Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) marked its highly anticipated debut in Hawaii on Saturday night with a memorable event at the sold-out Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The event, BKFC Fight Night Honolulu, saw impressive performances and exciting finishes.
In the main event, former BKFC Middleweight World Title challenger Doug Coltrane secured a decisive victory over local favorite Maki Pitolo. Coltrane stopped Pitolo with just one second remaining in the opening round, marking a successful return to the win column for Coltrane and his fourth career BKFC win. Following the bout, Coltrane called out Marcus Edwards for his next fight.
The Co-Main Event featured Joseph Creer extending his streak of stoppage victories to three, defeating Keali’i Kanekoa in a light-heavyweight bout. The ringside doctor halted the fight at the end of the third round, giving Creer his sixth BKFC victory. This was Kanekoa’s first appearance in the Squared Circle.
In other notable fights, Toby Misech overcame two first-round knockdowns to defeat Charles Bennett via unanimous decision in a featherweight clash. Misech also scored two knockdowns of his own, earning a 47-44 score from all three judges. Justin Cornell made a strong BKFC debut, stopping Zach Zane in the second round of their welterweight bout. Chris Inocencio also impressed in his debut, needing only 75 seconds to defeat Jovan Alayon in their lightweight contest.
Molokai, HI’s Namakana Pakala secured a narrow unanimous decision victory over Chris Cisneros in a light-heavyweight bout that saw a total of six knockdowns. Randy Kamaiopili Jr. dominated his BKFC debut, dropping Shiro Hitto six times en route to a second-round TKO. Hazel Naheinaena took a decision victory against fellow Waianae fighter Kat Rabellizsa, while Maika Samson stopped Nalu Cenal in the second round with two knockdowns. Nick Saragosa rallied from a knockdown to secure a second-round knockout over Kaylan Gorospe. Joseph Calarruda won a unanimous decision against Fatu Tuitasi, with Calarruda scoring two knockdowns. Jerome Macalino also had a stunning first-round knockout victory in his debut over Pono Enos. The historic first BKFC fight in Hawaii saw cruiserweight Vince Aragona make a swift impression, knocking down Simeon Crawford twice for a quick first-round stoppage.
BKFC Honolulu Results:
Doug Coltrane def. Maki Pitolo via KO in Round 1 (1:59)
Joseph Creer def. Keali’i Kanekoa via TKO in Round 3 (2:00)
Toby Misech def. Charles Bennett via Unanimous Decision (47-44×3)
Justin Cornell def. Zach Zane via TKO in Round 2 (1:01)
Chris Inocencio def. Jovan Alayon via TKO in Round 1 (1:15)
Namakana Pakala def. Chris Cisneros via Unanimous Decision (45-44×3)
Randy Kamaiopili Jr. def. Shiro Hitto via TKO in Round 2 (0:27)
Hazel Naheinaena def. Kat Rabellizsa via Unanimous Decision (29-28×2, 30-27)
Maika Samson def. Nalu Cenal via KO in Round 2 (0:32)
Nick Saragosa def. Kaylan Gorospe via KO in Round 2 (1:30)
Joseph Calarruda def. Fatu Tuitasi via Unanimous Decision (30-25×3)
Jerome Macalino def. Pono Enos via KO in Round 1 (1:54)
Vince Aragona def. Simeon Crawford via KO in Round 1 (0:36)