This weekend's Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) event features a strawweight title clash between Britain Hart and Taylor Starling. BKFC 63 features a 10-fight billing that goes down on Aug. 3, 2024, at Legendary Sturgis Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, South Dakota.
Reigning queen Hart wields the strength of a four-fight win streak and an 8-3 record under the BKFC banner. She won the organization's inaugural strawweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Charisa Sigala at BKFC 29. Since then, she has defended her throne twice with dominant wins over Jenny Clausius and Melanie Shah.
Starling, on the other hand, is coming off a victory over Jenny Clausius that overturned a two-fight losing skid. She also holds a 1-1 professional MMA record and will be keen on capturing the strawweight title in the upcoming assignment.
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Round 1
Both fighters fired off with immediate aggression. They swing back and forth with ferocious combinations targeting the body and head. Hart pressures her opponent against the ropes and almost drops Starling with a thunderous right hand. What a thrilling start to the fight!
Our Score: 10-9 Hart
Round 2
Long jabs land for Hart as she peppers her opponent with solid strikes. Starling lands a hard counter right hand but Hart smothers the punch with ease. Both fighters seem to have slowed down their output recognizing that this fight can go the distance.
Our Score: 10-9 Hart
Round 3
Hart gets the better of her opponent every time she gets in range. Starling sticking and moving better as the fight progresses. Hart steals the round in the final seconds with a series of punches that stagger her opponent.
Our Score: 10-9 Hart
Round 4
Hart counters Starling's overhand right with a crisp left hook. Starling investing in the body work but Hart counters off the back foot with the lead hand. A wild exchange in the closing moments seals the fate of the round.
Our Score: 10-9 Starling
Round 5
Sporting touch of hands to kick off the final round of what has been a thrilling contest so far. Hart opens up with jabs to the body. Plenty of feints from both fighters as they try to close the distance. A right hand from Starling lands above Hart's jab. A spirited exchange at the end with sloppy punches concludes the competitive affair.
Our Score: 10-9 Starling
Official Result: Britain Hart retains the strawweight title with unanimous decision scores of 48-47, 49-46, 48-47