BKB and Bally's bring real-time punch-speed tracking to Biloxi fight card on Oct. 23

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing and Bally’s Corp. will introduce real-time punch-tracking data to their Fightnight event at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi on Friday, Oct. 23, marking a significant expansion of the two companies’ technology partnership. Sensors embedded in fighters’ hand wraps will measure punch speed, retraction speed, punch type and G-force, with the figures displayed on arena screens alongside fighter rankings and punch breakdowns.

The system, built on Bally’s proprietary ForceIQ platform, will not influence official fight scoring, the companies confirmed. Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim framed the arrangement as a vertically integrated operation. “Bally’s has always been about creating experiences you can’t get anywhere else. We own the venue, we built the technology and we control the distribution. That’s a 360 partnership few companies in this space can offer, and we’re excited to keep building on it,” Kim said.

BKB CEO David Tetreault added that the goal is to make combat sports more interactive by pairing competition with granular performance metrics.

The main event pits former BKB lightweight champion Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant (8-3, six knockouts) against Luis “Pantera” Guerrero (1-1, one knockout), who steps in as a late replacement for Bekhzod Usmonov. In the co-main event, BKB light heavyweight champion Cub “The Savage” Hawkins (10-1, nine knockouts) drops to middleweight to face unbeaten Rowdy Montgomery (2-0, one knockout).

The undercard features former UFC fighters Ike Villanueva and Cody East, Biloxi native Monica “Phenomamom” Medina against Claudia Zamora, Brandon Shavers versus German Ramos, and Jeff Denton taking on Cody Jenkins. The card begins at 8 p.m. ET.

Bally’s and BKB also announced a second Fightnight event on Nov. 20 at Bally’s Dover Casino Resort in Delaware. Former world title challenger Hank Lundy is scheduled to make his bare-knuckle debut against Jairo Santos, who will also be competing in the format for the first time.