Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) returned earlier tonight (Fri. May 20, 2023) with its BKFC 43 event in Omaha, Nebraska. It was nowhere near last month’s star-studded affair, but damn if the main event between Houston Alexander (4-0) and Jeremy Smith (3-1) didn’t turn out to be one of the most insane fights I’ve ever witnessed.
Yes, that’s the very same Houston Alexander of UFC fame, the one who knocked out Keith Jardine in 2007! Now 51 years of age, Alexander entered the squared circle with a perfect 3-0 bare knuckle boxing record, having most recently knocked out Joey Beltran.
He started plenty strong against South Africa’s Jeremy Smith. Despite his age, Beltran was the faster man and sharper boxer, repeatedly sticking Smith with a powerful jab. Smith tried to walk his foe down with big hooks and overhands, but Beltran did well to evade and continue landing heavy shots.
A couple rounds into the fight, Beltran’s face was clean, whereas the primary narrative became whether or not the doctors would allow Smith to continue. His eye was swelling shut nastily, and he was closely examined before both the third and fourth rounds. The end seemed imminent, but Smith was allowed to continue.
The tide began to turn in round three, as Alexander started to slow but Smith continued to press and get closer on his wide swings. In the fourth, however, something ridiculous happened. Smith found an avenue to victory: hanging onto a single-collar tie and wailing away at Alexander’s body! Relentlessly, he battered the ribs of the older man, landing dozens and dozens of continuous punches to the body.
Alexander couldn’t move or escape the onslaught, but he didn’t quit either. In the fourth and fifth, he absorbed an absurd amount of shots, still making it to the final bell.
The scorecards were up in the air, but Alexander was announced the victor following this absurd main event war. He definitely won the first half of the fight, but it was still somewhat surprising not to see any 10-8 rounds in the latter half, when Smith basically had him stranded and helpless in a sea of body shots.
Whatever the cards, it’s remarkable to see Alexander fighting at his age and still going to war!
Insomnia
Paulo Costa fights are never real until “Borrachinha” is inside the cage!
Jim Miller and Jared Gordon is a great scrap between Lightweight veterans.
USADA confirms that Conor McGregor is back in the testing pool!
Nothing like a bit of chaos featuring an audience member!
Just to clear I have no idea what actually happened here, but they definitely pulled one of these guys out of the crowd.
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 19, 2023
Some drama between PFL/WSOF and its investors regarding the plans for PFL Africa …
The Nogueira brothers have been acknowledged for “providing free tutoring, jiu-jitsu training, food, and accessories to over 8,500 children in Brazil.”
Urijah Faber shows off his submission chaining on a robot!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Boxing and MMA don’t really have rules. There are guidelines, and knowing when they do and do not apply is what makes fighters great.
Coming out swinging isn’t a bad plan when fighting on short-notice. At least it eliminates the cardio question!
Young Cro Cop gets put down by body shots:
Random Land
Anyone pregnant and looking for inspiration?
I’ve come across A LOT of good 17th- and 18th-century Quaker names over the past 3.5 years, as I’ve worked on my thesis. Now that my thesis is done and submission is near, it’s time to share the more than 90 wildest early Quaker names I’ve found (in alphabetical order): pic.twitter.com/Qj18jPELMI
— Isabella Rosner (@IsabellaRosner) May 16, 2023
Midnight Music: RIP The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
