Perdomo & Plazaola stake claim to title shots at BKFC 80
The first time was considered controversial. There was none the second time—and the result was the same.
There should be no more required of Leonardo Perdomo before he gets a title shot after scoring his ninth first-round knockout. A stiff jab dropped Arnold Adams just twenty seconds in. Adams immediately charged forward looking for revenge but walked straight into a left hook to the right eye, remaining on his knees as the referee reached the count of ten.
It’s now impossible to deny Edgard Plazaola a title shot after he dominated BKFC UK Featherweight Champion Gary Fox. Plazaola stunned Fox with a right hand in Round 2. The first knockdown of the fight came in Round 3 off an overhand right. By the end of the fourth, Fox’s right eye was visibly damaged. In the fifth, a crisp right hand followed by a furious flurry forced Fox to use every ounce of veteran savvy just to survive to the final bell.
The BKFC debut of ageless wonder Yoel Romero delivered a brutally efficient finish. Romero’s unparalleled athleticism made him elusive, vanishing before Doukas could even get a read on him. After a first round where Romero was admonished for an illegal jumping attack, he settled in and scored three knockdowns: the first with a jab, the final two with vicious left uppercuts. While his debut came at heavyweight, Romero announced plans to drop down to cruiserweight (205 lbs).
David Simpson’s crushing power shocked well-traveled South African Jeremy Smith. A right uppercut stunned Smith back to the ropes, followed by a right hook that forced him to shell up. Simpson swarmed, and the referee jumped in to wave off the fight via standing TKO.
The high expectations for Bobby Henry—given the destruction his brother Bryce Henry has delivered—were met. Henry starched Stash Kuykendall just 34 seconds into the second round with a clean jab-cross combination, the cross landing like a sledgehammer.
Chris Garcia responded appropriately to his first BKFC loss, sending Austin Lewis stumbling with a short right hand in the first round to score a quick comeback win.
Paulo Gomes bounced back from a point deduction for tripping to score two knockdowns and shut the left eye of Wayan Reid, earning a third-round TKO.
The highlight of the prelims was a scintillating 22-second standing knockout as Jancarlos Rivera left Zay Garcia frozen against the ropes from a right uppercut–left cross combination. In one of the promotion’s shallower divisions, Rivera is a name to watch at flyweight.
Nicholas Blume finally earned his first BKFC win in his third appearance. His physicality overwhelmed Dillon Blaydon, scoring two knockdowns in the first minute to end the bout early.
The night opened with Rudy Levocz earning a unanimous decision win over Justin Williams, including a knockdown en route to cruising into the winner’s circle.
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