BKFC 16 Odds and Picks – Garcia vs Elmore

• BKFC 16 goes Friday, March 19th, 2021 at 8 PM EST
• Who will get their hand raised after knuckling up and toeing the line?
• Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below
  

  ---

BKFC 16 emanates from Biloxi Civic Center in Biloxi, Mississippi. The latest event from Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship broadcasts on FITE TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

The top of the marquee bout is between UFC veteran/ Latin American bare-knuckle champion Leonard Garcia who takes on undefeated bare-knuckle boxer Joe Elmore in what looks to be a title eliminator for the 165 lbs belt in BKFC.

BKFC 16  Odds

Odds as of Mar. 17

Joe Elmore’s Path to Being 3-0 in BKFC

Joe Elmore enters the ring Friday night as the number one ranked 165-pound fighter by various bare-knuckle boxing rankings bodies.

Elmore throws from unusual, effective angles with pronounced power in both hands. Not to mention, he has shown a lot in just a pair of performances.

His debut outing against Will Chope saw him score a sub-one minute KO and his Tom Shoaff victory saw him win via unanimous decision and generate some of the most lopsided scorecards in BKFC history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl4qUkcrL0U

BKFC 16 in general has a lot of high stakes for the 165-pound championship picture whereby the belt is presently vacant.

Kaleb Harris and Elvin Brito, who have respective bouts on the card, are also favorably ranked in the BKFC middleweight hierarchy.

Whoever emerges victorious from these bouts and how impressive the respective performances are, likely informs who fights for that inaugural BKFC 165 pound title.

Leonard Garcia’s BKFC Return

Leonard Garcia’s .500 record on the BKFC circuit at this juncture certainly requires a bit of context.

The loss Garcia suffered came at the capable hands of eventual BKFC and Police Gazette title contender Jim Alers at BKFC 7.

Leonard Garcia began his BKFC run by capturing the WBF Latin American bare-knuckle boxing middleweight title in an electrifying showcase against Julian Lane at BKFC 4.

The momentum here certainly favors Elmore at the moment, who has yet to taste defeat in the BKFC ring.

This opposite Garcia who is looking to rebound from his first bare-knuckle boxing loss.

BKFC 16 Main Event Tale of the Tape

Ultimately though, I think Leonard Garcia will be able to prove the oddsmakers wrong, hand Joe Elmore his first BKFC loss, and improve his record to 2-1 as he possibly embarks towards a 165-pound title fight.

Pick: Leonard Garcia (+130)

DeMarcus Corley vs Reggie Barnett Jr

I was able to speak with both Corley, and Barnett Jr ahead of this contest and these warriors are laser-focused.

DeMarcus Corley enters the ring as the much-ballyhooed BKFC debutant. Reggie Barnett Jr is in the elder statesman role looking to squash that hype.

The winner of this one could also position themselves favorably in the title contender hierarchy to face, newly-minted Police Gazette and BKFC champion Dat Nguyen.

🥊👊Will it be the former #Boxing world champion or Educated Hands?

A veteran of 85 pro bouts, DeMarcus Corley takes the gloves off to face one of the most decorated fighters in @bareknucklefc, Reggie Barnett Jr at #BKFC16

3.19.21 LIVE on #FITE

[ PPV: https://t.co/flVghkq2Fz ] pic.twitter.com/fRRPPulBdQ

— TrillerTV (@FiteTV) March 12, 2021

DeMarcus Corley’s experience in gloved boxing is impressive, having won world titles and fought great opposition (Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah, and Miguel Cotto to name a few).

This is not gloved boxing though, and few are more proven on the bare-knuckle boxing circuit than Reggie Barnett Jr.

Barnett Jr is currently 5-1 on the BKFC circuit, with his one defeat coming in a title bout with Johnny Bedford. I think that caliber of experience under Broughton’s Rules will really inform the outcome of this bout.

DeMarcus Corley’s resume under Queensberry Rules is exemplary. But I can foresee a situation whereby Barnett Jr really cracks him with a clean shot.

Pick: Reggie Barnett Jr (-140)