Andrei Arlovski dethrones Ben Rothwell, wins BKFC heavyweight title

Philadelphia, PA (Feb. 7, 2026) – Andrei Arlovski dethroned BKFC Heavyweight World Champion “Big” Ben Rothwell in the Main Event of KnuckleMania VI on Saturday night in front of the sold-out crowd of 18,217 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Over two million viewers watched the free broadcast globally.

The ringside doctor called a stop to the contest at 1:14 of the third round due to bad cuts incurred by Rothwell. The Belarus-born Coconut Creek, FL product upped his BKFC record to 2-0 with the win. The former UFC heavyweight champion Arlovski also holds two MMA victories over Rothwell.

“The Pitbull” Arlovski was asked in his post-fight interview if he’d like to defend his BKFC Heavyweight World Title for the first time against undefeated Cuban sensation Leonardo “El Zambo” Perdomo: “I love what I do. Thank you very much to my family for letting me fight. So, like Nike — ‘just do it.’ ”

BKFC Light-Heavyweight World Champion Lorenzo “The Juggernaut” Hunt solidified his status as the best bare knuckle fighter on the planet by stopping BKFC Middleweight World Champion David “The Redneck” Mundell in their historic Co-Main Event matchup at a catchweight of 199lbs. on Saturday night. Mundell entered fight night as the #1 Ranked fighter on the BKFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings, and Hunt held the #2 spot. Hunt dropped Mundell twice before the knockout stoppage 29 seconds into the fourth round. Hunt, who represents Jacksonville, FL, upped his bare-knuckle fighting record to 13-2 with the win, while the Oldsmar, FL product Mundell fell to 10-2 in defeat, thereby snapping his eight-fight winning streak.

Hunt took aim at “Platinum” Mike Perry in his post-fight interview: “I am the true King of Violence!”

Undefeated Philadelphia middleweight Johnny ‘Cannoli” Garbarino Jr.dropped Kaine “Kaine 9” Tomlinson Jr. seven times to up his record to 4-0 with a fourth straight stoppage victory in Saturday’s Featured Fight. The one-sided contest was called to a stop 49 seconds into the fifth round. Tomlinson Jr., a product of Roanoke, VA, is now 2-3 under the BKFC banner.

Former BKFC Interim Lightweight World Champion Ben “The Bomber” Bonner earned another world title fight with his unanimous decision victory over Tony “Loco” Soto. Two judges scored the title-eliminator fight 49-46 and one scored the contest 48-47, all in favor of the Middlesbrough, U.K. product. Bonner is now 5-2 heading into his earned matchup with former BKFC Welterweight World Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout for the vacant BKFC Lightweight World Championship on a to-be-announced date.

Led to the ring by celebrated comedian/actor Shane Gillis, Philadelphia’s Patrick “The Brick” Brady upped his BKFC record to 3-0 with a hard-fought, unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Bear “The Last Barbarian” Hill in heavyweight action. Brady sent Hill to the canvas three times. He is now 3-0 after all three judges called him the winner of Saturday’s contest (50-42, 49-41, 49-43). Hill, who hails from Ardmore, AL, is now 2-1.

Brady announced his retirement in his emotional post-fight interview: “I have a family at home. I have three boys and a daughter, and they need their father. Philadelphia, it’s been great. I love you all, but this is the last time you’ll see me fight.”

On Saturday’s broadcast, BKFC Founder and President David Feldman unveiled the organization’s groundbreaking schedule for April, beginning with the inaugural Bare Knuckle Fight Club event on April 7 in Philadelphia. Hailed by Feldman as “the most viral series we’ve ever produced,” the eight-man, one-night tournament winners will be awarded $100,000 BKFC contracts. BKFC’s April schedule also includes events in Honolulu, HI (April 11), Denver, CO (April 17), Australia (April 18) and Clearwater, FL (April 24).

Here are some highlights from David Feldman’s post-event press conference.

“18,217 people in the house tonight. We started this thing about a half a mile away in a warehouse with one fight and four people. Tonight, we did 18,217. Thank you to the fighters and the fans. I also want to thank my team and thank my family and everyone that helped us get here.”

“Another great night here in Philadelphia. Some of the fights didn’t live up to expectations and some of them over delivered.”

Knockouts of the Night: Lorenzo Hunt and Cody Russell
Fight of the Night: Pat Brady def. Bear Hill

Former BKFC World Flyweight Women’s Title Challenger Jade “Evil Smile” Masson-Wong defeated Crystal “The Rugged Beauty” Pittman. All three judges scored the fight 50-45 for the Quebec City, Quebec-born Masson-Wong, who is now 4-2 in her BKFC career. Pittman, who hails from Sarasota, FL, is now 3-4, 1 NC under the BKFC banner.

Former BKFC World Light-Heavyweight Champion Mike “The Marine” Richman edged out Joe “Hitman 187” Elmore for a majority decision victory in their welterweight battle. Two out of the three judges called the Minneapolis, MN fighter Richman the winner (48-46, 49-45) and one judge scored the back-and-forth contest a draw (47-47). Richman logged the sole knockdown of the fight. Richman is now 7-3 in his BKFC career, while the Atlanta fighter Elmore is now 2-5.

Columbus, GA’s “Felony” Charles Bennett floored Pat “The Irishman” Sullivan twice en route to the second-round stoppage in their featherweight matchup. The finish came with just four seconds left in the second frame. Bennett is now 1-3 in the Squared Circle. Sullivan, a product of South Philadelphia, PA, is now 1-2.

Led by coach and combat sports legend Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, Westchester, PA’s Cody “Chaos” Russell cruised to 2-0 in his BKFC career with a technical knockout over Harrison “The Headhunter” Aiken in middleweight action. Time of the stoppage was 1:16 of the second round and followed three knockdowns by the hands of Russell. Both of Russell’s wins have come by stoppage. Aiken, who hails from Atlanta, is now 3-5 in his bare-knuckle career.

Philadelphia lightweight “King” Zedekiah Montanez avenged his KnuckleMania V loss to Brandon “Beastmode” Meyer with a second-round knockout victory in their hotly anticipated rematch on Saturday. Montanez scored three knockdowns to the finish with just one second left in the second round. Montanez is now 1-1 in his BKFC career, while the Omaha, NE product Meyer is now 3-4.

Undefeated Levittown, PA cruiserweight Lex “The Grizzly Bear” Ludlow upped his BKFC record to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Zack “Shark Attack” Calmus. All three judges scored the fight 30-26. Calmus, a product of Gloucester, MA, is now 5-5 under the BKFC banner.

BKFC Golden Ticket winner Prince Nyseam was victorious in his hotly anticipated BKFC premiere, sending Brett “Showtime” Shoenfelt to the canvas twice en route to a unanimous decision in their middleweight matchup. All three judges agreed on the 30-25 verdict in favor of the debuting Camden, NJ product Nyseam. Shoenfelt, who represents Holidayburg, PA, was also making his bare knuckle fighting debut.

Pembroke, NC’s Joshua “The Preacherman” Oxendine shined in his BKFC debut, earning a unanimous decision victory over his highly experienced opponent, Travis “The Animal” Thompson, in the opening bout of the night. All three judges agreed on the 30-27 verdict. Thompson, who hails from Pottstown, PA, is now 6-8 under the BKFC banner.

KnuckleMania VI Results

Andrei Arlovski def. (C) Ben Rothwell via TKO in Round 3 (1:14) – Arlovski Wins BKFC World Heavyweight Title
Lorenzo Hunt def. David Mundell via KO in Round 4 (0:29)
John Garbarino def. Kaine Tomlinson Jr. via TKO in Round 5 (0:49)
Ben Bonner def. Tony Soto via Unanimous Decision (49-46×2, 48-47)
Patrick Brady def. Bear Hill via Unanimous Decision (50-42, 49-41, 49-43)
Jade Masson-Wong def. Crystal Pittman via Unanimous Decision (50-45×3)
Mike Richman def. Joe Elmore via Majority Decision (48-46, 49-45, 47-47)
Charles Bennett def. Pat Sullivan via TKO in Round 2 (1:56)
Cody Russell def. Harrison Aiken via TKO in Round 2 (1:16)
Zedekiah Montanez def. Brandon Meyer via KO in Round 2 (1:59)
Lex Ludlow def. Zach Calmus via Unanimous Decision (30-26×3)
Prince Nyseam def. Brett Shoenfelt via Unanimous Decision (30-25×3)
Joshua Oxendine def. Travis Thompson via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)