ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A near-sellout crowd packed Tingley Coliseum to witness some of New Mexico’s best fighters knuckle up and throw some punches. According to BKFC, it was the largest crowd in its history.

In the highly anticipated co-main event between UFC veteran and former WBA champion Austin Trout, the fans witnessed their local heroes exchange blows for four rounds. Stoppage was then called by the medical staff due to a cut on Sanchez’s face. Despite his best wishes to keep the fight going, the cut was too deep and the excessive bleeding became a problem. The fight was then awarded to Trout.

“The jab was able to stun him enough to keep him off me, so thank God for that,” said Trout. “I thought there were some shots that should’ve put him down, but he just kept coming. Then there were some shots that I couldn’t believe put him down, so shoutout to Diego.”

“I wanted to go in there and challenge myself with the WBA champion, and I did,” Sanchez said. “I gave it my best, I gave it my everything and Austin beat my fair and square. The blood started flowing pretty bad, and in my UFC career I never had cut bleed that much.”

The main event of the evening was the light-heavyweight title fight between current champion Lorenzo Hunt and challenger Mike Richmond. Following a blow from Richmond that knocked down Hunt, “The Juggernaut” was able to get back up and deliver a knockout punch in order to retain his belt.

In another featured fight, Albuquerque’s John Dodson entered the squared circle against BKFC veteran Jarod Grant. “The Magician” made light work out of the bout, winning in a first-round knockout for the second consecutive time.

“My motto is speed kills, and I’m the fastest thing alive,” said Dodson. “I go out there guns blazing, making sure I can be in-and-out and be very elusive.”

Story continues below:

Dodson’s brother, Eric, was also victorious on the undercard against Gene Perez. The win improves Dodson to 2-0 in the sport which he believes makes him a contender in the future. He credits his hometown crowd for giving him a pre-fight boost.

“The minute they announced me I could hear the volume in the place rise and that gives you an adrenaline boost like no other,” Eric Dodson said. “It’s like audio pre-workout. It amps you up. I love fighting here.”

In total there were nine other fights that took place on the night, five of which features winners representing New Mexico. The other New Mexicans who had their arm raised include Jayme Hinshaw, Will Santiago, Joshua Moreno, Nick Gonzalez, and Derek Perez.