Combat sport’s new sensation puts on another great performance at BKFC 16. The main event, Leonard Garcia vs Joe Elmore, lived up to the hype with five rounds of straight heart. In this article, fights you need to see will be discussed as well as the retirement of Leonard Garcia.
Fights Worth Searching
Melvin Guillard vs Scott O’Shaughnessy
The return of MMA brawler Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard was made at BKFC 16. Melvin landed a hard right quickly, but Scott O’Shaughnessy responded with a right of his own, knocking Guillard back to the padded post but not on the ground. O’Shaughnessy continued with strikes as Melvin covered his head.
O’Shaughnessy was landing punches while Melvin’s rear-end was five inches from the floor. The referee controversially called an end to the match by technical knockout. Each commentator thought a knockdown should have been ruled. “The Young Assassin” has now lost both fights in his small bare-knuckle career.
Arnold Adams vs Bobo O’Bannon
The first Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship heavyweight champ, Arnold Adams, made his return noticed. Adams was using his dirty boxing while in the clinch. His style was effective, even before O’Bannon was able to get set, he ate an uppercut.
After a low blow from Adams, the first round continued. Using pressure, the past champ was able to get O’Bannon to the ropes and get the knockdown. Bobo stood up toward the end but the ref had seen enough. Arnold Adams’s record moves to 4-1 after BKFC 16, and the title shot has to be close.
Reggie Barnett Jr. vs. “Chop Chop” Demarcus Corley
BKFC 16 was fortunate to have another professional boxer, Demarcus Corley, debut in the bare-knuckle ring. This fight was pretty sloppy because Reggie Barnett Jr. was not allowing much separation. Through two rounds, Barnett is still not slowing down, and Corley is only landing when space was available.
The next two rounds were more entertaining with Barnett landing heavy punches at the ropes. Corley was landing punches as well, but not slowing Barnett Jr. down. Then Demarcus decides to quit for unknown reasons before the final round begins. This awkward win at BKFC 16 does make Reggie Barnett Jr. the new leader in bare-knuckle wins with six.
Main Event
Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia vs Joe “Hitman” Elmore
More of a one-sided fight, but not from lack of effort. Leonard Garcia must have planned to retire because he never stopped moving forward. Taking nothing away from Joe Elmore who showed true warrior status to survive the first round. Also, he was able to return damage of his own.
Garcia was landing more significant punches. However, the left eye of Garcia was swollen shut by the end. There was blood all over the canvas by the end of the fifth. It was such a great performance to end the night from true veterans of combat sports.
After the fight, Leonard Garcia expressed his love for the sport but had decided to retire. He talked about originally signing a three-fight contract with BKFC. However, this win over Joe Elmore was beating the best in his opinion.
The Career of Leonard Garcia
Leonard Garcia started his MMA career on May 5, 1999, in Texas. His first UFC fight was against Roger Huerta at UFC 69: Shootout. This UFC run was only for three fights.
The next step in Leonard Garcia’s career was in World Extreme Cagefighting or WEC. One big fight in WEC was the controversial win over “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. However, we did see the rematch at UFC Fight Night 24 when he lost by submission via twister.
After a five-fight losing streak, Garcia was released by the UFC. He was quickly signed by Legacy Fighter Championship and won three straight. Then lost two more times by submission which for sure is his weakness. Garcia took just over four years off before signing with BKFC.
Now, Leonard Garcia will end his career with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 2-1. His street fighter-style seems to work better in bare-knuckle. Maybe the “Bad Boy” career would have prospered if bare-knuckle started in 1999.
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Featured Image Credits to BKFC
