Conor McGregor’s marquee BKFC 81 event kept the crowd inside the AO Arena entertained. Throughout the night, Manchester combat sports fans got to witness some truly violent scraps. However, the event itself was far from smooth. A few hiccups turned some heads. Still, expectations were high for the Matty Floyd vs James DeGale headliner, which became the most controversial bout of the night.

The Aussie boxer and the Brit showed their bad intentions from the very first minute of the first round. Floyd, in particular, proved highly aggressive with volume, but his opponent was slightly more precise. By the end of the round, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say it was decently competitive, with neither fighter holding a clear advantage. However, the fight became even more interesting in the second round.

After the intense opening round, the Aussie bike rider turned boxer headbutted James DeGale, forcing the referee to intervene and separate them. But that’s not all. As the action moved forward into the later rounds, more chaos followed. Then came the illegal strikes and a 4-point deduction, which completely killed the momentum.

Add to the illegal strikes the many stops and breaks the referee had to call because of constant clinching, we have a lackluster main event that did not carry the momentum it started off with. Still, British fans can rejoice that their man got his hand raised in the end.

As James DeGale has made the shift in his career from boxing to bare-knuckle, many might not see it as a huge leap. But the winner of the BKFC 81 main event actually described it as a completely different experience compared to traditional boxing.

BKFC 81 winner opens up on fighting without gloves

For the unversed, ‘Chunky’ is one of the veteran boxers who has shared the ring with names like Chris Eubank Jr. and Badou Jack. So, many believed the Brit’s experience wouldn’t change much inside the BKFC ring. However, contrary to popular belief, DeGale revealed that his experience of fighting without gloves was indeed a very different one.

At the post-fight interview, DeGale said, “I’ll tell you what it is, it’s bare knuckle. It’s boxing, but it’s slightly different. I’ll tell you what it is, the holding, and punching is crazy. But I’ll tell you what—I’m 1-0 bare knuckle. And that’s all that matters, motherf–er. JD second coming.”

The British boxer also appeared to be moving differently compared to his boxing bouts. He further opened up about how his opponent wouldn’t last even two rounds in a traditional boxing match with that performance. He added, “Do you know he was tough. He was game, that’s in boxing, that’s his best move. Holding the back of the head, then uppercuts. He always gets sworn. In a boxing fight, he won’t last two rounds. So, I thought let me have a bare knuckle and make it more even.”

Well, after such a chaotic exchange, it’s understandable that DeGale would still carry some animosity toward his opponent. But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the veteran boxer might carve out a solid career in BKFC after such a showing. That said, do you think BKFC 81 delivered the entertainment fans were hoping for? Let us know in the comments section below.