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BKB Super Cruiserweight World Champion Julian Fernandez defends his title against Dan Podmore
Cecy Ulloa meets Andy Nguyen for the vacant BKB Super Flyweight World Championship
Tickets are on sale now for BKB's historic Mexico debut on September 19, in partnership with Zanfer Promotions.
TIJUANA, MEXICO (August 6, 2026) – BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, the world's largest professional bare knuckle boxing organization, today announced two world title fights for its historic Mexico debut on Saturday 19th September 2026, live from Tijuana in partnership with Zanfer Promotions, Latin America's premier boxing promoter. Tickets are on sale now via bkb59.com.
David Tetreault, CEO of BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, said: "Our Mexico debut deserves nothing less than two world championship fights, and that's exactly what fans in Tijuana are getting on September 19. Julian Fernandez defending his title in his hometown is the statement we wanted to make in this market, and crowning a new Super Flyweight World Champion on the same night, with Cecy Ulloa fighting for it in her home country, makes this an unforgettable night for Mexican combat sports fans."
Fernando Beltran, Founder and President of Zanfer Promotions, said: "Mexican fans want to see champions fight for titles, and that's what BKB is delivering right out of the gate. Julian Fernandez defending at home, and a new world champion being crowned in the co-main, gives our fans two reasons to fill the arena on September 19. This is the start of something big for bare knuckle boxing in Mexico."
In the main event, BKB Super Cruiserweight World Champion Julian Fernandez puts his title on the line in front of a hometown crowd against former three-division BKB champion Dan "Big Pod" Podmore, while the co-main event will see the vacant BKB Super Flyweight World Championship decided, as Mexico's own Cecy Ulloa takes on Andy "The CrAsian" Nguyen.
Fernandez (2-0 BKB, 3-0 overall bare knuckle) enters the defense on the back of a first-round knockout of Alex Wilson at BKB 53 and will have the full weight of a Mexican crowd behind him for his first world title defense on home soil. The son of former professional fighter Pedro "Pitbull" Fernandez, the Tijuana native turned pro in 2016, went on to capture a National Boxing Championship in Mexico, and carries a 16-4 professional boxing record into the bare knuckle ranks, where he has yet to hear the final bell in three fights.
Standing across the Trigon from Fernandez will be Podmore, a longtime BKB veteran and former BKB Heavyweight, Bridgerweight, and Cruiserweight World Champion who dropped his last title to Marko Martinjak. The Birmingham fighter arrives off a TKO win over Jarome Hatch at BKB 55: Carnage in Cardiff and brings a 9-4 bare knuckle record and championship pedigree across three weight classes, making him one of the most dangerous challengers Fernandez has faced.
In the co-main event, Ulloa gets the chance to win a world title in her home country. The Puerto Vallarta native and gym owner brings 18 years of combat sports experience and a 2-1 (1 NC) BKB record into the bout, having been ranked the No. 1 flyweight in bare knuckle boxing as recently as 2019. A switch-stance fighter equally comfortable boxing at range or brawling on the inside, Ulloa will look to make history in front of her countrymen.
Opposite her is Nguyen, combat sports' first professional Vietnamese-American female fighter and a three-time King of the Cage atomweight champion, who made the move to bare knuckle after a decorated MMA career. The South Carolina-based Nguyen enters with a 1-1 BKB record and the experience of a veteran who has shared the ring and cage with some of the toughest competition in the sport, giving her every belief she can leave Tijuana as champion.
Tickets for BKB's Mexico debut are on sale now via bkb59.com.
Event Details
BKB: Bare Knuckle Boxing in Tijuana
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Location: Tijuana, Mexico
Main Event: Julian Fernandez (c) vs. Dan Podmore – BKB Super Cruiserweight World Title
Tickets: On sale now via bkb59.com.
ABOUT BKB: BARE KNUCKLE BOXING
BKB: Bare Knuckle Boxing is a global combat sports property staging premium live events across the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Built on raw, authentic competition, BKB delivers world championship bare knuckle boxing to fans through a growing slate of live events and broadcast partnerships, including distribution via VICE TV, talkSPORT, and Telemundo.
ABOUT ZANFER PROMOTIONS
Zanfer Promotions is Latin America's premier boxing promoter, having staged many of the most significant events in the history of Mexican boxing and guided the careers of some of the sport's most celebrated Mexican champions.
