bare knuckle boxing

Adam D Martin - July 4, 2021

Hector Lombard on fighting Jake Paul in bare-knuckle boxing: “I don’t think he’s ever going to have the balls to fight bare-knuckle.” Lombard, who is the BKFC middleweight champion, recently took to his social media to offer a challenge to Paul, the YouTuber-turned boxer, to fight him in bare-knuckle boxing. We haven’t heard back from Paul yet on the offer and it seems doubtful that we will hear from him about this, considering that he is already busy preparing for his boxing match this summer with Tyron Woodley. And as much as Lombard is a recognizable name in the world of combat sports, he likely doesn’t have the name value that Paul wants in an opponent.

Adam D Martin - June 30, 2021

Women’s combat sports superstar Paige VanZant has no regrets about leaving the UFC for BKFC, calling it “the best decision I’ve ever made.” VanZant competed in MMA from 2012 to 2020, and between 2014 and 2020 she fought exclusively for the UFC, where she went 4-5 overall. After becoming a free agent last summer, VanZant decided to take her talents to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Although she lost a decision to Britain Hart in her BKFC debut, VanZant has already been booked for her next fight, a rematch with her former UFC opponent Rachael Ostovich.

Adam D Martin - June 27, 2021

BKFC champion Luis Palomino called for a rematch with UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal, saying “remember I beat you in 2010, eight pounds heavy.” Palomino defeated Tyler Goodjohn via unanimous decision at BKFC 18 on Saturday night. The 40-year-old Miami native is now a perfect 4-0 in BKFC and is currently the promotion’s lightweight champion. During his MMA career, Palomino has fought at featherweight, lightweight, and even welterweight. While he has been doing well fighting at lower weights in BKFC, Palomino is open to fighting up at welterweight again, and it’s because he is looking to get a rematch against one of the UFC’s top superstars in the form of Masvidal.

Adam D Martin - June 27, 2021

Former UFC fighter Hector Lombard gave Lorenzo Hunt a two-piece combo after defeating Joe Riggs at BKFC 18 for the middleweight title. Lombard and Riggs, two of the most recognizable MMA fighters in the world, took their talents to the BKFC ring on Saturday night as they squared off for the promotion’s middleweight title. The fight was competitive but ended in a bizarre fashion when Lombard pulled Riggs’ shorts and punched him in the eye, which led to Riggs not being able to see and therefore not able to continue, leading to Lombard being declared the winner via TKO.

Cole Shelton - June 25, 2021

Julian Lane was up to his usual tricks on Friday night. Lane, who might best be known for his famous line of ‘let me bang, bro’ on The Ultimate Fighter is now competing in BKFC. The 33-year-old has been competing in sans gloves promotions since 2018. On Friday, however, after he weighed in, he confronted his opponent, Jake Bostwick. He got right into his face which Bostwick didn’t like so he slapped the TUF veteran. The two then had to be separated but Lane continued to slap himself in the face.

Andrew Whitelaw - June 24, 2021

Hector Lombard is a wild character and a hugely decorated fighter. He is a former Olympic judoka, a Pride and UFC veteran, and he was also the inaugural Bellator middleweight champion. Having dabbled in a multitude of martial arts, including kickboxing and Muay Thai, the Cuban-born brawler Lombard believes he’s found his favorite discipline in bare-knuckle boxing.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2021

Brian Maxwell didn’t really believe he was fighting Chad Johnson until fight week came along. Maxwell, a combat sports veteran, was messaged out of the blue to box the NFL Pro Bowler of the Mayweather-Paul undercard. It was surreal for Maxwell, but he says even though it was a massive fight, he wasn’t nervous.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2021

Brian Maxwell never thought he would ever be boxing on a Floyd Mayweather undercard, or boxing former NFL star, Chad Johnson. On Sunday in Miami, Maxwell will have an exhibition boxing match against six-time NFL Pro Bowler in Chad Johnson aka Chad Ochocinco. The retired NFL star is now 43-years-old but has been training boxing for years and will finally take a fight and Maxwell never thought he would be his opponent.

Adam D Martin - May 28, 2021

Women’s bare-knuckle fighters Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich reacted after their rematch was officially booked in BKFC. BKFC announced this week that the VanZant vs. Ostovich rematch will take place on July 23 at BKFC 19. It’s a rematch of the pair’s fight at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January 2019, which VanZant won via second-round tapout. This time around, the two will meet in the BKFC ring with no grappling involved. It’s a striking-only fight and considering the popularity of both women, it figures to be one of the biggest fights that BKFC will hold this summer.

Cole Shelton - May 27, 2021

Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich are running things back, but this time will do it sans gloves. VanZant and Ostovich first met back in January of 2019 on the first ESPN+ show in Brooklyn. The fight makes VanZant’s return after a year layoff and she got back into the win column with a second-round submission win. Since then, both have parted ways with the UFC and signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and they have now agreed to rematch one another at BKFC 19 on July 23 the promotion announced.

Harry Kettle - May 21, 2021

Former UFC star Alan Belcher has officially ended his retirement from combat sports and signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC. Belcher last fought in mixed martial arts way back in 2013, losing to Michael Bisping via technical decision at UFC 159. He then went more than two years without competing before finally announcing in November 2015 that he’d be stepping away from the cage.

Drake Riggs - May 18, 2021

Paige VanZant has officially transitioned from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing. An unexpected sight for many, her husband, Austin Vanderford, also found it a bit tough to see. Regardless, the rising Bellator middleweight contender still fully supported, and supports, his partner in crime.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2021

Paige VanZant’s highly-anticipated BKFC debut on February 5 has reportedly struggled with pay-per-views. VanZant made the move to the sans gloves promotion after she was submitted by Amanda Ribas at UFC 251. It was a surprise to many, but also created interest to see how she would fare against Britain Hart in her debut. The fight seemed like it would gain some solid attraction, but according to the Wrestling Observer, the fight only sold 5,000 pay-per-views on TV.

Adam Martin - April 28, 2021

A rematch between former UFC fighters Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich is being planned for a BKFC event that will take place this summer. On Tuesday, BKFC announced that it has signed Ostovich to a new contract, and immediately there were rumors that she could be paired up in a rematch against VanZant in a battle between two of the promotion’s most marketable fighters. Indeed, according to MMAFighting.com, BKFC is targeting VanZant vs. Ostovich 2 for a summer matchup, either in June or July. The venue and location of that matchup have yet-to-be determined.

Cole Shelton - April 27, 2021

Rachael Ostovich has signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Ostovich was released from the UFC in December after losing three in a row. After the release, many were curious where she would sign as many pointed to Bellator given she is a Hawaiian, where Bellator holds events every year and is marketable. Yet, on Tuesday, it was announced BKFC signed the 30-year-old.

Drake Riggs - April 5, 2021

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has powered on as a dominant force in the bare-knuckle boxing world. To give back to the athletes, they’re now working on pension plans. “Our fighters are the most important asset of the company.” ‘We want to ensure that they are compensated not only on the night of the fight but also looked after in retirement. For each BKFC fight, money will be placed in a pension account for them to draw on upon retirement.” pic.twitter.com/1F91VZpx3J

Harry Kettle - March 29, 2021

A bare knuckle boxing promotion known as BYB has announced an event on April 17 that’ll feature many interesting names – including Dada 5000. BYB will be joining a host of other promotions within this sphere that, in recent years, really seems to have taken off. Big names from Artem Lobov to Paige VanZant and beyond have made the transition from mixed martial arts to bare knuckle boxing, and it feels as if the demand is only going to keep going up from here.

Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021

Former UFC middleweight and current BKFC fighter Hector Lombard shared a video of gunshots during an amateur MMA fight night in Florida. Lombard was in attendance at a RIZE Fighting Championship this past Saturday at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach. According to TMZ Sports, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, one that was shocking and caught on camera. According to the report, a fight broke out in the stands between fans, and at some point, one of the men pulled a gun out and fired shots into the air, turning the room into a frenzy. Lombard was cage side and can be seen capturing the gunshots on his cell phone video.