Last Friday, the gloves were off for the second installment of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (WBKFF).
Just three of the total 11 fights went the distance. Here that means five two-minute rounds.
Chris Leben, one of the original “Ultimate Fighters,” handled another UFC veteran Phil Baroni inside of one round. Leben, whose last professional fight came at UFC 168 where he called it a day on the stool, looked worse for wear. At the weigh-ins, his neck was particularly stiff. And fighting, he had a painful, rickety hitch to his step.
Baroni, a waterlogged 42-year-old, happened to be a perfect target. Less than a minute into the opening period, he threw a short blow to his man’s midsection, but was immediately met with sweeping left hook:
Chris Leben vs. Phil Baroni
Chris Leben snapped a four-fight losing streak by defeating Baroni #BareKnuckleBoxing#WBKFF pic.twitter.com/miEj2umZAZ
— The112 (@_The112) November 10, 2018
Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks was also in action. After demonstrating otherworldly power punching in 4-oz gloves—crushing Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch in seconds—Hendricks had a chance to perhaps absolve his bad reputation among fight fans since skipping VADA testing.
His late-notice opponent Dakota Cochrane, though, didn’t play along. Having previously competed in Bellator and Titan FC, Cochrane stopped Hendricks in two rounds:
Dakota Cochrane def. Former UFC Champion Johny Hendricks
via. KO – (Rd. 2 – 0:21)#WBKFF @WBKFF📺- Live now on @FiteTV pic.twitter.com/Dq54sJWcGt
— Mikey Thomas (@MikeyThomasMMA) November 10, 2018