Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship events are known for their intense, often brutal action, a consequence of combatants exchanging blows without padded gloves. BKFC 78, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida, certainly delivered on that reputation, perhaps in a manner nobody anticipated during its co-main event.
The scheduled bout featured Andrew Strode facing Gee Perez in a highly anticipated matchup. However, the fight was brought to a sudden, medically enforced halt following a significant injury sustained by one of the competitors.
Following the conclusion of the second round of action, medical personnel attending to fighter Gee Perez identified a severe issue. Reports from ringside indicated that Perez had suffered a substantial injury to his left ear lobe, which was described as severed or hanging.
Upon examination before the planned commencement of the third round, the ringside doctor determined that the extent of the injury made it unsafe for Perez to continue the contest. Consequently, a medical stoppage was called, ending the fight prematurely.
While injury stoppages are a recognized part of combat sports, the official ruling in this particular instance sparked discussion. Typically, if a fighter is rendered unable to continue due to the direct result of legal strikes from their opponent, the outcome is recorded as a Technical Knockout (TKO) victory for the fighter who inflicted the damage. Andrew Strode was widely perceived to be in control of the fight leading up to the stoppage.
However, the official outcome announced was a No Contest. BKFC officials later clarified via social media that this ruling was mandated by the Florida Athletic Commission, citing the specific circumstances surrounding the injury assessment at that moment. This results in the rather unusual statistical anomaly where a fight, definitively stopped due to physical trauma inflicted during the contest, is officially recorded as if it never happened in terms of a win or loss for either participant.
For Gee Perez, the No Contest ruling technically prevents a loss from being added to his record, extending his recent unbeaten streak in combat sports, albeit under the most unfortunate of circumstances. Andrew Strode`s pursuit of another stoppage victory and maintaining a perfect BKFC record via earned wins was similarly impacted by the ruling.
The incident stands as a stark, if somewhat unsettling, reminder of the unique and often gruesome potential for injury inherent in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing, where the raw impact of fists on flesh can lead to outcomes rarely seen in gloved competition.
Marcus Blakely 
Wesley Dunham