UFC and Invicta veteran Pearl Gonzalez made her bareknuckle debut on Saturday evening against Charisa Sigala, and looked fantastic.
BKFC 18 took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., airing on FITE TV.
Gonzalez (1-0 BKFC) took control of the action from the onset by letting her hands fly early and often. Working behind a left jab, she put together frequent combinations throughout the opening round, all but shutting down any effective offense from Sigala (0-2 BKFC).
The second round was similar to the first, with Gonzalez throwing and landing frequent punches as Sigala tried to find a way to close the distance. Outside of a few single punches landed, Sigala struggled to find answers for her opponent’s pressure.
The fight continued to play out in a similar fashion over the next three rounds, as Gonzalez’s distance management proved too difficult for Sigala to overcome to put together consistent combinations to change the course of the fight.
The judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of Gonzalez, with identical scores of 50-45, impressing in her bareknuckle boxing debut.
“I’m not a brawler, I’m a mixed martial artist,” Gonzalez said during her post-fight interview.
“I’m learning to be a boxer and I’m gonna come in here and show technique and skill, and every f*cking day, I’m getting better. Watch the f*ck out!”
Up-to-the-minute results of BKFC 18:
-
Pearl Gonzalez def. Charisa Sigala via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
-
Julian Lane def. Jake Bostwick via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 48-45)
-
Jarod Grant def. Travis Thompson via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 4, 0:35
-
Eddie Hoch def. Bruce Lutchmedial via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
-
Steve Herelius def. Juan Torres via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
-
Francisco Ricchi def. Brian Maxwell via TKO – Round 2, 1:25
-
Montaser Aboughaly def. Luke Parson via knockout – Round 1, 0:34
-
Famez def. Paul Teague via knockout – Round 1, 0:17
-
Yosdenis Cedeno def. Alan Arzeno via split decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)
-
Eduardo Conception def. Gabriel Brown via knockout – Round 1, 0:05