The unprecedented fusion of combat sports and heavy metal music culminated spectacularly at the first-ever Blood4Blood event, held at the packed Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL. The night featured an electrifying lineup of four must-watch Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) bouts interspersed with powerful performances from four of the most prominent heavy metal bands, all broadcast live globally on The BKFC App.
Promoted in collaboration with Danny Wimmer Presents, Blood4Blood served as the electrifying launchpad for the renowned four-day Welcome To Rockville festival. This premier rock, metal, and punk festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary, took place at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.
In the highly anticipated main event, Professional Bull Riders star Cameron Delano extended his BKFC record to 2-0, decisively defeating Aleksandr “Alex The Terrible” Shikolai in the third round of their intense light-heavyweight contest. Delano scored three knockdowns, while Shikolai also managed to send Delano to the canvas once before the bout was officially stopped 29 seconds into the third round. Notably, Shikolai had earlier delivered a stunning performance as the lead singer of the iconic band Slaughter To Prevail.
Following his victory, Delano, originally from Liberty, SC, expressed his respect for Shikolai and issued a direct challenge to John “Johnny Cannoli” Garbarino, stating, “I want (expletive) Garbarino next! Stop (expletive) hiding! Come out and play!”
Shikolai, a crowd favorite representing Yekaterinburg, Russia, reflected on his loss with mixed emotions, saying, “I lost. It sucks. But sometimes (expletive) happens. I feel sad, but at the same time I’m so (expletive) happy because we made this amazing event happen!”
The Blood4Blood event also showcased impressive musical sets from Black Label Society, Crowbar, and Malevolence between the fights.
Notable celebrities in attendance included BKFC Interim Cruiserweight Champion Esteban “Mohawk” Rodriguez, professional wrestling star Braun Strowman, UFC fighter Anthony “Lionheart” Smith, and former UFC heavyweight champion Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett. Barnett joined the BKFC broadcast team alongside Sean Wheelock and Chris Lytle for several of the matchups.
In the co-main event, “Brutal” Jake Bostwick secured his second consecutive BKFC win, defeating Roderick “Ice Water” Stewart at 1:25 of the second round. Bostwick, based in Miami and hailing from Southeast London, England, now holds a 5-2-1 record in the BKFC Squared Circle. Stewart, from Abilene, TX, now stands at 2-3 in his BKFC career.
Taylor “Killa Bee” Starling, a two-time BKFC World Title Challenger, reached her sixth BKFC victory against the determined Sydney “Sundance” Smith in women’s strawweight action. The referee stopped the fight at 1:32 of the second round, marking Starling’s second consecutive win. With this fight, Starling became only the third female competitor in BKFC history to have participated in 10 or more bouts. Smith, from Charlottesville, VA, now has a 1-4 BKFC record after accepting the fight on short notice.
Making a formidable debut, Yekaterinburg, Russia’s Sergey “Kratos” Kalinin stopped Brock “Alpha Dawg” Walker in just 66 seconds in the opening bout of the night. Kalinin’s victory brought his overall bare-knuckle fighting record to 7-4, while Walker, from Big Stone Gap, VA, now sits at 2-2.
Blood4Blood Results
- Cameron Delano def. Aleksandr Shikolay via TKO in Round 3 (0:29)
- Jake Bostwick def. Roderick Stewart via KO in Round 2 (1:25)
- Taylor Starling def. Sydney Smith via TKO in Round 2 (1:32)
- Sergey Kalinin def. Brock Walker via TKO in Round 1 (1:06)