Hunt Makes History at BKFC 91, Becomes Promotion’s First Three-Division Champion
History was made under the stars in Naples, Italy, as BKFC 91 delivered an unforgettable night of bare-knuckle action. Fittingly, the biggest moment belonged to Lorenzo “The Juggernaut” Hunt, who once again proved that adversity only fuels his greatness.
If there’s one constant throughout Hunt’s career, it’s that the toughest road always seems to find him. Whether by circumstance or design, Hunt has repeatedly overcome obstacles on his way to championship gold. On Saturday night, he added another remarkable chapter to his legacy, becoming the first fighter in BKFC history to capture titles in three different weight classes by claiming the inaugural Ironweight World Championship.
Hunt defeated hometown favorite Walter Pugliesi via fourth-round knockout (1:09) to add the Ironweight title to the Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight championships already on his résumé.
The Italian challenger fed off the energy of the partisan crowd, stunning Hunt with a crushing left hook less than 30 seconds into the opening round for an early knockdown. Pugliesi appeared to let the moment get the better of him, showboating while Hunt gathered himself and beat the count.
As the fight progressed, Hunt began finding his rhythm, opening cuts on Pugliesi with sharp combinations. The Italian answered back with heavy punches of his own, forcing Hunt into strategic clinches to survive another dangerous stretch. After a brutal third round that saw momentum swing both ways, Hunt closed the show in emphatic fashion. A devastating uppercut set the tone before a jab-cross combination and two more crushing uppercuts sent Pugliesi to his knees, where he was counted out. The victory cemented Hunt’s place in BKFC history as the promotion’s first-ever three-division world champion.
The co-main event crowned another inaugural champion as Jindrich Bytrus claimed the European Cruiserweight Championship with a second-round stoppage of Ernesto Papa. Despite being knocked down in each of the opening two rounds, Bytrus rallied with a perfectly timed right hand that forced Papa to take a knee. Papa’s corner elected to stop the fight before the third round began.
Tomas Melis also captured inaugural gold, stopping Toni Estorer just 25 seconds into the second round to become the first BKFC European Light Heavyweight Champion.
Elsewhere on the main card, Jimmy Sweeney stopped Nicholas Vescio in the second round after scoring an early knockdown and breaking Vescio’s nose with a short left hand. Leonardo Damiani completed a stunning comeback after surviving four knockdowns to defeat Andrea Bicchi when Bicchi was unable to answer the bell for the fourth round.
Dan Chapman erased a first-round knockdown by knocking out Marco Guistarini with a straight right just eight seconds into Round 2. Arbi Chakaev needed only 44 seconds to stop Dominik Herold with a counter right hook, while Gianni Melillo and Pawel Werszynin each earned first-round knockout victories over Dawid Chylinski and Ramy Elsayes, respectively.
On the preliminary card, Christian Sabbatini earned a unanimous decision over Charli Marta despite having a point deducted, Cristian Brinzan rallied to stop Marco Saccaro with a first-round right hook, and Gugliemo Gicco earned a gritty unanimous decision over Antonio Moscatiello.
From dramatic comebacks to devastating knockouts, BKFC 91 delivered throughout the night, but the event will forever be remembered as the night Lorenzo Hunt once again conquered adversity and etched his name even deeper into bare-knuckle history.
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