BFL 71 delivered a solid evening of fights on a rare Thursday night card last week in Vancouver, B.C.
In the main event, Dario Sinagoga (now 6-0) kept his undefeated record intact, taking a unanimous decision over Kyran Cameron (now 5-2).
This bout was originally scheduled to be for the BFL interim lightweight title, but due to Sinagoga missing weight he was not eligible to win the title.
Thursday night cards are a niche BFL has carved out on the Canadian calendar — mid-week shows on Fight Pass let the promotion avoid competing with weekend UFC events for eyeballs, and they've become a reliable showcase for the next wave of Vancouver-area talent. BFL 71 fit the template: a title-fight main event, a battle of undefeated prospects in the co-main, and a card full of fighters looking to make the jump.
Sinagoga will likely have plenty of options to choose from when looking at his next opponent, including a potential opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) this summer.
If DWCS isn’t on the table, Sinagoga could find himself challenging for the BFL lightweight title next.
In the co-main event, Saeid Mirzaei (now 3-0-1) came out on top of a battle between two undefeated prospects, submitting the hard-hitting Bobby Poulter (now 3-0-1) in the first round.
This was Mirzaei’s first bout since 2019 when he defeated Nicolae Cury at Rise FC 4 to become the Rise FC 175-pound champion. He has had five bouts fall through since that win.
Sinagoga missing weight and losing the interim title shot is the kind of detail that matters at this level — the difference between a belt fight and a non-title fight isn't just prestige, it's also the kind of fight a contender gets booked for next. He still took care of business against Cameron, which is what really matters, but the DWCS conversation around him becomes a little more complicated.
If Mirzaei can stay active, he has all the potential and experience to make a run at the big show, whether that be through DWCS or signing outright with the UFC.
There was plenty of hype and intrigue surrounding Jonathan Broad (now 2-1) heading into this matchup, but that was all silenced by Mike McAloon (now 5-3) who dominated the young prospect for three full rounds, en route to a unanimous decision upset.
McAloon was able to neutralize the dangerous striking of Broad with a consistent and relentless wrestling attack.
McAloon now holds impressive wins over Broad and John Nguyen within the last year and is starting to climb the BFL rankings towards possible title contention.
John Nguyen, Indroop Virk, Mani El-Hefnawy, Damon Marlow, Mojtaba Mirderikvandi, Josh Lam, Kees Huisman and Rylie Marchand were also victorious on the evening.
