Knucklemania VI Preview
BKFC is back in Philadelphia on February 7th making their 2nd appearance at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Headlining this highly anticipated card will be Big Ben Rothwell the reigning BKFC heavyweight champion taking on fellow former UFC fighter the 1-0 Andre Arlovski. That matchup has the writing on the wall already and that writing reads violence at its peak. The card doesn’t get any weaker as you look down at the fights that proceed it. In your co-main event you have the current light heavyweight champion Lorenzo Hunt(12-2) making the jump to a 210 pound catchweight. Up there he will face a seasoned combat fighter who has just about done it all that opponent would be none other than Yoel Romero. Yoel has seen the bright lights of BKFC just one time prior to this matchup where he’d won by 2nd round TKO.
Looking away from the 2 featured fights that are sure to be certified bangers. This card is riddled up and down with PA and Philly born talent making their returns to the bright lights of their hometown arena. Making the walk in Philly for the 2nd time you have names such as Cody Russell, Travis Thompson, Patrick Brady, Johnny Garbarino, Patrick Sullivan, Zedekiah Montanez, and Brandon Meyer. Talking to Cody Russell he credited wrestling as a great way to build self discipline and accountability. He predicted controlled chaos and notes that he is just really excited to get out there put on a show and leave it all out there.
Following up on the interviews I had done Patrick Brady came off as very confident for this upcoming fight. Patrick praised his opponent for being a 2-0 fighter in bareknuckle and said he’s a big body who’s got some weight to get off for their upcoming bout. Asking Patrick about his plans for the upcoming fight he said his style is to push forward and not back pedal. Finishing up that conversation with Patrick he said “You get hit with a Bare knuckle you have to be able to disengage that switch that says to back up or stop”. Looking into one of the featured fighters on the card Johnny “Canoli” Garbarino is eager to get back in the ring following some injury trouble. I had asked Johnny about the opportunity to fight back in his hometown he replied with “ This is the best arena I could ask for It’s Better than MSG bigger than t-mobile it’s my backyard, I’ve been dreaming of a moment like this since I was a baby boy”. A huge amount of gratitude leading into this fight we ended up continuing the conversation and Johnny stated “I’m 30 years old now headlining one of the biggest shows in bare knuckle history, Pennsylvania history, and the world of combat sports history”. Johnny plans to follow up this fight with a top 5 matchup leading hopefully into a title fight he said he doesn’t fight for the money he fights for the glory and records of it.
After a very productive media day I was given the opportunity to speak to former BKFC fighter and UGK gym owner Eddie Alverez. Eddie was head over heels excited for the upcoming card where he has former training partners and fighters that he’s currently training on the card. Eddie stated “Regardless whether I’m fighting or not I’m always involved in fighting.”
High praise from a Philly fighting legend who just loves the fight game itself and the people and relationships he’s gained from it. He followed that statement up with “For me not to be on a card fighting and for bare knuckle to come sell the venue out it proves that its bare knuckle itself that sells these events”. To Eddie he’s very content not being in the limelight and just wants this promotion and his fighters to grow and achieve the goals each have. When asking Eddie about bareknuckle coming back for the 2nd year in a row he exclaimed “I think our Philly fighters are some of the best in the world. It’s just a matter of being seen and exposed to larger audiences.”. Concluding our interview I had asked who Eddie believed would be a name to look out for and keep an eye on he had very high praise for Cody Russell and Johnny Garbarino going as far as saying “Johnny Garbs been on the rise. I think he’s a young talent who’s ready to take off at any point.”
So get your popcorn ready or tickets to be in attendance because this likely sell-out crowd is gonna be rambunctious and ready to see some violence. If you can’t make it out to the event then you can catch it live on BKFC.com, the official BKFC+ app, or other streaming partners like DAZN or TrillerTV.
-Photos and article by Matt Perretta/ Olde City Sports Network