The worlds of combat sports and heavy metal music united with a powerful impact on Wednesday night at the highly anticipated inaugural Blood4Blood event, held at a sold-out Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL. This unique spectacle featured a dynamic combination of four must-see Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) bouts and electrifying performances from four prominent heavy metal bands, all broadcast live globally on The BKFC App.
Blood4Blood was a collaborative effort with Danny Wimmer Presents, serving as the kickoff to the renowned Welcome To Rockville four-day festival. This festival, celebrated as one of the nation’s premier rock, metal, and punk events, marked its 15th anniversary at the iconic Daytona International Speedway.
In the highly anticipated main event, professional bull rider Cameron Delano extended his BKFC record to a perfect 2-0. He achieved this by defeating Aleksandr “Alex The Terrible” Shikolai in the third round of their compelling light-heavyweight contest. Delano scored three knockdowns, while Shikolai also managed to send Delano to the canvas once before the bout was halted 29 seconds into the third round. Shikolai had earlier delivered an impressive performance, fronting his band Slaughter To Prevail, a prominent act in the heavy metal scene.
Following his victory, Delano, originally from Liberty, SC, expressed respect for Shikolai and directly challenged John “Johnny Cannoli” Garbarino. Delano stated, “Alex is a tough son of a (expletive). I knew we were going to go at it. I love it. I’m a huge fan. I want (expletive) Garbarino next! Stop (expletive) hiding! Come out and play!”
Shikolai, a fan favorite representing Yekaterinburg, Russia, shared his thoughts post-fight: “I lost. It sucks. But sometimes (expletive) happens. I feel sad, but at the same time I’m so (expletive) happy because we made this amazing event happen!”
The Blood4Blood event also featured captivating musical sets between fights from notable bands Black Label Society, Crowbar, and Malevolence.
Among the notable celebrities in attendance were BKFC Interim Cruiserweight Champion Esteban “Mohawk” Rodriguez, professional wrestling star Braun Strowman, and UFC fighters Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and former UFC heavyweight champion Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett. Barnett joined the BKFC broadcast team alongside Sean Wheelock and Chris Lytle for several of the fights.
In the co-main event, “Brutal” Jake Bostwick secured his second consecutive win, defeating Roderick “Ice Water” Stewart. The fight was stopped at 1:25 into the second round. Bostwick, based in Miami and hailing from Southeast London, England, now holds a BKFC record of 5-2-1. Stewart, from Abilene, TX, now stands at 2-3 in his BKFC career.
Two-time BKFC World Title Challenger Taylor “Killa Bee” Starling reached a 6-4 record in BKFC with her second consecutive victory against the resilient Sydney “Sundance” Smith in a women’s strawweight bout. The referee stopped the contest at 1:32 of the second round. Starling’s win makes her the third female fighter in BKFC history to compete in 10 or more bouts. Smith, from Charlottesville, VA, is now 1-4 after accepting the fight on short notice.
Yekaterinburg, Russia’s Sergey “Kratos” Kalinin made a significant impact in his BKFC debut during the opening fight of the night, stopping Brock “Alpha Dawg” Walker in just 66 seconds. Kalinin’s professional bare-knuckle fighting record now stands at 7-4. Walker, from Big Stone Gap, VA, moves to a 2-2 record.
Blood4Blood Results
- Cameron Delano def. Aleksandr Shikolay via TKO in Round 3 (0:29)
- Jake Bostwick def. Roderick Stewart via KO in Round 2 (1:25)
- Taylor Starling def. Sydney Smith via TKO in Round 2 (1:32)
- Sergey Kalinin def. Brock Walker via TKO in Round 1 (1:06)