Robbie Peralta vs. Ruben Warr: BKFC Fight Night Pechanga: Robbie Peralta vs. Ruben Warr: Picking the winners

BKFC Fight Night Pechanga: Robbie Peralta vs. Ruben Warr: Picking the winners

Modified Jul 10, 2024 16:31 GMT

BKFC Fight Night Pechanga takes place this Friday, and will be headlined by a lightweight contest which pits Robbie Peralta against Ruben Warr. Meanwhile, the co-main event features Fernando Gonzalez and Rodney Thomas locking horns in a light heavyweight contest.

Elsewhere on the main card are the likes of Danny Pettit and Van Vo, who clash at featherweight. Various other fights across multiple weight classes provide further excitement for fans of bare-knuckle boxing, with the event taking place at Pechanga Resort Casino.

Fans can certainly expect and entertaining card. Here are some predictions for the event.

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#1. Lightweight: Robbie Peralta vs. Ruben Warr

Robbie Peralta and Ruben Warr are fairly unknown names to fight fans who aren't familiar with the bare-knuckle boxing world, given how much attention former UFC welterweight Mike Perry has taken from his fellow BKFC fighters. However, Peralta and Warr are established competitors.

Both are former mixed martial artists who come from distinctive backgrounds, with Peralta's base style being Taekwondo, while Warr is a kickboxer by trade. On the surface, he would seem better equipped for bare-knuckle boxing, given the limited boxing mechanics in Taekwondo.

The martial art typically does not incorporate pivoting off of tight angles, has little punching above the neck besides an occasional backfoot, and requires significant space and time to throw kicks with power and leverage. A kickboxer is, in most cases, a more effective boxer.

During their MMA runs, neither man impressed to a noticeable degree, with Peralta going 19-9, and Warr going 12-12. In BKFC, though, Peralta has found more success and has more experience. He has scored three wins in four bare-knuckle boxing bouts.

Warr, by contrast, is 1-1 under the BKFC banner. Given Peralta's experience and general success in combat sports relative to Warr, he is more likely to emerge victorious on Friday.

The Prediction: Robbie Peralta via split-decision

#2. Light heavyweight: Fernando Gonzalez vs. Rodney Thomas

Unfortunately, there's little information about the matchup and not a lot of footage on Rodney Thomas in particular. However, the light heavyweight bout has been given the distinction of being the co-main event of the evening. Fernando Gonzalez is the more well-known fighter of the two.

Gonzalez is not only an MMA fighter, but he is one with a fairly storied record, having fought in Bellator and even Strikeforce, which yielded countless top fighters. Back then, he was a welterweight, but achieved underwhelming results as a mixed martial artist, racking up a record of 29 wins and 20 losses.

Moreover, Gonzalez has already competed in both boxing and bare-knuckle boxing, being victorious in the former and losing in the latter. Still, that experience must count for something, especially compared to a complete unknown in Thomas.

Due to his edge in experience and the sparse footage there is on Thomas, Gonzalez is certainly the favorite.

The Prediction: Fernando Gonzalez via unanimous decision

#3. Featherweight: Danny Pettit vs. Van Vo

Danny Pettit is a boxer at heart. He doesn't deal in kicks, knees, elbows, and especially not grappling. More than anything, though, the 34-year old is a bare-knuckle boxer, having competed twice in the sport.

His most recent outing saw him score a third-round stoppage over Dylan Felion, indicating that he has some respectable punching power. Van Vo, his scheduled opponent, though, is a subpar fighter. The MMA fighter has a shocking 4-11 record, and has never competed for a reputable promotion in the sport of MMA.

As a bare-knuckle boxer, he has fared even worse, and is currently winless in three tries, with one loss being a third-round stoppage. Besides his poor run as a fighter, he is also 40 years old. Given his rough patch, winless record in BKFC, and age, he is very likely to lose to the younger Pettit.