Artem Harlanov, head of Harlanov Sports Management, spoke exclusively with Telecomasia.net about Evgeny “The Sailor” Kurdanov’s title prospects in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
“The situation has stabilized after two losses to start his BKFC run. Everyone understands that Kurdanov took the fight against Slaveski on short notice when his initial opponent pulled out. At that time, Gorjan was riding a strong streak – he’s a solid, formidable athlete. ‘The Sailor’ got caught up in his own ambitions: he’d waited too long for his debut bout. He was under pressure from comments like, ‘He signed but isn’t fighting.’ So he didn’t wait any longer and accepted the fight. As a result, he lost by decision to a serious opponent, even though he put on a good performance. David Feldman liked what he saw from ‘The Sailor.’
The second loss is officially recorded as a technical knockout, but during that bout against Julian Lane, Evgeny suffered a torn muscle. I think it was easy work, knowing how hard ‘The Sailor’ hits and how easily Lane goes down. But something went wrong. What’s important is that Evgeny has returned with a win recently, and his fourth fight is coming up. We’ll see how it all plays out.
"Following his victory, Kurdanov’s contract was extended. A title fight isn’t currently on the table, but I believe the path will become clear within his next two bouts. We need a rematch with Gorjan Slaveski – that would open new opportunities. 'The Sailor' completely agrees with this strategy. Once we get through this next step, we’ll formally request the Slaveski rematch. There’s also Mike Perry – Evgeny often calls his name. Everything else is far less interesting,” said Kharlanov.
On November 15, at BKFC 84 in Palm Desert, California, Russian fighter Evgeny Kurdanov will face Brazilian Paulo Games.
Kuradanov’s most recent bout took place in January of this year at BKFC Fight Night: Pechanga, where he defeated Elvin Leon Brito by unanimous decision. Games last fought Wayna Reid in September 2025 at BKFC 80, winning by third-round technical knockout.
