BKFC 87 Fighter DQ'd After Breaking Opponent's Nose With Illegal Spinning Backfist

Sabah Homasi's bare-knuckle career has not gotten off to the start he imagined.

Eleven months after suffering his first loss, Homasi returned on the main card of BKFC 87, looking to rebound against local fighter Leonel Carrera. The fight got off to the quick start everyone had hoped for, with both fighters doing damage to each other before Homasi ended it in the second round with a thudding spinning backfist that broke Carrera's nose.

The only problem was that spinning backfists are illegal in boxing, gloves or not. Instead of a highlight-reel knockout, Homasi went home with a disqualification loss, despite splitting Carrera open.

The disqualification drops Homasi to 1-2 in BKFC, a disappointing start for a fighter who appeared to be made for the sport. The 37-year-old transitioned to bare-knuckle boxing after compiling a meager 17-12 MMA record, though he quickly became a fan favorite for his all-out brawling style during his stints with the UFC and Bellator.

The result visibly frustrated Homasi, who fell victim to his old MMA habits. 'The Sleek Sheik' took nearly a full year off after his last loss to hone his bare-knuckle skills and re-emerged at BKFC 87 with longtime friend and American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier in his corner.

Conversely, Carrera improved to 3-2 with the win, including 3-1 in his last four fights. The lifelong martial artist has fought exclusively in Florida since making his BKFC debut in April 2022 and has won all three of his fights as an underdog.

Sabah Homasi's DQ loss sparks flurry of reactions

Homasi's loss led to a wide array of reactions from combat sports fans. Some argued that the strike should be legal in a sport as brutal as bare-knuckle boxing, while others approved of Homasi's disqualification.

Regardless, nobody was happy with the way the fight ended.

"Spinning backfist prolly shouldn't be illegal in this sport, but I feel you," @NotShakeCarter tweeted.

Stealthsamurai2 wrote: "It's an illegal blow period. It's you're responsibility as a fighter to know the rules and he broke the rules period."

"Weak a** s***. Sabah was destroying him."

"Homasi always doing stupid s***," wrote @Sweeegu.

"In BARE KNUCKLE F***ING BOXING????" wrote s@slapdaddy69.

While the specific terms of Homasi's contract remain confidential, he likely has at least one more opportunity to prove himself in the sport. The New Jersey native has only fought three times in the 15 months since he made his BKFC debut in December 2024.