Leonardo ‘El Zambo’ Perdomo has emerged as one of bare knuckle boxing’s fiercest heavyweights in the last two years.
Perdomo has fought seven times in the sport since his debut in June 2023 and finished all of his opponents via knockout in the first round.
His latest victory was so emphatic that his boss, Conor McGregor, described him as ‘one of the scariest men’ in his heavyweight division.
McGregor is a minority owner in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and was left with his jaw dropped and his hands on his head after Perdomo’s latest knockout.
On Thursday night, ‘El Zambo’ caught Steve Herelius with a left hand that stunned him before delivering another that knocked him flat onto the canvas.
The 33-year-old from Cuba took just 13 seconds to stop his former WBA cruiserweight world boxing champion opponent.
McGregor possesses the most famous 13-second KO of all time, following his victory over Jose Aldo in 2015, and the Irishman was full of praise for his heavyweight giant after another devastating KO.
“This is as high a level as you’ll get in bare knuckle,” McGregor told the media at BKFC 70 in Hollywood, Florida. “What you saw there this evening was unprecedented.
“We had our heavyweight sensation ‘El Zambo’, representing Cuba, knock out a former WBA boxing heavyweight world champion in 13 seconds…
“I have a 13-second KO also. So when I heard 13 seconds I was like, ‘Yes, I know how good that feels!’
“He’s an asset and a credit to the country of Cuba…heavyweights watch out, and our heavyweight division is stacked in bare knuckle.
“We’ve got some incredible heavyweights in this division and ‘El Zambo’ is one of the scariest men in it.”
In total, Perdomo has spent just six minutes and 23 seconds inside the four-roped ring since making his debut.
He knocked out Christopher Young on his first BKFC appearance in just over one minute before knocking out his next two opponents under the 60 second mark.
‘El Zambo’ then secured back-to-back TKO victories, still in the first round, before knocking out Blake Grice and Herelius in a combined one minute exactly.
McGregor sent a stern warning to other fighters wanting to follow in Herelius’ footsteps and cross over to his beloved sport.
“Some of these boxing organisations and fighters, and some of these mixed martial artists think they’re just going to rosy on over here and it’s going to be all sweet and a little retirement package,” he said.
“Think again. This is as real as it gets. This is the real game right here.
“Bare knuckle fighting championship. Nothing in this space of combat sport comes close.
“We have popped every other promotion like a led balloon. Bare knuckle is on top.
“We’re on the rise, we’re going global, but make no mistake – Hollywood, Florida is our home and it’s always good to be here on a Thursday night.”
Just like McGregor said, Perdomo joins an elite group of heavyweights who are also competing at the highest level under the BKFC banner.
In January, the BFKC heavyweight title changed hands after ex-UFC star Ben Rothwell knocked out Briton Mick Terrill at KnuckleMania 5.
The event shattered attendance records in the combat sports industry, as over 17,000 fans packed into the Wells Fargo Center.
This reportedly marked Philadelphia’s biggest-ever combat sports event in modern history.
McGregor is a part-owner of the bare knuckle league, alongside NFL star Maxx Crosby, and doesn’t plan on stopping his promotion anytime soon, especially after his bombshell fighting update that left fans worried he may never make a UFC return.
