Las Cruces native Austin Trout aimed for his second Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship title on Friday, July 3, but things didn’t go his way.
Trout was knocked out by British fighter Ben Bonner 30 seconds into the second round of their contest for the vacant BKFC Lightweight Championship at BKFC Liberty Brawl in Philadelphia. The result has been considered an upset, as Trout was the favorite to win the vacant title heading into the event.
Bonner scored a knockdown against Trout in the first round with an overhand right. While Trout had previously been knocked down in his bare-knuckle boxing career, rallying to defeat Carlos Trinidad-Snake in April 2025 to defend the BKFC Welterweight Championship, he was unable to recover this time. Bonner used the same right-handed punch to finish the fight in the following round.
BEN BONNER KNOCKS OUT AUSTIN TROUT IN ROUND TWO 😱😱😱#LibertyBrawl | Presented by @BuckedUppic.twitter.com/2PYi8rqZ1M
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) July 4, 2026
Trout was seeking to become just the third fighter in BKFC history to win championships in two weight classes, following in the footsteps of Luis Palomino and Lorenzo Hunt. He previously won the BKFC Welterweight Championship in February 2024 and defended it twice before the title was vacated for unknown reasons in June 2025. Trout made his BKFC lightweight debut on Dec. 5, defeating Palomino at BKFC 85 by TKO (doctor stoppage).
Trout’s defeat by Bonner was the first loss of his bare-knuckle boxing career. His record now stands at 5-1.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Austin Trout’s shot at BKFC lightweight title ends in stunning loss
