BKFC News

Josh Evanoff - August 31, 2022

Former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva has announced his retirement from MMA. ‘The Axe Murderer’ is one of the most terrifying fighters in the history of the sport. The Brazilian first began his career in 1996. He soon became one of the faces of the International Vale Tudo Championship and captured the light-heavyweight title in 1999.

Cole Shelton - June 15, 2022

Greg Hardy has signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Hardy fought out his UFC contract at UFC 272 against Serghei Spivac which he lost by first-round TKO. After being let go, Hardy said he was eager to test free agency and has even signed on to make his pro boxing debut in October, but has also inked a deal with BKFC which promotional President David Feldman is excited for.

Cole Shelton - June 7, 2022

The 81st episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC 275 and BKFC Jackson 2. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event and the second-ranked light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka (2:03). BKFC heavyweight Alan Blecher then stops by (16:32). Closing out the program is UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena (37:28).

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2022

Frank Tate secured a brutal knockout win last night over Joey Beltran in the main event of BKFC Fight Night in Fort Lauderdale. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, bare-knuckle boxing has enjoyed quite the resurgence over the course of the last few years. A string of promotions have worked hard to bring it back into the limelight but there aren’t many who have made as much noise as BKFC.

Josh Evanoff - February 23, 2022

Chad Mendes is coming off a spectacular win at KnuckleMania 2. Despite the victory, he remains uncommitted to his fighting future. The former UFC title challenger unretired in 2021 and was given clearance from the UFC to compete for BKFC. He quickly signed a three-fight deal with the promotion, and his debut was set for last week’s KnuckleMania card against Joshuah Alvarez.

Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021

BKFC President Dave Feldman confirmed that the future of women’s fighter Paige VanZant is “up in the air” following two straight losses. VanZant signed a lucrative free-agent contract with BKFC last year after her UFC contract expired, but so far, things have not gone to plan for her. VanZant began her BKFC career with a decision loss to Britain Hart earlier this year, before losing to Rachael Ostovich in her second BKFC fight. It now looks like with those two losses that VanZant believes that her heart might not be in the BKFC game and she is considering going back to MMA.

Tom Taylor - February 4, 2021

Paige VanZant is days out from her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut. The former UFC star will battle Britain Hart, sans gloves, at BKFC: Knuckle Mania this Friday in Lakeland, Florida. Ahead of VanZant’s imminent BKFC debut, we reached out to several experienced bare knuckle fighters to get their thoughts on how she’ll perform in the ring.

Adam D Martin - October 18, 2020

Women’s fighting star Paige VanZant will see her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut postponed until the new year. VanZant was one of BKFC’s big free-agent signings along with other former UFC fighters such as Thiago Alves and Hector Lombard. But VanZant was by far the biggest name of the bunch. The former top prospect in the UFC women’s divisions shocked the combat sports world when she decided to make the move from mixed martial arts to BKFC. Despite the dangers of BKFC when it comes to cuts, VanZant says she’s not worried.

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2020

BKFC, an upstart bare knuckle fighting organization, has reportedly offered 53-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson a $20M deal. Tyson recently announced his intention to end his retirement for a handful of exhibition bouts. What really sent the combat sports world into a frenzy of excitement, however, was footage of the boxing legend hitting mitts with famed MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro. Even at 53, Tyson looked absolutely lethal.

Tom Taylor - April 16, 2020

In 2019, at BKFC 6, Paulie Malignaggi stepped through the ropes for a bare-knuckle boxing match with MMA product Artem Lobov. Despite possessing far more pure boxing experience, Malignaggi lost a tight decision to his rival. Given the competitive nature of the bout, there was some talk of a rematch between the two. Speaking to BJPENN.com recently, Lobov confirmed that he was actually approached about competing in a boxing rematch with Malignaggi.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is one of countless sports organizations to be adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic that is currently sweeping the planet, having already been forced to postpone two events. Suffice it to say that it’s been a hectic few weeks for company president David Feldman, who is doing his best to guide the organization through these times of danger and uncertainty.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

After 14 years and 27 fights with the UFC, Thiago Alves found himself longing for a fresh start. So, when the promotion offered him a new deal after a pair of losses to Laureano Staropoli and Tim Means, he respectfully declined, and signed an exclusive contract with upstart bare knuckle promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) instead. “I’ve been in MMA for such a long time, I’ve been with the UFC for such a long time,” Alves told BJPENN.com hours after his signing with BKFC was announced. “I’m excited for a new stage. Anything new at this stage in my life is super exciting. I’ve been following BKFC for a little bit now, and I think it’s savage.

Tom Taylor - December 13, 2019

Former Bellator middleweight champion and UFC welterweight contender Hector Lombard recently signed with upstart bare knuckle fighting promotion BKFC. On Friday, it was announced that he’ll make his debut with the promotion at BKFC 10 on February 15 in Miami, Florida, where he’ll take on fellow UFC veteran Joe Riggs. #BKFC10 main event just announced. @HectorLombard vs. @DIESELRIGGSMMA – February 15 in #Miami @bareknucklefc

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019

On Saturday night, in the main event of BKFC 9, Artem Lobov and Jason Knight stepped into the ring for a second, gloveless scrap. While Lobov won a hard-fought decision in the pair’s first fight, Knight came out on top in the rematch, blasting his opponent with a fight-ending punch in round five. 5th Round KO for you WINNER Jason Knight!#BKFC9 pic.twitter.com/SQqFlXiY8d

Tom Taylor - November 13, 2019

Last night, video surfaced of UFC veteran and current BKFC star Jason Knight throwing down with two opponents inside a bathroom stall—and winning. The footage, shared to Instagram by Knight’s friend and training partner Brok Weaver, quickly went viral.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2019

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the upstart organization bringing bare knuckle scraps to the masses, has signed another high-profile MMA veteran: Hector Lombard. Lombard will compete in BKFC’s 185-pound middleweight division. His debut is not yet scheduled.

Tom Taylor - June 23, 2019

On Saturday night, in the main event of BKFC 6, Artem Lobov stepped into the squared circle for a bare knuckle scrap with former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi. Despite being grossly less experienced in boxing than his foe, Lobov’s aggression and success in the clinch ultimately earned him an impressive, if slightly controversial decision victory. Speaking on his social media accounts after the fight, the victorious “Russian Hammer” issued a quick statement on this victory, thanks his fans for their continued support.

Drake Riggs - May 20, 2019

The sport of bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) has been revitalized in 2019 thanks to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). However, their next event, BKFC 6, might not get to live up to its name. According to Cageside Press’ Adam LeBarr, the Florida State Athletic Commission isn’t 100 percent on board with the idea of no glove boxing. BKFC 6 happens to be scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida on June 22 after being relocated from the upper New England area.