Britain Hart has a knack for fighting without gloves.
Sanctioned bareknuckle boxing is still in its early dawn, but Hart fight-by-fight has carved herself a spot in the history books as she continues to largely dominate each opponent placed in front of her. Friday was no different as she defeated Melanie Shah in the BKFC 51 main event to retain the promotion’s strawweight title.
The event took place at Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va. and not only saw Hart win a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45), but also knock teeth out of the mouth of Shah (2-1) in the final two minutes of the bout.
TEETH ARE FLYING IN RD 5 🦷 pic.twitter.com/52KyuMrzro
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) September 30, 2023
The bout was Hart’s first of two scheduled less than two months apart. Should she be deemed healthy by doctors backstage after Friday’s bout, Hart will compete Nov.4 at BKFC Thailand 5 vs. Chisakan Ariphipat (2-0).
Hart’s title defense extended her winning streak to four and was her second title defense.
Additional bouts on BKFC 51’s main card included former UFC fighter Dustin Pague (3-1) vs. Joe Elmore (2-3), and Stanislav Grosu (3-2) vs. Blake LaCaze (1-4).
Check out the full results below:
MAIN CARD (FITE, 9 p.m. ET)
- Champion Britain Hart def. Melanie Shah via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – retains women’s strawweight title
- Dustin Pague def. Joe Elmore via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Stanislav Grosu def. Blake LaCaze via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:51
- Bruce Abramski def. Mark Culp via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:43
- Joseph Creer def. Ronnie Glass via TKO (body punch) – Round 3, 1:18
- Harris Stephenson def. Brian Maxwell via disqualification (illegal grounded strike) – Round 5, 0:29
- Brett Fields def. Kaine Tomlinson Sr. via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 1:39
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8 p.m. ET)
- Rick Caruso def. Landon Williams via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 1:43
- Ka’Sim Ruffin def. Daniel Gary via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:26
