Littered with a host of ex-UFC talent, last night’s BKFC 82 card brought with it a rather unique pre-fight note.
Seeing former Octagon stars Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens turn in a five-round war en route to a brutal finish in their King of Violence title clash, BKFC 82 delivered in their trip to Newark.
And earlier in the night, Michael Trizano would turn in his own devastating 20-second knockout win, before former top bantamweight challenger Jimmie Rivera needed three rounds to stop Timmy Mason.
However, in a sizable cruiserweight clash, a certain former Octagon contender drew the attention of eagle-eyed fans.
- LATEST NEWS — Conor McGregor agrees to fight Mike Perry as rival overcomes BKFC firing threat to land comeback win
Karl Roberson fights with ankle monitor during BKFC debut
Making his first outing under the BKFC banner overnight, former UFC light heavyweight challenger Karl Roberson met with Oluwale Bamgbose in an eventual second-round stoppage loss.
However, sporting an ankle monitor in relation to a 2023 arrest for his alleged part in a burglary, theft, and criminal mischief, Roberson caught the attention of fans across social media — who commented on the unique moment.
“Lmaooo classy,” A user posted on X.
Reacting to the unique moment, current UFC flyweight contender Casey O’Neill described the incident involving Roberson as “crazy”, writing, “Nah this is CRAZYYYYYY.”
A third commenter tongue-in-cheek, reacted to the image of Roberson sporting an ankle monitor, writing, “What in the UKMMA is going on here?”
The BKFC’s official X account also reacted to the image of Roberson preparing to compete with his ankle monitor in tow, commenting, “Hell yeah.”
Hitting out at BKFC for booking Roberson despite the nature of his arrest, one commenter claimed the promotion was similar to The Jerry Springer Show, writing, “It really is the Jerry Springer Show of combat sports. I’m calling a top on BKFC. They’re just about where they’re gonna end up.”
BKFC 82 produces another historic moment
Earlier in the night’s action, BKFC promoter David Feldman was left awestruck off the back of a first-ever unique knockdown in the promotion.
In a lightweight pairing of Jmani Oliver and Irakli Ghvinjilia, the duo produced a promotional-first double knockdown during an exchange.
Going on to land a decision win over Ghvinjilia, Oliver would touch the canvas first during the barrage, before the former would stumble forward and place his hand on the canvas, resulting in his own knockdown.