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.
Time for the #BKFC debut for @PearlGonzalez. She faces @bkfcsweetheart
See #BKFC18 right now on #FITE: https://t.co/ZHjUl2Df79 pic.twitter.com/DgvPX5UhiT
— FITE (@FiteTV) June 27, 2021
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.
.@PearlGonzalez is successful in her #BKFC debut by winning a unanimous decision at #BKFC18.
Order now: https://t.co/ZHjUl2Df79 pic.twitter.com/ba7QRvGc1s
— FITE (@FiteTV) June 27, 2021
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
