John Dodson staked his claim as the best 125-pound bare knuckle fighter on the planet Friday when he was crowned the inaugural BKFC World Flyweight Champion.

Dodson was awarded the belt after scoring a first-round KO over JR “The Lion” Ridge in their Main Event showdown at BKFC 48 in Dodson’s hometown of Albuquerque, NM, LIVE on The BKFC App.

When Dodson signed with BKFC in 2022, the two-time UFC title challenger predicted it wouldn’t be long until he struck gold in his new organization. It turns out he was right.

“(The belt) means the world to me because it means I’ve successfully become one of the most dominating forces in the BKFC realm,” says Dodson, who’s now 3-0 with three first-round stoppages in his BKFC career. “I’ve been telling everybody that I’m the king of this flyweight division, and I just proved it on Friday night.”

What’s next for "The Magician" in the Squared Circle?

“I’m trying to fight everybody at 125 pounds; I’m trying to clear out this whole division and stop everyone from thinking that any of these guys are in my league,” he says. “Nobody has my body of work, my skill or even the heart and determination to challenge me. Once somebody makes it into the second round with me, then we can talk.”