BKFC 11 Odds and Picks: Vallie-Flagg vs Palomino

• BKFC 11 goes down on Friday, July 24th at 8:00 PM EST
• Who emerges as the inaugural BKFC 155 lb champion?
• Check out the main and co-main event odds, my Broughton’s rules analysis, as well as my predictions below
  

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BKFC 11 emanates from Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena in Oxford, Mississippi. The card will broadcast for free on both the Bare Knuckle TV app as well as BKFC’s Youtube channel. The bare-knuckle boxing promotion will be putting on it’s first show since February. BKFC 11 will have some fans in attendance but at a reduced capacity. The main event attraction sees Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Luis Palomino toe the line and knuckle up. The winner of this bout has the honorable distinction of becoming BKFC’s first-ever titlist at 155 lbs.

BKFC 11 Odds

Odds as of July 23

Isaac Vallie-Flagg’s Road to the BKFC Title

Isaac Vallie-Flagg’s multi-year road to this title bout is cinematic in how his story unfurled. Vallie-Flagg last fought in MMA August 2016 and went through a competitive hiatus that saw him immersed in well-documented issues with drugs/ the law.

Then Vallie-Flagg decided to make some lifestyle choices and after making his bare-knuckle debut in late-2018, he has put together a three-fight winning streak. Vallie-Flagg is unbeaten in BKB and is poised to potentially make history by capturing a world championship. His last fight saw him halt Melvin Guillard who has held titles in bare-knuckle and had a notable experience advantage over Vallie-Flagg heading in.

Luis Palomino’s Road to BKFC 11

Luis Palomino is perhaps best known to MMA fans for his pair of barbaric barnburners in WSOF against now UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Speaking of burning though, Palomino’s bare-knuckle boxing journey saw him jump right into the fire. As a BKB debutant, Luis Palomino stepped into the promotion’s 155 lb title tournament. Palomino defeated Elvin Brito on his side of the bracket and logged the unanimous decision victory at BKFC 10. Both men seem laser-focused and are looking at placing BKFC’s shiny, brand new belt on their mantle after this one.

A look at the new Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship welterweight title#BKFC11 pic.twitter.com/nZPUvnpX3E

— MyMMANews (@MyMMANews) July 22, 2020

Vallie-Flagg vs Palomino was not the initially scheduled title bout though. As Palomino won his side of the tournament bracket, Jim Alers emerged victorious on the other side of the tourney. Unfortunately, someone close to Jim Alers was found to have COVID-19 and as a precautionary measure, Alers pulled out of the bout. Vallie-Flagg was made privy to this opportunity around three weeks out from fight time and immediately jumped at it. It has been close to a year since he has competed in BKFC but Vallie-Flagg’s regular training regime is emblematic of the phrase “if you stay ready, you don’t need to get ready”.

Vallie-Flagg vs Palomino Tale of the Tape

Despite the short notice turn around for Vallie-Flagg, this is still quite the even match on paper. The parity for this title fight is reflected in the odds table above. All of that being said, I lean slightly more in the direction of Isaac Vallie-Flagg for this one.

Pick: Isaac Vallie-Flagg (-120)

Main Card Picks for BKFC 11

1. Frank Tate vs Dillon Cleckler: Both men have won the majority of their MMA fights via some form of stoppage. As the two heavyweight sluggers ready to make their bare-knuckle boxing debuts, it’s safe to say the judges likely won’t be getting involved. I feel Cleckler has far more momentum heading into this one.  I see him stopping Tate via some form of highlight-reel KO that will be shared en masse on social media. Pick: Dillon Cleckler (-260)