Borshchev overpowered Brito, Salamov swiftly stopped Suarez at IBA Bare Knuckle's US debut
Viacheslav Borshchev and Alan Salamov marked the first IBA Bare Knuckle event in the United States with victories in the two most important fights of the evening. In the main event, Borshchev defeated former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship champion Elvin Brito by unanimous decision after five rounds, while Salamov stopped Markus Suarez by technical knockout in the first round of the co-main event. The event was held on July 18, 2026, at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, and according to the official IBA report, nine fights took place. The card represented the sixth event under the IBA Bare Knuckle banner and the organization's first attempt to present its platform directly to American audiences, fighters, and business partners. The stakes were therefore greater than the individual results: Miami was supposed to show whether a project launched outside the United States could find room in a market where established bare-knuckle boxing organizations were already operating.
In the main event, Borshchev faced an opponent with experience at the very top of American bare-knuckle boxing. Brito became the first welterweight champion in BKFC and arrived in Miami as a fighter highly familiar with the pace of short rounds, close-range combat, and the specific demands of bouts without traditional boxing gloves. Borshchev, on the other hand, brought experience from professional kickboxing and mixed martial arts into this format, including appearances in the UFC. The UFC's official website states that before fully committing to MMA, he compiled a professional kickboxing record of 18 wins and two losses, which explains why his striking profile was one of the central elements in the promotion of the fight. Against Brito, he did not pursue a quick finish at all costs, but accumulated enough clean and convincing work across all five rounds for all three judges to award him the victory.
Borshchev passed the test against the former BKFC champion
According to the official IBA announcement, the main event was scheduled for five two-minute rounds in the division up to 75 kilograms. Such a format leaves little time for cautiously assessing an opponent, because every lost minute can have a significant effect on the judges' scorecards. Against Brito, Borshchev had to balance aggression with distance control, particularly because the Puerto Rican had already shown that he could withstand hard exchanges and win long bare-knuckle fights. According to his BKFC profile, Brito won the inaugural welterweight title by split decision against Kaleb Harris, so his arrival in Miami had more than promotional value and provided Borshchev with a credible competitive test. The unanimous decision after the full ten minutes of fighting is therefore more significant for the Russian striker than an ordinary debut victory: it was achieved against an opponent whose professional identity was already closely associated with bare-knuckle boxing.
The IBA did not publish the individual scorecards or detailed striking statistics in its official report, so it is not possible to reliably quantify Borshchev's advantage from round to round. The outcome nevertheless shows that this was not a narrow split decision, but a performance the judges considered sufficiently clear in favor of the debutant. For Borshchev, it opens a new competitive opportunity after a career in which he moved between kickboxing and MMA, while the result is useful for IBA Bare Knuckle because the main event was won by a name recognizable to part of the UFC audience. At the same time, Brito's participation gave the bout sporting substance that the promotional debut would not have possessed had Borshchev faced an inexperienced opponent. The organization can now build the continuation of his bare-knuckle career on a victory over a former champion, although a potential contender status or title fight has not yet been officially announced.
Salamov finished the job in the first round
While the main event provided a full test for the judges, the co-main event ended abruptly. Alan Salamov stopped American veteran Markus Suarez by technical knockout in the first round of a bout scheduled for three two-minute rounds in the division up to 84 kilograms. The IBA presented Salamov as an undefeated MMA fighter, while Tapology listed his professional record before the Miami appearance as seven wins and no losses. That background suggested that the 26-year-old fighter from Vladikavkaz would bring athletic freshness and experience from competing under a broader set of rules, but against Suarez he did not need a lengthy adjustment. The early technical knockout gave him one of the most striking victories of the entire evening and immediately placed him among the names the organization could quickly return to its program.
Suarez entered the event with BKFC experience, where he had already encountered the physical and tactical demands of fighting without gloves. According to his official profile with that organization, after losing his debut he sought a quick rematch against Drew Nolan, which speaks to a fighter accustomed to an aggressive competitive approach. Salamov, however, did not allow him to turn that experience into control of the bout. The official report does not provide the exact time of the stoppage or a description of the finishing sequence, so the available information confirms only that the referee stopped the fight during the first round. Precisely because complete statistics are unavailable, the individual details should not be exaggerated, but the sporting message remains clear: Salamov finished an experienced opponent before the first break.
Salamov's next appearance has not been officially confirmed, nor has a ranking system been published that would precisely indicate how much the victory over Suarez moves him closer to a title fight. Nevertheless, on an evening designed to introduce new faces to the American market, no fighter delivered a faster message.
Fortuna won on debut, six of nine fights ended by stoppage
The program in Miami did not rely solely on the final two fights. Former professional boxing world champion Javier Fortuna defeated Alejandro Munera by unanimous decision in his first recorded professional bare-knuckle appearance. During his boxing career, the Dominican won WBA titles at featherweight and super featherweight, and his inclusion on the card demonstrated the organizers' intention to attract recognizable names from the traditional ring alongside MMA veterans. The bout was announced for five two-minute rounds at up to 70 kilograms, and Fortuna, like Borshchev, had to complete the full distance before his victory was confirmed. Unlike the spectacular knockout that often accompanies marketing expectations surrounding a former world champion, the unanimous decision offered a more realistic picture of adapting to a new discipline.
Stoppages dominated the remainder of the card. George Sosa defeated Coty Cook by technical knockout in the third round, Louis Brewington stopped Ivanieldo Mettendaf in the second, and Alex Cook defeated Kendrick Miree by technical knockout in the third round. Wayna Reid finished Imani Smith by technical knockout in the second round, while Micah Mitchell defeated Lazaro Lara after Lara's corner stopped the fight. Diego Romo of Ecuador was the third fighter of the evening, alongside Borshchev and Fortuna, to win by unanimous decision; his opponent was Freddy Saavedra. When Salamov's stoppage and the five finishes on the undercard are included, six of the nine officially recorded fights ended before the scheduled distance.
Official results of IBA Bare Knuckle 6:
- Viacheslav Borshchev defeated Elvin Brito by unanimous decision
- Alan Salamov defeated Markus Suarez by technical knockout in the first round
- Javier Fortuna defeated Alejandro Munera by unanimous decision
- George Sosa defeated Coty Cook by technical knockout in the third round
- Louis Brewington defeated Ivanieldo Mettendaf by technical knockout in the second round
- Alex Cook defeated Kendrick Miree by technical knockout in the third round
- Wayna Reid defeated Imani Smith by technical knockout in the second round
- Diego Romo defeated Freddy Saavedra by unanimous decision
- Micah Mitchell defeated Lazaro Lara after a corner stoppage
Fighters from the United States, Russia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Ecuador appeared on the card. In this way, IBA Bare Knuckle attempted to connect internationally recognizable names with fighters associated with the American scene, while Miami was a logical location for such a lineup because of its strong Latin American and Caribbean influence.
Jon Jones as host, former UFC champions at the commentary desk
A large part of the event's public recognition rested on Jon Jones, the official ambassador and host of the evening. Jones is a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion and one of the most famous names in the history of mixed martial arts. His role in Miami was not competitive, but promotional: the IBA positioned him as the public face of the project as it entered the American market. He was joined on the broadcast by former UFC heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, as well as longtime combat sports commentator Mike Goldberg. Such a lineup clearly targeted viewers who had followed the UFC for years but might not yet have developed an interest in the IBA's version of bare-knuckle boxing.
Velasquez and dos Santos shared one of the most important trilogies in the history of the UFC heavyweight division, while Goldberg was a recognizable voice of MMA broadcasts for years. The IBA thus gave the new brand a production framework familiar to American audiences, although long-term success will depend on the quality of the cards, transparency of results, and continuity of events.
The venue's official website announced a 7 p.m. local start and highlighted Jones, Brito, Borshchev, and Fortuna as the leading names. After the event, the IBA did not publish an official attendance figure or financial indicators, so the evening's commercial success cannot yet be independently assessed. The sporting portion nevertheless produced clear winners in both headline bouts, while most of the other fights ended by stoppage.
The American market offers greater visibility, but also stronger competition
IBA Bare Knuckle was launched in July 2025 as a project connected with the International Boxing Association, and the organization describes it as a professional league seeking to standardize bare-knuckle boxing through medical protocols, fighter insurance, and legal protection mechanisms. Those claims come from the organization's official materials and will only be confirmed in the long term through continuity of events, publicly available rules, and the practices of regulatory bodies. Before Miami, the platform organized events in the Eurasian market, including its fifth event in Moscow on June 27, 2026. The arrival in the United States was therefore not the beginning of the project, but a transition into a significantly more competitive environment. American audiences are already familiar with bare-knuckle boxing through BKFC and other promotions, so the novelty of the format alone is not enough to capture market share.
IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts stated after the event that entry into the United States represented a crucial moment for the organization. According to his statement published on the official IBA website, Miami was intended to demonstrate that bare-knuckle boxing can be staged with a high level of professionalism and governance. The organization also announced continued international expansion during 2026 and beyond, with the Miami event intended to serve as a starting point for American audiences, athletes, media, and business partners. So far, no dates have been announced for the next American event, no new fighter contracts have been disclosed, and no long-term schedule of events in the United States has been published. For that reason, the true reach of the debut will not be measured solely by the results from Miami, but also by whether a regular program follows.
Borshchev's victory over Brito and Salamov's quick finish provide the IBA with two sporting narratives for the future, while Fortuna's participation shows that the platform can attract former boxing champions. The long-term value of those names will depend on meaningfully arranged next bouts, clearly defined divisions, credible judging, and medical protection. The American debut was therefore only the first step in testing the sustainability of the entire project.
For Borshchev and Salamov, the evening in Miami ended in the best possible way. The former outperformed the most experienced bare-knuckle fighter at the top of the card across five rounds, while the latter recorded the fastest significant finish of the evening against an American veteran. Their victories allowed the organization to connect the sporting outcome of its American debut with two fighters who entered the discipline from MMA and kickboxing, precisely in line with the model of linking different combat sports scenes. IBA Bare Knuckle's next moves will show whether Miami remains an isolated promotional stop or marks the beginning of a more permanent presence in the United States. Until then, Borshchev and Salamov remain the first headline names entered among the winners of the organization's American chapter.
Sources:
- IBA – official report with the results of all nine fights and a statement from Chris Roberts (link)
- IBA – official event page with the announced matchups, weight divisions, and round format (link)
- IBA Bare Knuckle – official description of the project, its launch date, and regulatory objectives (link)
- James L. Knight Center – official announcement of the event in Miami on July 18, 2026 (link)
- UFC – profile of Viacheslav Borshchev and information about his kickboxing and MMA career (link)
- BKFC – profile of Elvin Brito and information about winning the inaugural welterweight championship (link)
- BKFC – profile of Markus Suarez and context regarding his previous bare-knuckle appearances (link)
- BoxRec – information about Javier Fortuna's boxing titles and bare-knuckle debut (link)
- Tapology – Alan Salamov's professional MMA record and biographical information before the Miami event (link)