BKFC KnuckleMania results and highlights: Dat Nguyen wins decision over Johnny Bedford to claim lightweight championship

Dat Nguyen took the BKFC lightweight championship from Johnny Bedford tonight at KnuckleMania, winning a tight, very competitive decision over five rounds on scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.

Live coverage for BKFC KnuckleMania continues here!

Bad Left Hook scored the fight 48-47 for Nguyen (3-0, 1 KO), a former pro boxer who had a record of 20-3 (7 KO) from 2004-17 and was known for good action. He was also a good amateur boxer, and used a lot of those tricks of the trade tonight, landing awkward combos that the MMA veteran Bedford (5-1, 3 KO)

“Johnny Bedford is a tough, tough guy, and he has the heart of a lion. I give him mad props,” Nguyen said after the fight. “We talk a lot of trash to build up the fight, but there’s no animosity between us two. We built this fight up so a lot of people would tune in to watch the two best people in the world.”

Asked if he’d be interested in giving Bedford a rematch, Nguyen didn’t really answer the question at all.

“Everybody gave me no shot, and I prove them wrong every time. Johnny motivated me and he saw what I could do,” he said. “If I have to fight [heavyweight champion] Joey Beltran next, then we’ll see a different Dat Nguyen, the best he can be. That’s a fight I want, I want to shoot for the stars!”

They also did a bit with Reggie Barnett Jr in the ring after the fight, with Nguyen saying fighting Barnett would be a step down. They did some pro wrestling-style talk, which is pretty typical. I’m sure it works for someone.

You can look at the punch stats and see just how close this fight was: