Garbarino pelts rival Richman with cannoli in chaotic BKFC Liberty Brawl press conference

Johnny Garbarino made his animosity toward former BKFC champion Mike Richman unmistakably clear on Wednesday, launching a cannoli at his opponent during a chaotic pre-fight press conference ahead of their bout at BKFC Liberty Brawl in Philadelphia on Friday. Security intervened multiple times to prevent the fighters from reaching each other on stage.

With a box of cannolis sitting in front of him, Garbarino appeared to be biding his time from the moment the two men shared the stage. He rose early in the press conference and hurled one of the pastries directly at Richman, triggering a surge from both fighters that required security to physically hold them apart. Garbarino was removed from the stage, but returned later — and the scenes repeated themselves.

Even the post-presser faceoff was tightly managed, with the two men kept well apart. That did not stop Garbarino from producing a second half-eaten cannoli he had concealed behind his back and launching it one final time at Richman. BKFC president and founder David Feldman narrowly avoided being caught in the crossfire.

The bout represents a significant step up in competition for Garbarino, who faces Richman — one of the bare-knuckle promotion’s most established names since transitioning from MMA. The fight is among the featured bouts on the Liberty Brawl card.

The main event of BKFC Liberty Brawl is a lightweight title fight, with undefeated Austin Trout looking to extend his perfect bare-knuckle record against Ben Bonner.