKFC 31 lineup includes:
The previous time BKFC tried to book former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) intervened.
Former UFC fighter [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] has his next bareknuckle boxing match on the books.
At BKFC 31 on Oct. 15, Guillard (2-6) will return against promotional newcomer [autotag]Evgeny Kurdanov[/autotag] (4-0), the promotion recently announced. The event takes place at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and streams on Bare Knuckle TV.
Guillard, 39, looks to snap a seven-fight losing skid across multiple combat sports in hopes of picking up his first BKFC victory. He most recently competed at BKFC Fight Night: Montana in October 2021.
Shortly thereafter, Guillard was booked to compete Feb. 19 vs. Ulysses Diaz. However, the Florida Athletic Commission, in conjunction with the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), intervened to disallow Guillard from competing.
“After doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard,” a statement issued by the ABC read. The association also placed Guillard on suspension pending a neurological exam.
According to MixedMartialArts.com, the official ABC database, Guillard no longer is under suspension. An ABC official didn’t immediately clarify why Guillard’s status was changed when reached by MMA Junkie.
Guillard enters his first combat sports competition in a year against Kurdanov, a 1-1 MMA pro who lists a 4-0 bareknuckle record on his social media pages, including an Instagram account with 170,000 followers.
With the addition, the full BKFC 31 lineup includes:
“Commissions will be ready to hold their feet to the fire,” should BKFC continue “recycle” MMA fighters, according to the ABC president Mike Mazzulli.
[autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] won’t be fighting at BKFC: Knuckle Mania 2 after all.
The Florida Athletic Commission and executive director Patrick Cunningham have denied BKFC’s bout proposal for a Feb. 19 matchup between Guillard and [autotag]Ulysses Diaz[/autotag] due to “serious health concern,” according to a news release issued by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) on Thursday.
“The Association of Boxing Commissions is comprised of regulatory agencies from around the country – agencies that must balance the promotion of the combative arts with safety and that requires making many tough decisions,” the ABC statement reads. “This week, the Florida Commission should be recognized for making one of those hard decisions: denying a fight that was proposed by Bare Knuckle Fight Championship (BKFC).”
Guillard, 38, is winless in his most recent 14 combat sports bouts, including nine knockout losses between MMA and bareknuckle boxing. In his most recent fight, Guillard was finished by Joe Riggs in 59 seconds and suffered a series of surgery-requiring facial fractures.
“On the surface, the fight might look competitive, but after doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard,” the statement continued. “In checking the certified ABC record sources, BoxRec and the MMA database, it was determined Guillard is suspended and requires a neurological exam, but even if he cleared that Guillard had lost the past 4 BKB bouts and had a lost 9 mixed martial art events in a row. His last fight was at an unsanctioned event in the State of Montana which does not have an operating Commission.”
ABC also commended Florida for its regulatory decision and oncce again cited its concerned for the sport of bareknuckle boxing “recycling” older boxers and mixed martial artists. While the ABC sees bareknuckle as a potentially inherently safer sport than boxing, it takes the stance that the culture has made it dangerous at times.
“Athletes who compete in this sport are generally older (over 35 years old), have already fought in various other disciplines and tend to be at the tail end of their careers. Many of these competitors have been affiliated with other MMA organizations and have been subsequently released by these promotional companies due to many factors including (but not limited to) loss of skills, consecutive losses, or injuries. Lastly, many of these fighters have not fought for extended periods of time. Therefore, the Association of Boxing Commission’s Medical Committee is especially concerned that athletes… “recycling” may be at higher risks for acute and chronic injuries.”
ABC president Mike Mazzulli, who has been an open critic of BKFC matchmaking in the past, praised the Florida Athletic Commission’s decision.
“Again, great job Florida, looking out for fighter safety,” Mazzulli said. “We can only hope and pray BKFC will reevaluate their rosters and make a very entertaining sport safer for all combatants. If not, the ABC and the member commissions will be ready to hold their feet to the fire.”
Melvin Guillard continues to get fights despite a 14-fight winless skid including seven knockout defeats.
[autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] has not had his hand raised in a combat sports venture since 2014, yet Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has opted to book him for its upcoming “KnuckleMania II” event next month.
Guillard, who once held the record for most knockout victories in UFC lightweight history, will fight Ulysses Diaz in a light heavyweight contest on the Feb. 19 card at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
The promotion announced the addition to the card on Tuesday.
After competing in his final UFC bout in March 2014, Guillard has been on a troubling downward slope. He’s competed for World Series of Fighting, Bellator, Rizin FF and a number of other promotions, picking up just one win along the way. He’s currently on a 14-fight winless skid overall in combat sports, including four consecutive defeats under the BKFC banner.
Guillard, 38, most recently competed for BKFC in October and suffered a 59-second knockout loss against fellow MMA veteran Joe Riggs that resulted in a series of orbital fractures.
He won’t get an easy opportunity to bounce back, either, as he takes on Diaz, who owns the fastest knockout in BKFC history at just three seconds. Diaz, 40, is coming off a title-fight loss to Thiago Alves, but prior to that had won five straight fights.
The latest “BKFC: KnuckleMania II” lineup includes:
Mike Perry vs. Julian Lane
Britain Beltran vs. Christine Ferea 2 – for women’s flyweight title
Luis Palomino vs. Martin Brown – for lightweight title
Twenty BKFC fighters were suspended after their participation in what the ABC deemed an unsanctioned event, but perspectives differ on that.
The Association of Boxing Commissions recently suspended an entire fight card’s worth of athletes – 20 in total – who competed in a bare-knuckle boxing event that the ABC has said was “unsanctioned.” However, the promotion involved and an independent regulatory body disagree with that categorization and subsequent suspensions.
The event in question, “BKFC Fight Night: Montana” took place Oct. 9 at First Interstate Arena in Billings, Mont., and it featured MMA notables of yesteryear [autotag]Joe Riggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] in the main event.
According to ABC president Mike Mazzulli, the event was unlicensed and held without the oversight of a state commission, nor did it receive proper clearance from state government.
“The fights in Montana were not regulated by the State of Montana,” Mazzulli recently told MMA Junkie.
For this reason, the ABC suspended each combatant 60 days. The suspensions were first publicized by management agency Fight Mixer Management.
ABC’s assertion
The State of Montana has an athletic commission, but it doesn’t function to regulate combat sports. The Montana Department of Labor & Industry includes athletic oversight, but only for amateur and collegiate events.
Given that there was no state commission available, BKFC hired the International Sport Karate Association to serve as regulator. ISKA is a longtime international sanctioning body for combat sports, which works closely with the ABC in various capacities, including at Bellator events.
Per Mazzulli, ISKA can function as a standalone commission, as it often does in numerous national and international territories that do not have governmental combat sports oversight. However, ISKA needed permission from the state government to do so, which Mazzulli asserts ISKA did not receive.
“ISKA is in good standing with the ABC,” Mazzulli said. “They regulate a lot of amateur MMA throughout the country. What happens is the state commission authorizes them to regulate for them. For example, in New York, ISKA is a regulatory body for MMA up there. They’re so busy that the State of New York has invested in ISKA with Cory Schafer, the president, and decided to give them the ability to regulate amateurs for them. But in Montana that was not the case.”
Mazzulli said the Kansas Athletic Commission on multiple occasions volunteered to serve as the regulatory body in Montana, but BKFC and president David Feldman declined that offer.
“There was an ABC commission that contacted (BKFC) numerous times to say that they would go up there and regulate the event,” Mazzulli said. “That was the State of Kansas. (BKFC) did not take them up on it. They decided to ride with ISKA. ISKA was not granted the ability to regulate that by the State of Montana, so therefore all of these fighters fought in an unsanctioned fight.”
BKFC’s explanation
BKFC president Dave Feldman
BKFC president David Feldman and matchmaker Nate Shook offered a starkly different perspective when contacted by MMA Junkie. While Feldman admitted that Kansas offered to oversee the BKFC Montana event, he believed that point was moot since ISKA had proper governmental permission, thus an ABC regulator wasn’t needed. According to Feldman, BKFC and ISKA were granted permission by the state.
“I know Mike made a statement that the ISKA wasn’t legal there or licensed there, but ISKA did receive approval from the department of licensing in Montana to be able to sanction that fight, so we sanctioned that fight through ISKA,” Feldman told MMA Junkie. “It’s going to he said, she said, right? But at the end of the day, we didn’t have to have any sanctioning there, kind of like what the UFC does when they go overseas and they don’t have sanctioning bodies, and they kind of self-regulate. That’s what we could’ve done. Instead, we went one step further and had the ISKA regulate the event.”
What perhaps puzzled Feldman most about the suspensions was what he perceives to be inconsistencies between the sanctions handed to his fighters and those of other combat sports events in Montana, a state which, according to combat sports database Tapology, has hosted 19 other fight cards in 2021 to date.
“I don’t want to overstep and say anything bad,” Feldman said. “I want a great working relationship with Mike Mazzulli. That’s what I’m pushing for. But at the end of the day, I don’t even know if he had the authority to suspend these guys. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. But what I’m trying to say is that there were other professional combat sporting events in the State of Montana from mixed martial arts to two bare-knuckle fights that happened in the State of Montana where the fighters did not get suspended. But they did get suspended for our event. That’s a big question mark in my mind.”
ISKA weighs in
ISKA president Cory Schafer works closely with the ABC on numerous matters and told MMA Junkie he respects the unified governing body and Mazzulli and finds their function important. However, Schafer thinks ISKA and BKFC went above and beyond to ensure a safely and professionally regulated event took place with permission from the state government.
“(ISKA director) Tom Sconzo called the department of state for Montana,” Schafer said. “That’s where he got the information that, although they have an athletic division, it’s for the supervision of the NCAA, amateur sports and collegiate sports. They have no combat sports division. He explained to them who the ISKA is, what we do, where we’re from, showed them our website – boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
“They said, ‘Wow. Great. We look forward to the event. We hope it’s successful. We hope everything is great. Good luck.’ That came from a representative of the department of state. Again, the promotion was under no obligation. But we tried to go above and beyond and make sure there was no issue with the government.”
Schafer estimates that approximately 90 percent of boxing events listed in the ABC’s official online record keeper, BoxRec, are not sanctioned. Schafer said he’s a supporter of the ABC, but he too, like the BKFC brass, is confused by the suspensions.
“I’d like to see the ABC have stronger power and authority,” Schafer said. “I think that would be a good thing, but in this case it was a little odd. The athletes that fought on what Mr. Mazzulli is calling an unsanctioned fight, well, they joined the 90 percent of other boxers that boxed that same weekend in Italy, France, and Turkey and whatever, who also boxed on what I guess they would have to consider an unsanctioned event. I would like some clarity on that.”
‘We run toward regulation’
Joe Riggs checks on Melvin Guillard after knocking him out at BKFC Montana.
While BKFC and ISKA officials are puzzled by the ABC’s decision, Mazzulli reiterated to MMA Junkie that neither he nor the sanctioning body he runs have a bias toward bare-knuckle fighting, rather he simply wants proper regulation and oversight. This is the same sentiment Mazzulli shared in a ABC statement following the death of seasoned combat sports veteran Justin Thornton in October. Thornton died after he sustained injuries during 19-second faceplant knockout at BKFC 19 in August.
Feldman, however, doesn’t think his promotion strays from the procedures and protocols of a normal event overseen by the ABC. Safety is a top priority, according to the BKFC president – and this instance he said did not deviate from that approach.
“We’re in a stage right now where we’re considered the fastest-growing combat sports promotion in the world,” Feldman said. “We’re trying to open up regulation everywhere in the country. We’re not going to cut corners. We ran toward regulations for 10 years. I ran toward it. I would never run away from regulation. We want to be regulated. We want to get approval. We want other states to regulate it and approve it. We run toward regulation. There was no way we were trying to negate regulation.”
BKFC holds its next event Dec. 9 in Tampa, Fla., which will have the oversight of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, a sanctioning body that is part of the ABC. Fighters who fought on the Montana show will be eligible to return to competition Dec. 8.
The former UFC lightweight contender suffered five fractures to his right orbital bone in his first-round knockout loss to fellow former UFC fighter Joe Riggs in the main event Saturday in Billings, Mont. Guillard was knocked out in just 59 seconds.
The 38-year-old announced the news of his injury Sunday morning.
Following the event, Guillard had surgery and has said he’s already discharged from the hospital.
The loss to Riggs was Guillard’s fourth straight defeat in bareknuckle boxing. He holds a record of 2-6 in since debuting in the sport in 2017. He’s 2-15 in his past 17 bouts in both MMA and bareknuckle boxing combined.
Guillard rose to prominence during his run in the UFC. “The Young Assassin” fought in the octagon for almost a decade, competing from 2005 to 2014. Guillard holds notable wins over Jeremy Stephens, Gleison Tibau, Evan Dunham and others.
Joe Riggs made quick work of fellow MMA veteran Melvin Guillard in the main event of BKFC Fight Night Montana.
Two grizzled mixed martial arts veterans met to cap off BKFC’s event in Billings, Mont., on Saturday evening.
Former UFC competitors [autotag]Joe Riggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] took off the gloves to bare knuckle box at 185 pounds in the main event of Saturday’s BKFC Fight Night Montana.
The event took place at the MetraPark Arena in Billings, Mont., and aired on the FITE and the BKTV app.
The main event didn’t last very long.
Guillard got the action started by offering a few punches, but Riggs decided to just defend the first few strikes instead of returning fire. Perhaps just getting a read on his opponent in the opening seconds, Riggs let the action come to him, until he decided it was time to strike.
When Riggs threw, he landed flush and dropped Guillard. Riggs gave a little push to Guillard on the way down, resulting in Guillard slumping over the bottom rope. Guillard did not return to his feet, and the fight was over by knockout just 59 seconds into the contest.
“I just want the belt,” Riggs said during his post fight interview. “I don’t care what weight, I want that f*cking belt.”
This was the fifth BKFC fight for Riggs, who improves to 3-1-1 with the promotion, with his eyes set on a title shot. On the other end, Guillard falls to 0-4 under the BKFC banner.
In the co-main event, Invicta veteran and former BKFC champ [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] competed against Calista Silgado.
Ferea beat her opponent to the punch all night long, eventually finding the knockout punch in the third round to notch her second stoppage in a row. At the conclusion of the bout, Ferera called out Bec Rawlings during her post-fight interview.
Longtime MMA vet and fan favorite [autotag]Leonard Garcia[/autotag] is calling an end to a 22-year combat sports career.
“Bad Boy” picked up a unanimous decision win over Joe Elmore in the main event of Friday’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16 event, which streamed live on the BKTV App from Biloxi Civic Center in Biloxi, Miss.
Following an action-packed, five-round, bare-knuckle boxing affair, Garcia was awarded the win with scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.
Afterward, the 41-year-old Garcia confirmed it would be his final appearance.
“I still got a lot left in the tank,” Garcia said after the fight. “I’m still a legend. I still did everything I said I was going to do, but fighting a guy like Joe was something else. I learned a lot about myself, and I learned a lot about Joe. I got all the respect in the world for him, and I don’t take anything from him.
“I’ve got an important decision to make, and it’s a hard one. My deal with God was to be the No. 1 guy when I left. That’s why I took the fight with Joe Elmore. I wanted to prove to the world I was the No. 1 fighter at 165 when I retired.”
Garcia fought nine times under the UFC banner and took home an impressive four “Fight of the Night” bonuses, recording memorable scraps with the likes of Roger Huerta, Cole Miller and a two-fight series with Nam Phan. However, his name is also etched in the WEC history books, as well, competing on the organization’s very first card back in 2001 and returning to the promotion in 2008.
While he notched notable WEC stoppages over proven veterans like Jens Pulver and Hiroyuki Takaya, Garcia may very well be best remembered or his epic split-decision win over Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48 in what was widely regarded as the 2010 “Fight of the Year.”
Garcia’s MMA career ended in 2014 following a five-fight stint under the Legacy FC banner that saw him win the promotion’s featherweight title before suffering consecutive losses to current UFC fighters Damon Jackson and Daniel Pineda and electing to hang up the four-ounce gloves with a career record of 18-13-1.
Garcia ended up with a 2-1 mark for BKFC.
Fellow MMA notable [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] was also in action at BKFC 16, suffering a controversial first-round TKO loss to Scott O’Shaughnessy.
Recap the action from Rizin FF 11 as “The Fireball Kid” brought the Saitama Super Arena crowd to its feet with a thrilling finish of Melvin Guillard.
Two explosive lightweights went toe to toe in Saitama at Rizin FF 11 as former UFC veteran [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag] stepped into [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag]’s back yard and got knocked out after a wild back-and-forth battle.
Guillard started out in typically aggressive fashion with a solid leg kick, followed by a powerful two-punch combination that forced Gomi onto the back foot almost immediately.
Gomi responded by grabbing a single leg, but Guillard shrugged him off and wrestled him into the corner, where he proceeded to land more heavy punches and a solid knee. But with his back against the ropes and with no other option, Gomi fired back and stung Guillard with a thumping left hook that forced the American to back away.
The action then resumed in the center of the ring with the two fighters swinging for the fences and trading huge shots as the Saitama crowd cheered its approval.
Perhaps wary of each other’s power, the two fighters then spent a few moments looking to time each other and not over-commit to their shots. Guillard looked to connect with some kicks from distance, while Gomi stepped in and landed with a couple of winging left hooks. Then came the moment that defined the fight.
After connecting with a right jab, Gomi stepped back to his stance and appeared to roll his ankle, before stumbling briefly to the mat. Spotting his opening, Guillard stepped in and caught Gomi flush as he returned to the feet, but “The Fireball Kid” instantly responded with a right hook that seemed to hurt “The Young Assassin,” who stumbled backward against the ropes.
Gomi saw his moment, moved in and connected with a pair of left hands that sent Guillard to the canvas as he scored a dramatic stoppage victory, then treated the crowd to his version of Tito Ortiz’s iconic “grave digging” celebration.
Rewatch the wild one-round war at Rizin FF 11 via the video above.
BKFC 11 has added David Rickels, Melvin Guillard, Nico Hernandez and a handful of other UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce veterans.
The BKFC 11 lineup is taking shape.
In a press release recently issued, the promotion announced a handful of matchups for the March 14 event. The lineup includes former Bellator title challenger [autotag]David Rickels[/autotag], former UFC standout [autotag]Melvin Guillard[/autotag], Olympian [autotag]Nico Hernandez[/autotag], and more.
In the main event Hernandez, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist for the U.S., takes on [autotag]Chauncey Wilson[/autotag] in a Wichita vs. Wichita matchup.
In the co-main event, Rickels will compete in his home state against an opponent to be named later. Rickels was the longest-tenured member of the Bellator roster prior to his departure in late January.
Guillard makes his return against [autotag]Dakota Cochrane[/autotag], and UFC alumnus [autotag]Josh Neer[/autotag] makes his promotional debut against [autotag]Ronnie Forney[/autotag]. BKFC heavyweight staple [autotag]Sam Shewmaker[/autotag] makes his sixth promotional appearance against former Bellator heavyweight [autotag]Josh Burns[/autotag]. Former UFC and Bellator fighter [autotag]Jake Lindsey[/autotag] also gets a homecoming against [autotag]Kenny Licea[/autotag].
BKFC 11 takes place March 14 at InTrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas and streams on Fite TV.
The official, up-to-date BKFC 11 lineup includes:
Nico Hernandez vs. Chauncey Wilson
David Rickels vs. TBA
Josh Burns vs. Sam Shewmaker
[autotag]Cody Carrillo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeremiah Page[/autotag]
[autotag]LJ Hermreck[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Wilk[/autotag]
Kenny Licea vs. Jake Lindsey
Ronnie Forney vs. Josh Neer
[autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Helen Peralta[/autotag]
Dakota Cochrane vs. Melvin Guillard
[autotag]Jacob Akin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Miles MacDonald[/autotag]
