First-round finishes were in abundance at BFL 56, and fans certainly weren't left wanting.
All eight MMA contests on the card wrapped before the judges ever had to step in, with six of those bouts coming to a close inside the opening period.
The headline contest featured a highly anticipated rematch from BFL 47, where Dejan Kajic (currently 9-7-2, 1 NC) captured the BFL middleweight championship by flooring Chris Anderson (now 6-2) in the first round.
"It felt great. We stayed in my world, which is boxing," Kajic shared during a post-fight interview.
"This was the third time I've fought for a title, so I guess it was three times a charm."
For the first time in his pro career, Kajic now finds himself in the position of defending a championship belt. While he typically avoids public calls-outs, he's already identified a specific rival he'd love to face for the 175-pound strap.
Kajic previously handed Tim Welch a decisive loss at Intense Championship Fighting 28 on August 25, 2017. Just two weeks prior, Kajic mentioned overhearing Welch discuss their past encounter on a podcast—comments that reignited talks of a rematch.
"He made some wild claims, saying I got lucky and that he nearly finished me in round two. That really rubbed me the wrong way, because that was easily one of the smoothest fights I've ever had," Kajic explained.
"I'd absolutely love to settle the score with him in my hometown, especially after I drove 17 hours to his hometown in Montana for our first fight."
Rematch Rewritten
The co-feature pitted Nick Ghaeni (now 3-3) against Gagan Gill (now 2-0) in a featherweight title clash, marking their second meeting after originally crossing paths as amateurs in 2014.
Gill emerged victorious this time, securing a second-round submission to complete a thoroughly dominant showing.
"I knew he was going for an early finish because I knew he couldn't survive five rounds," Gill noted in his post-fight remarks.
"I just stayed composed, stayed relaxed, picked my spots carefully, and played it smart. I knew I was going to finish him—it was simply a question of when."
After compiling an outstanding 8-2 amateur record, Gill is carrying that momentum into the professional ranks, already adding a championship belt to his accomplishments.
Though thrilled about capturing the BFL featherweight crown, Gill believes he's still scratching the surface of what's possible in his young career.
"This is just the start for me—I'm only 23," Gill remarked.
"I'm open to fighting anyone at 145 pounds. I believe I'm the best, and I'm ready to defend my title."
On the Radar
Jared Revel also bolstered his standing in the middleweight division, positioning himself as a prime candidate to eventually challenge Kajic for the newly minted title.
Revel (now 7-2) deployed his formidable grappling against Nick Coughran (now 3-7), locking in a rear-naked choke at 3:49 of round one and extending his winning streak to six victories in his last seven outings.
"Overall, I stuck to what works for me and took the win, which is the most important part," Revel said in an interview.
"I'm not entirely satisfied—I had a different picture of how the fight would unfold—but I need to focus on the fact that I executed, I finished, and accomplished what I set out to do."
Though Revel appears next in line to challenge Kajic for the middleweight belt, he's uncertain about his future weight-class trajectory.
With ongoing discussions about BFL possibly adopting same-day weigh-ins and competitors stepping closer to their natural walking-around weight, the 170-pound title may not remain viable.
"Obviously I have tremendous respect for Kajic—he's a fantastic fighter, and challenging him would be an honor," Revel stated.
"I want to push myself, and I want to compete against the very best."
Elsewhere in title action, Josh Morgan (now 3-2) claimed the BFL amateur heavyweight championship, submitting Terrence Spina (now 3-1) in the third round.
Micah Brakefield, Craig Maclean, Howie Tan, Jesse Bull, Parrish Shipley, Victor Dodge, Jason Giroux, and Raphael Ouellet all secured victories on the night.
