Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran: The BKFC Heavyweight Reign
Joey Beltran is a former UFC heavyweight who built a second combat-sports career in bare knuckle, winning the BKFC Heavyweight Championship at BKFC 9 in November 2019. He defended the belt twice before dropping it to Arnold Adams in a 2021 rematch. His BKFC record is reported as 5-4-1 across roughly ten bare-knuckle bouts.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Joey Beltran |
| Nickname | The Mexicutioner |
| Born | December 8, 1981 |
| Hometown | Oceanside, California, USA |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight |
| MMA Record | 22-19-1 (reported) |
| BKFC Record | 5-4-1 (reported) |
| Notable Titles | BKFC World Heavyweight Champion |
| Organization | BKFC |
Overview
Before he ever taped his fists for a bare-knuckle fight, Joey Beltran spent more than a decade as a journeyman heavyweight and light heavyweight in mixed martial arts. Born in Oceanside, California in 1981, he competed in the UFC, Bellator, and a long list of regional promotions, earning a reputation as a durable, pressure-forward brawler who would walk through fire to land his own shots. His MMA record, reported around 22-19-1, reflects a career spent fighting anyone, anywhere, for most of his adult life.
That style translated cleanly to BKFC. When Beltran arrived in the promotion's early days, the heavyweight division was still forming an identity, and his name value and willingness to trade made him an immediate fixture at the top of the bracket. He fought for, won, and defended a world title in a sport that barely existed a few years earlier. For a fighter who had spent his MMA years as a respected gatekeeper rather than a champion, the bare-knuckle belt was a genuine career capstone.
BKFC Career
Winning the Heavyweight Title
Beltran captured the vacant BKFC World Heavyweight Championship at BKFC 9 in November 2019, defeating Chase Sherman by unanimous decision. The win also carried the Police Gazette Heavyweight American Championship, a nod to the bare-knuckle lineage BKFC has tried to revive. Against another former UFC heavyweight in Sherman, Beltran used his pressure and chin to grind out the rounds, a blueprint he would lean on throughout his run.
The Title Defenses
His first defense came against Marcel Stamps, which Beltran won by stoppage. The fight is reported in the fourth round. He followed that with a unanimous-decision defense against Sam Shewmaker, a heavy-handed heavyweight who had himself contended for the belt. Two successful defenses gave Beltran one of the more stable title reigns in BKFC's early heavyweight picture, at a time when most divisions were still churning through contenders.
Losing the Belt to Arnold Adams
The reign ended on November 6, 2021, when Beltran faced Arnold Adams in a rematch. Adams, the inaugural BKFC heavyweight champion, took a unanimous decision to reclaim the title he had lost years earlier. The bout earned Fight of the Night honors, a fitting result for two of the division's defining figures trading without gloves over a full fight.
Fighting Style
Beltran's appeal in bare knuckle came from the same traits that defined him in MMA: forward pressure, a willingness to stand in the pocket, and a chin that let him eat shots to land his own. He is not a defensive technician. He wins by walking opponents down, leaning on them, and forcing a firefight in which his volume and toughness matter more than precision.
That approach is well suited to the unforgiving math of bare-knuckle competition, where small gloves are replaced by taped knuckles and cuts open faster. Heavyweights in particular tend to reward the fighter who can both deliver and absorb punishment. Beltran's reliance on durability is also what eventually caught up with him; against power punchers, the same chin that carried him through wars left him in range to be hurt.
Notable Fights
| Date | Opponent | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2019 | Chase Sherman | BKFC 9 | W - UD (won title) |
| 2020 | Marcel Stamps | BKFC 13 | W - TKO (title defense) |
| Jun 2021 | Sam Shewmaker | BKFC 18 | W - UD (title defense) |
| Nov 6, 2021 | Arnold Adams | BKFC Fight Night | L - UD (lost title) |
Records and dates above are drawn from public BKFC and fight-database reporting; some specifics, such as the exact round of the Stamps stoppage, vary slightly by source.
Legacy
Joey Beltran's place in bare-knuckle history is secure as one of BKFC's first heavyweight champions and one of the few to mount multiple successful defenses in the promotion's formative years. His rivalry with Arnold Adams helped define what the heavyweight division looked like before bigger names arrived, and his presence lent early credibility to a sport that was still proving it could attract real fighters.
He represents a specific kind of BKFC competitor: the seasoned MMA veteran who found that the bare-knuckle ring rewarded exactly the qualities that had kept him employed for fifteen years. For fighters weighing the move from gloves to taped fists, his run is a useful data point, sitting alongside the broader economics laid out in the BKFC fighter pay guide and the late-career earnings stories of names like Mike Perry. Beltran did not get rich the way the promotion's marquee stars later did, but he won a world title in a brand-new sport, and that is more than most of his MMA peers can claim.
FAQ
What is Joey Beltran's BKFC record?
Beltran's BKFC record is reported as 5-4-1 across roughly ten bare-knuckle bouts, including a heavyweight title reign with two defenses.
Was Joey Beltran a BKFC champion?
Yes. He won the vacant BKFC World Heavyweight Championship at BKFC 9 in November 2019 and defended it twice before losing it to Arnold Adams in November 2021.
Did Joey Beltran fight in the UFC?
Yes. Beltran competed in the UFC as a heavyweight and light heavyweight before transitioning to bare-knuckle boxing, where he became a champion.
Why is Joey Beltran called "The Mexicutioner"?
The nickname reflects his Mexican-American heritage and his pressure-heavy, finish-seeking fighting style.
