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BKFC 91 Results: Lorenzo Hunt Makes History While Claiming Another Title

Lorenzo Hunt becomes the first three-division champion in BKFC history by stopping Walter Pugliesi
Jaren Kawada|
Lorenzo Hunt (right) landing a body shot on Walter Pugliesi (left) in the BKFC 91 main event.
Lorenzo Hunt (right) landing a body shot on Walter Pugliesi (left) in the BKFC 91 main event. | BKFC

If he had not done so already, Lorenzo Hunt might have just cemented himself as the greatest bare-knuckle boxer of all-time at BKFC 91.

The 43-year-old Hunt entered BKFC 91 with the most BKFC title fight victories of all-time, as well as the most knockouts in promotional history. He is now the first-ever three-division bare-knuckle champion with another stoppage win over Walter Pugliesi in Italy.

Hunt entered the fight as the 2-1 favorite, but it did not seem that way in Arena Flegrea, as the Florence crowd fully backed their tattoo-covered fighter. None of that mattered to 'The Juggernaut,' who ended the night with yet another hard-fought championship victory.

Lorenzo Hunt makes history in BKFC 91 main event

After all the heat they built up during fight week, Hunt and Pugliesi lived up to expectations in the ring. The fight was nonstop action from beginning to end, with each fighter scoring a knockdown before Hunt ultimately closed the show in the fourth frame.

In what has now become his M.O., Hunt was badly hurt in the first round and had to earn his victory the hard way. He landed just two punches in the opening stanza to Pugliesi's 30 and hit the canvas early courtesy of a left hook.

While Pugliesi looked well on his way to pleasing the home crowd early, his output slowed significantly in the second and third rounds, allowing Hunt to settle into his timing and catch up on the scorecards.

The pressure reached a boiling point early in the fourth round, when 'The Juggernaut' forced Pugliesi onto a knee with a flurry of hooks. Referee Dan Miragliotta instructed 'The Kraken' not to take another knee, but waved the fight off seconds later after the fighter did just that.

Hunt improved to 14-2 and re-established himself as an active two-division champion. He is the inaugural BKFC ironweight champion and used his post-fight microphone time to call out Mike Perry for the second consecutive outing.

Jindrich Byrtus pulls off wild comeback win over Ernesto Papa

Following the BKFC 91 theme of comeback victories, Jindrich Byrtus took the long road to winning his first bare-knuckle title. The 21-year-old tasted the canvas twice in the opening round before scoring a late knockdown of his own and forcing Ernesto Papa to retire on the stool.

Byrtus was the slight favorite but struggled with Papa's counter-punching and seemed out of the fight early. Instead, the Czech fighter used his length to force Papa onto his knee with a timely right hook that ended up being the deciding blow.

Byrtus is now the youngest titleholder in BKFC history, though he continues his pursuit of a world championship. He unsurprisingly called out interim cruiserweight champion Esteban Rodriguez after the win.

Tomas Melis bulldozes Toni Estorer to win European title

In the first European title fight of the night, Tomas Melis was the only BKFC 91 fighter to win a belt without struggle. Despite being an underdog to Dominik 'Toni' Estorer, Melis made it look easy and battered the former boxer.

Estorer towered over the 5-foot-10 Melis, but it did not matter, as the Slovak easily closed the distance and kept the fight in his range. Melis floored Estorer with a massive overhand right in the first round before closing the show with a similar punch in the second period.

Melis, now 6-0, remains undefeated in the BKFC with three consecutive first- or second-round knockouts. The 29-year-old can expect to be ranked in the promotion's top five at the next update.

BKFC 91 Results

Main card

Lorenzo Hunt def. Walter Pugliesi by TKO in Round 4 (1:09) — for the inaugural BKFC ironweight title

Jindrich Byrtus def. Ernesto Papa by TKO (retirement) in Round 1 (2:00) — for the BKFC European cruiserweight title

Tomas Melis def. Toni Estorer by TKO in Round 2 (0:25) — for the BKFC European light heavyweight title

Enzo Tobbia vs. Danny Christie ends in no contest (illegal choke) — middleweight

Jimmy Sweeney def. Nicholas Vescio by TKO in Round 2 (0:22) — lightweight

Leonardo Damiani def. Andrea Bicchi by TKO (retirement) in Round 3 (2:00) — light heavyweight

Dan Chapman def. Marco Giustarini by KO in Round 2 (0:08) — featherweight

Arbi Chakaev def. Dominik Herold by KO in Round 1 (0:44) — cruiserweight

Gianni Melillo def. Dawid Chylinski by TKO in Round 2 (0:47) — light heavyweight

Pawel Werszynin def. Ramy Elsayes by KO in Round 1 (1:04) — light heavyweight

Prelims

Cristian Sabbatini def. Charli Marta by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27) — lightweight

Christian Brinzan def. Marco Saccaro by KO in Round 1 (1:12) — middleweight

Guglielmo Gicco def. Antonio Mosciatello by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) — featherweight

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Jaren Kawada
JAREN KAWADA

Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.

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