Keith Richardson is back in the ring on February 28 when he faces Bekhzod Usmonov atop BKFC Fight Night at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, NM. The pair square off in a five-round bare-knuckle boxing bout at bantamweight.
The 41-year-old Richardson (5-1) of Long Island, NY targets his second straight victory. The Rock Hill, SC-based former champion returned to winning ways in December with a 21-second stoppage of Michael Larrimore.
Usmonov (1-1) competes in the BKFC for the first time in 16 months, since stopping Trevor Loken in the third round. In his previous fight overall, last October, the native of Kurkat, Tajikistan dropped a unanimous decision to Justin Wetzell. Last March, the 29-year-old suffered a defeat by majority decision against Zygimantas Ramaska at The Ultimate Fighter 32.
“This is our fifth event in Albuquerque, NM, where we’ve promoted some of the company’s biggest and highest-attended events,” said BKFC President David Feldman. “Our main event between Keith Richardson and Bekhzod Usmonov features two of the most exciting fighters in BKFC. Additionally, our undercard includes numerous top bare-knuckle fighters from New Mexico and Texas.”
Also on the card is a middleweight bout between newcomer Bryant McClain of Rio Rancho, NM and Roderick Stewart (0-2) of Abilene, TX. New Mexico’s Lorenzo Coca (0-1) and Texas’ Ruben Arroyo (0-1) battle it out at lightweight.
Eric Dodson (3-2) makes his hometown ring appearance against Van Vo (1-3) of Kettering, OH at featherweight. Oklahoma’s Lamont Stafford (1-0) fights Murat Kilimetov (1-0) at cruiserweight. Derek Perez (2-4) of Belen, NM and Rick Caruso (2-4) of Princeton, West Virginia clash at bantamweight.
Isaiah Garcia (0-1) of Moreno Valley, CA and Justyn Martinez (1-4) of Kansas meet at flyweight. Manuel Otero (1-0) and Braxton Smith (1-0) go head-to-head in a battle of Texas-based heavyweights.
New Mexico native Will Albrecht (1-1) takes on Brett Fields (1-2) of Indiana at light heavyweight. Local Kyle McElroy (2-4) goes up against Jay Jackson (4-3) of Bay City, MN at light heavyweight.
The current BKFC Albuquerque lineup is as follows:
- Keith Richardson vs. Bekhzod Usmonov
- Donald Sanchez vs. Harrison Aiken
- Bryant McClain vs. Roderick Stewart
- Lorenzo Coca vs. Ruben Arroyo
- Eric Dodson vs. Van Vo
- Murat Kilimetov vs. Lamont Stafford
- Derek Perez vs. Rick Caruso
- Isaiah Garcia vs. Justyn Martinez
- Manuel Otero vs. Braxton Smith
- Will Albrecht vs. Brett Fields
- Kyle McElroy vs. Jay Jackson