BKFC Fight Night Bethlehem: Petersen, Schultz Score Comeback Wins in Sold-Out Debut
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship made its Bethlehem, Pennsylvania debut on October 9, 2026, packing the Wind Creek Event Center for BKFC Fight Night Bethlehem. The sold-out event streamed worldwide on the BKFC app and drew more than 1.7 million live viewers on TikTok.
In the main event, Ryan “Ryu” Petersen rallied from a brutal opening-round assault to stop previously unbeaten in the squared circle, Gregoris “Venezuelan Viper” Cisneros with just one second remaining in the first round. Petersen improved to 4-2 under the BKFC banner and immediately called for a showdown with undefeated welterweight Bryce “Baba Yaga” Henry.
Sean “LayKo” Schultz delivered another major upset in the co-main event, dropping previously unbeaten Lex “Grizzly Bear” Ludlow three times before securing a stoppage with 13 seconds left in the opening round.
The featured bout saw Antonio “The Mexican Muscle” Castillo Jr. recover from an early knockdown to score a second-round knockout over BKFC newcomer Jay Haas. Elsewhere, Douglas Lobasso and hometown favorite Michael “The Bethlehem Brawler” Liberto both made impressive debuts with first-round stoppages.
Travis “The Animal” Thompson made history by becoming just the third fighter to reach 15 BKFC appearances, earning a unanimous decision over Nicky Burgos. Maurice Morris also impressed in his debut, scoring two knockdowns en route to a dominant decision victory over Lewis Rumsey.
The card also featured a 16-second knockout by Christian Torres, a 21-second heavyweight finish from Brian Newman, Marisol Ruelas’ first BKFC victory by unanimous decision, and Nathaniel James’ second-round comeback knockout over Marc Worthington in the opening bout.
With dramatic comebacks, multiple knockdowns, and a pair of undefeated records shattered, BKFC’s Bethlehem debut delivered an action-packed night of bare-knuckle fighting.
Fight Card
- Welterweight: Ryan Petersen (4-2) def. Gregoris Cisneros (5-3) by TKO (1:59) R1
- Cruiserweight: Sean Schultz (1-1) def. Lex Ludlow (4-1) by KO 1:47 R1
- Lightweight: Antonio Castillo Jr. (1-1) def. Jas Hass (0-1) by KO 1:45 R2
- Middleweight: Douglas Lobasso (1-0) def. Justin Walter (1-3) by TKO 1:24 R1
- Light-Heavyweight: Mike Liberto (1-0) def. Jojo Schillizzi (0-2) by KO (Right Hook) 1:59 R1
- Bantamweight: Travis Thompson (7-8) def. Nick Burgos (0-3) by (49-46×3) Unanimous Decision
- Ironweight: Maurice Morris (4-2) def. Lewis Rumsey (2-6) by (50-43 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Welterweight: Christian Torres (3-6) def. Brett Shoenfelt (0-2) by KO (Right Hook) 0:16 R1
- Heavyweight: Brian Newman (1-0) def. Mark Culp (0-2) by TKO (Left Hook) 0:21 R1
- Women’s Flyweight: Marisol Ruelas (1-2) def. Taylor Danger (0-1-1) by (29-28×2, 30-27) Unanimous Decision
- Heavyweight:Nathaniel James (1-0) def. Marc Worthington (0-1) by KO (Jab) at 0:32 R2
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