Jarod Grant and Jon Barnard step into the Trigon with different approaches to the bare-knuckle game. Grant operates as a counter-puncher who waits for mistakes. Barnard brings durability and aggression but leaves defensive holes that get wider under pressure. The tape suggests one fighter has the tools to exploit the other’s weaknesses systematically.

Event: BKB 48: Night of Four Kings
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Charles F. Dodge Center, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Broadcast: VICE, TalkSPORT, Telemundo Deportes Ahora

Jarod Grant

• Style: Patient counter-puncher, body work specialist
• Strengths: Shot selection, late-round conditioning, combination timing
• Pattern: First power shot misses, second lands consistently

Jon Barnard

• Style: Aggressive pressure fighter
• Strengths: Chin, durability, forward pressure
• Weaknesses: Defensive discipline, hand speed against quality opposition

The Grant Approach

Grant doesn’t lead often, and when he does, he’s setting traps. He waits for opponents to get comfortable throwing lazy combinations before capitalizing on openings. His body work shows variety, mixing levels to keep opponents guessing about where the next punch comes from.

One pattern jumps out across his fights: Grant rarely connects with his first big power shot but consistently lands the follow-up. He could weaponize this more deliberately if he recognized it as bait rather than a miss. Throw the first one to force a reaction, then capitalize when the opponent commits to their counter or defense.

His conditioning holds up in championship rounds. Those late-round flurries come from a fighter who knows he has gas left when his opponent is fading. Against opponents who slow down or get sloppy when tired, Grant picks them apart round by round.

The Barnard Problem

Barnard brings the kind of chin that lets him walk through exchanges and keep pressing. The man can take a shot and keep coming. But his defensive structure falls apart under scrutiny.

He commits too hard on offense and gets caught at the tail end of combinations. Every time. That overcommitment creates openings for patient counter-punchers who time their entries. Against higher-level competition, Barnard’s hand speed becomes a liability because he can’t match the pace when opponents start working.

Watch his jab work and you’ll see punches thrown without purpose. He tosses leather to stay busy rather than to set up power shots or draw reactions. In bare knuckle, every punch needs a job: scoring, creating openings, or forcing defensive adjustments. Barnard wastes energy on punches that accomplish none of those things.

He needs time to settle into fights, often taking a round or two before finding his rhythm. Against aggressive brawlers who give him the exchanges he wants, that works. Against disciplined technicians who control range and timing, it means falling behind early and spending the rest of the fight playing catchup.

The Path to Victory

For Grant: Wait for Barnard to overcommit on his combinations. Use that second power shot when Barnard is caught between finishing his attack and resetting defense. Work the body early to slow down Barnard’s pressure as the fight progresses. Stay patient in exchanges rather than getting drawn into brawls. Use lateral movement to create angles when Barnard tries to walk him down.

For Barnard: Close distance fast and force Grant into extended exchanges before he can reset. Don’t give Grant clean exits from the pocket. Pressure him early to prevent him from settling into his counter-punching rhythm. Accept eating some shots to land harder ones in return. Make it ugly and physical rather than technical and measured.

The Bare-Knuckle Factor

The Trigon’s confined space creates natural pressure situations. Barnard benefits from less room for Grant to work his angles and maintain distance. But Grant’s counter-punching style thrives on opponents who press forward recklessly, and Barnard’s defensive gaps get exposed when he can’t afford to reset.

Without gloves, those body shots Grant mixes in do cumulative damage that compounds over five rounds. Barnard’s durability matters less when his conditioning gets compromised by sustained body work. His chin can handle head shots, but his movement slows when his core takes punishment.

The Pick

Barnard’s durability has saved him before against aggressive opponents who tried to overwhelm him. But Grant doesn’t fight that way. He picks shots, times entries, and capitalizes on defensive mistakes without burning his gas tank trying for a knockout.

Grant’s patient approach neutralizes Barnard’s best attribute. That chin won’t matter as much when he’s getting touched up consistently by someone who doesn’t give him the wild exchanges he needs to succeed. Barnard’s tendency to overcommit on combinations plays directly into Grant’s counter-punching strengths.

Expect Grant to control range early, land the cleaner shots in the middle rounds, and pull away late when his conditioning advantage shows. Barnard will have moments when he closes distance and lands hard, but Grant’s defensive awareness and superior conditioning will win more rounds than he loses.

Winner: Jarod Grant

The value sits with Grant even if the odds aren’t generous. His tactical approach gives him multiple paths to victory while Barnard needs everything to go right to overcome the stylistic disadvantage.