Kai Stewart: BKFC's Undefeated Featherweight King
Kai "King" Stewart is the undefeated, inaugural BKFC Featherweight World Champion, sitting at 9-0 in bare knuckle. He won the title in June 2023 and made five successful defenses through March 2026, a run that lifted him into the top three of BKFC's men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kai Stewart |
| Nickname | "King" / "Hefty Bag" |
| Born | Liberal, Kansas, USA |
| Fights Out Of | Great Falls, Montana (Spokane-area based) |
| Weight Class | Featherweight (145 lbs) |
| BKFC Record | 9-0 (2 KOs, 7 decisions) |
| MMA Record | 1-0 |
| Title | Inaugural & reigning BKFC Featherweight World Champion |
| Title Defenses | 5 (through March 2026) |
| P4P Ranking | #3 BKFC men's pound-for-pound (April 2026) |
Overview
Kai "King" Stewart is one of the few fighters in BKFC who can claim a perfect record at the championship level. Undefeated at 9-0, Stewart is the inaugural BKFC Featherweight World Champion and has turned the 145-pound division into his personal territory. Born in Liberal, Kansas, and fighting out of Great Falls, Montana, he combines technical boxing with the durability and pacing needed to win five-round championship fights round after round.
What sets Stewart apart is consistency rather than spectacle. His record shows two knockouts against seven decisions, which tells the story of a fighter who can finish but more often grinds out clear, controlled wins. By April 2026 he had climbed to #3 in BKFC's men's pound-for-pound rankings, a placement earned not through highlight-reel violence but through a refusal to lose.
Championship Career
Winning the Inaugural Title
Stewart claimed the inaugural BKFC Featherweight World Championship on June 9, 2023, defeating Louie Lopez by unanimous decision in a bout that earned Fight of the Night. The win made him the division's first champion and set the template for the reign that followed: technically sharp, durable, and decision-heavy when the knockout did not come.
Five Title Defenses
Stewart built one of the more sustained title reigns in BKFC by clearing out the featherweight division one defense at a time:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2023 | Howard Davis | UD win | 1st defense; Fight of the Night |
| Jun 21, 2024 | Bryan Duran | UD win | Fight of the Night |
| Nov 9, 2024 | Jimmie Rivera | UD win | 3rd defense |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Tommy Strydom | UD win | 4th defense |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Nico Gaffie | UD win | 5th defense |
The defense against Jimmie Rivera, a former top UFC bantamweight contender, was among the most meaningful of the run. Beating a fighter of Rivera's pedigree by unanimous decision confirmed that Stewart's success was about skill, not soft matchmaking.
Fighting Style
Stewart is a technical boxer first. He works behind a disciplined jab, controls range, and accumulates points across five rounds rather than gambling on the early finish. In bare knuckle, where many fighters burn out swinging for a knockout, Stewart's measured pacing is a competitive advantage: he is still sharp in the championship rounds when opponents fade.
The seven decisions on his 9-0 record reflect that style. He can hurt opponents — two of his wins came by knockout — but his default mode is control. He picks his moments, defends well enough to stay unmarked relative to his peers, and trusts his conditioning to carry close rounds. The open question for any unbeaten technician is whether a single big puncher can crack the formula, but through five title defenses no one has found the answer.
Notable Fights
Kai Stewart vs. Louie Lopez (June 2023)
The inaugural featherweight title fight. Stewart took a unanimous decision and Fight of the Night to become the division's first champion.
Kai Stewart vs. Howard Davis (December 2023)
Stewart's first title defense against Howard Davis, another Fight of the Night unanimous-decision win that established his championship pace.
Kai Stewart vs. Jimmie Rivera (November 2024)
A defense against former UFC bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera. Stewart won a unanimous decision over one of the most accomplished names he has faced, validating his pound-for-pound standing.
Kai Stewart vs. Nico Gaffie (March 2026)
Stewart's fifth title defense, a unanimous-decision win that kept his record perfect at 9-0 and his reign intact deep into 2026.
Legacy
Kai Stewart's legacy in BKFC is being written in real time, but the foundation is already substantial: an undefeated record, the inaugural featherweight championship, and five defenses against credible opposition including a former UFC contender. Few fighters in the promotion's history have combined that level of consistency with a perfect record.
His significance is as a model of what a bare knuckle champion can look like when the approach is technical rather than reckless. In a sport defined in the public imagination by knockouts and blood, Stewart has built a top-three pound-for-pound reputation on control, conditioning, and the simple fact that no one has beaten him. As long as the "0" stays on his record, his name belongs on any list of the best BKFC fighters of all time, and the conversation about the best featherweight in bare knuckle starts and ends with King Kai Stewart.
FAQ
What is Kai Stewart's BKFC record?
Stewart is undefeated at 9-0 in bare knuckle, with two knockouts and seven decisions, plus a 1-0 MMA record.
Is Kai Stewart a BKFC champion?
Yes. He is the inaugural and reigning BKFC Featherweight World Champion, having won the title in June 2023 and defended it five times through March 2026.
Where is Kai Stewart ranked?
As of April 2026, Stewart sits at #3 in BKFC's men's pound-for-pound rankings, reflecting both his perfect record and the quality of his title defenses.
