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Uncasville, CT (June 14, 2025) – Surging heavyweight contender Parker Porter improved to 2-0 with a jaw-dropping, come-from-behind knockout over Dillon “Bad Boy” Cleckler in the Main Event of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) Fight Night on Saturday night at the sold-out Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
The West Hartford, CT product picked himself up off the canvas and rallied for the stoppage at 1:08 of the opening round of their back-and-forth heavyweight showdown. Both of Porter’s wins have come by first-round finish.
“We’re not just out here to have fun. We’re here to climb the rankings; I want to take a run for that belt. I want to scrap for that strap,” Porter told at the jam-packed Mohegan Sun.
The former BKFC Heavyweight World Title challenger Cleckler, who hails from Pensacola, FL, is now 3-2 under the BKFC banner.
In Saturday’s Co-Main Event, heavyweight standout Josh “Stay Down” Watson smashed his way to 4-1 in the Squared Circle with a fourth straight stoppage victory over veteran Yorgan “The Mad Titan” De Castro. The knockout came with just seven seconds remaining in the opening stanza.
The heavy-handed Las Vegas heavyweight called for his shot at undefeated BKFC Heavyweight World Champion “Big” Ben Rothwell in his post-fight interview: “He can get knocked out just like anyone else!” De Castro, who hails from Fall River, MA, is now 1-1 under the BKFC banner.
Saturday’s event aired LIVE globally on The BKFC App.
In Saturday’s Feature Fight, JR “The Hurricane” Rumley made a BKFC premiere to remember as the Bassett, VA product stopped the previously unbeaten “Irish” Brennan Ward in the third round of their action-packed middleweight showdown. Rumley sent the fan favorite Ward to the canvas twice to earn the finish at :34 of the third frame. Ward, who represents New London, CT, is now 1-1.
Cranston, RI light-heavyweight Gary “Batman” Balletto was victorious in his BKFC premiere when his opponent, Rodney Thomas was unable to answer the bell at the beginning of the second round. Balletto is the son of former boxing champ Gary “Tiger” Balletto. The Glendora, CA fighter Thomas is now 1-3.
Springfield, MA’s Pat “The Gorilla Ninja” Casey defeated John “Doomsday” Howard via technical knockout when the ringside doctor called a stop to their middleweight bout at the conclusion of the opening round. Casey upped his BKFC record to 2-2 with the win. Howard, a product of Boston, was making his BKFC debut.
Montrose, CO middleweight Sergio “The Savage” Lopez earned his first BKFC victory with a third-round stoppage at the expense of Rick “Genghis” Hawn, a former member of the United States Olympic judo team and two-time Bellator MMA tournament champ. Hawn, who represents Plaistow, NH, is now 1-1.
Worcester, MA bantamweight “Slick” Sito Navarro improved to 3-1 with a decision victory over Quintan “The Hitman” Foye. Two judges scored the fight 50-45, while one had it 49-46, all in favor of Navarro. Foye, who hails from Greenville, NC, sees his record move to 1-4 with the loss.
Taunton, MA’s Randy “The Zohan” Costa won big in his BKFC premiere against Nicky “No Holds Barz” Burgos in the featherweight division. Costa recorded a pair of knockdowns to the knockout stoppage with just one second left in the opening stanza. The Brooklyn, NY fighter Burgos is now 0-2.
Abington, MA lightweight Peter “Slippery Pete” Barrett turned heads in his BKFC debut, dropping Nash “The Ghost” Diederichs twice en route to the first-round finish. Time of the stoppage was 1:30 in the opening stanza. Diederichs, who hails from Saskatoon, SK, Canada, moves to 1-2.
Marble, TX’s Ishiah “Hill Country Strangler” Carson needed just 15 seconds to record a technical knockout victory over Jared “Lenny” Lennon in bantamweight action. Carson and the Lowell, MA product Lennon are both now 1-1.
Tewksbury, MA’s Joseph “JGP” Peters was victorious in his BKFC premiere in the first fight of the night, stopping Drew “Hard Body” Nolan in the first round of their light-heavyweight matchup. Peters sent Nolan to the canvas once, resulting in the stoppage victory with 14 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Nolan, who represents Buffalo, NY, is now 1-3.
BKFC Fight Night Mohegan Sun Results
Parker Porter def. Dillon Cleckler via KO in Round 1 (1:08)
Josh Watson def. Yorgan De Castro via KO in Round 1 (1:53)
JR Rumley def. Brennan Ward via TKO in Round 3 (0:34)
Gary Balletto def. Rodney Thomas via TKO in Round 1 (2:00)
Pat Casey def. John Howard via TKO in Round 1 (2:00)
Sergio Lopez def. Rick Hawn via TKO in Round 3 (0:30)
Sito Navarro def. Quintan Foye via Unanimous Decision (50-45×2, 49-46)
Randy Costa def. Nicky Burgos via KO in Round 1 (1:59)
Peter Barrett def. Nash Diederichs via KO in Round 1 (1:30)
Ishiah Carson def. Jared Lennon via TKO in Round 1 (0:15)
Joseph Peters def. Drew Nolan via TKO in Round 1 (1:46)
