He banged.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) kicked off its 2026 season last night (Sat., Jan. 17, 2026) inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, delivering plenty of violence — but it was the Welterweight title fight between champion Julian Lane and Dustin Pague that stole the show.
Pague floored Lane in the opening round with a vicious left hook, threatening an early finish. However, “Let Me Bang” lived up to his nickname, rallying over the next four rounds by landing heavy, crowd-pleasing
shots that bloodied Pague and opened a nasty gash on his face.
After five hard-fought rounds, the judges rendered a draw, sending the BKFC 86 main event into overtime.
The extra round was razor-close and appeared to be swinging in Lane’s favor — until disaster struck in the final five seconds. Pague landed a looping punch that rocked Lane just as the horn sounded, sealing the win and crowning him the new BKFC Welterweight champion.
Following the fight, BKFC Founder and President David Feldman announced he would like to see an immediate rematch between Lane and Pague.
Check out some highlights below:
Lane, who became an MMA meme during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) before reinventing himself in bare-knuckle boxing, saw his five-fight win streak snapped. That run included victories over Cameron VanCamp and Gorjan Slaveski to capture the vacant title.
Meanwhile, Pague — a former UFC Flyweight with six Octagon appearances (and a run on TUF) — has transitioned seamlessly to bare-knuckle boxing. He now owns a 7-2 BKFC record, the Welterweight title, and a three-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere on the BKFC 86 card, another TUF veteran delivered a highlight-reel finish when Rico DiSciullo knocked out Ashton Caniglia with a brutal right hand.
For more bare knuckle boxing news and updates click here.
