BKFC Announces Full ‘Bruise Cruise’ Fight Card Featuring Kai Stewart

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The first-ever fight card to take place on a live cruise ship is finally official.

Now just three months away, the BKFSea Bruise Cruise is about ready to set sail on its three-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The cruise has been in the works for nearly a year and now has an official fight card locked in.

BKFC featherweight champion Kai Stewart headlines the event in a title fight rematch against No. 2-ranked contender Bryan Duran, the promotion announced on Tuesday. Stewart vs. Duran 2 tops an initial seven-fight card for the Jan. 23, 2027, event.

Stewart, the promotion’s No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, just fought in August, notching his fifth successful title defense with a unanimous decision win over Harry Gigliotti at Fenway Park.

Duran fought one month later, improving to 9-1-1 with a dominant decision win over Felony Charles Bennett.

Stewart and Duran initially met on June 21, 2024, in the former’s second title defense. ‘King’ outlanded ‘El Gallo’ 127-91 and scored a knockdown in the fourth round to sweep the scorecards. Stewart remains the only fighter to beat Duran, who is 3-0-1 since that fight.

British welterweight George Thorpe is currently featured in the co-main event against Australian Josh Kuhne. Although he is 1-1 in his last two fights, Thorpe is coming off a big upset win over previously undefeated Leigh Cohoon to earn the spotlight.

Kai Stewart and Harry Gigliotti

BKFC champion Kai Stewart (right) landing a punch on Harry Gigliotti (left) at Fenway Park | BKFC

Kuhne just made his bare-knuckle debut in April but is already 2-0 after fighting in each of the BKFC’s first two events in Australia. The 35-year-old lives up to his ‘Kamikaze’ nickname, with both of his knockouts coming in under one minute.

Featherweight prospect Nathan Rivera also returns on the undercard, where he will seek a rebound victory over the unpredictable Brandon Meneses. Once viewed as the biggest threat to Stewart’s title reign, Rivera is coming off one of the biggest statistical upset losses in bare-knuckle boxing history to Tray Martin at BKFC Nashville.

The seven-fight card is set to receive a few adjustments in the coming months before the Norwegian Jewel leaves the port. The BKFC previously announced its first six fighters who would be competing in the event, a list that included lightweight Cole Ferrell, who is not yet part of the card.

As it currently stands, view the full seven-fight BKFSea Bruise Cruise card below.

BKFSea Bruise Cruise fight card

(C) Kai Stewart (10-0) vs. Bryan Duran (9-1-1), for the BKFC featherweight title

George Thorpe (3-1-1) vs. Josh Kuhne (2-0), welterweight

Julio Perez (4-2) vs. Gabriel Mota (2-3), ironweight

Joey Gambino (2-0) vs. Matt Denning (1-1), featherweight

Stephen Townsel (6-6) vs. Brady Mesiter (3-3), ironweight

Nathan Rivera (5-1) vs. Brandon Meneses (3-2-1), featherweight

Gustavo Balart (1-0) vs. Justyn Martinez (2-6), flyweight

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