Connor Tierney suffered a broken jaw during the BKFC 90 main event, then kept fighting before Rico Franco finished the interim welterweight title rematch.
Tierney faced Franco on Saturday, May 30, 2026, inside Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England. Franco won the interim BKFC welterweight title by stoppage, but the fight changed in Round 1 when an accidental headbutt badly damaged Tierney’s jaw.
Tierney continued into the next round. Franco then took over, scored four knockdowns, and forced the stoppage. On the same card where Darren Till knocked out Aaron Chalmers in his BKFC debut, the main event ended with a far more serious injury.
Here is the Instagram clip from the fight:
FULL SEND MMA also shared the aftermath, writing, “BKFC fighter Connor Tierney suffered a severely broken jaw after an accidental headbutt from opponent Rico Franco tonight in the main event of BKFC Birmingham 😳”
https://x.com/full_send_mma/status/2060885222519115931
Rico Franco Leaves BKFC 90 With Interim Gold
Franco’s win gives him the interim BKFC welterweight title and a two-fight winning streak. It also puts him in position for a unification bout with BKFC welterweight champion Dustin Pague, who won the belt at BKFC 86 by defeating Julian Lane.
Tierney’s two-fight winning streak is over, and recovery now becomes the priority. Reports around the fight pointed to a likely bilateral mandibular fracture.
Franco leaves Birmingham with an interim belt and a likely unification fight waiting. Tierney leaves with a loss, a severe jaw injury, and a recovery timeline that matters more than any immediate rematch talk.
