Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
TypePrivate
Industrybare-knuckle boxing promotion
Founded2018
FounderDavid Feldman
Headquarters
Philadelphia
,
United States
Websitehttps://www.bareknuckle.tv

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889.[1] Its first event was held in 2018, with 19 "numbered" events held as of July 2021. It is the largest bare knuckle boxing promotion company in the world and has featured notable talents such as Elvin Leon Brito, Jim Alers, Artem Lobov, Ricco Rodriguez, Charles Bennett, Kendall Grove, Chris Lytle, Joe Riggs, Chase Sherman, Leonard Garcia, Eric Prindle, Joey Beltran, Bec Rawlings, Shannon Ritch, Bobby Gunn, Jason Knight, Johnny Bedford, Paulie Malignaggi, Reza Goodary, Sirimongkol Singmanasak, Arash Mardani, Robert Morrow, and Chris Leben .[2][3][4][5]

History[]

BKFC was founded in April 2018 and is presided over by former American professional boxer David Feldman. After first receiving approval to hold a sanctioned event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, BKFC held the first state sanctioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889. Each fight takes place in a specialized circular four-rope ring, referred to as the "Squared Circle.” BKFC 1, which took place on June 2, 2018, featured the first American sanctioned women's bare-knuckle fight in modern history.[6] The Bare-Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame recognized this milestone and awarded the victor of this contest, Bec Rawlings, with the National Police Gazette World Diamond Belt several days after her victory.[7] BKFC recognizes the Police Gazette champions, and they may defend their titles within this promotion. At BKFC 3, Arnold Adams defeated Sam Shewmaker in the finals of an eight man tournament to be crowned as the inaugural BKFC Heavyweight Champion. This event also hosted the quarterfinals of a tournament to crown a Lightweight champion.[8] In February, 2019, former UFC light heavyweight title contender Anthony Johnson announced that he will be joining the company in an administrative role.[9]

Broadcasting partners[]

Initially, BKFC pay-per-view bouts were carried worldwide via FITE TV. On July 24, 2020 it was announced that starting on August, DAZN will be streaming BKFC events.[10]

Unique ring[]

BKFC holds all bouts in a circular four-rope ring, referred to as the "Squared Circle". This ring incorporates elements of historical bare knuckle fighting by containing two scratch lines, three feet apart and in the middle of the ring. These scratch lines are based on the Broughton Rules, which governed bare knuckle fighting in the 19th century. It is a requirement that each fighter must start each round with their front foot on their scratch line. This is referred to as “Toe the Line”, and it is an instruction given to the fighters at the beginning of each round, followed by "Knuckle Up" which signals the beginning of the round.[11]

List of selected BKFC events[]

Event Date Location Ref
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: KnuckleMania 2 February 19, 2022 Hollywood, Florida, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Fight Night: Jackson January 29, 2022 Jackson, Mississippi, USA
BKFC Thailand 1 (The Game Changer) December 18, 2021 Pattaya, THA [12]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Fight Night: Wichita October 23, 2021 Wichita, Kansas, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Fight Night: Montana October 9, 2021 Billings, Montana, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 21 September 10, 2021 Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 20 August 20, 2021 Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 19: VanZant vs. Ostovich July 23, 2021 Tampa Bay, Florida, USA [13]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 18: Beltran vs. Shewmaker June 26, 2021 Miami, Florida, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 17: Tate vs. Burns April 30, 2021 Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16: Garcia vs. Elmore[14] March 19, 2021 Miami, Florida, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: Knucklemania February 5, 2021 Lakeland, Florida, USA
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 15: Shewmaker vs. O'Bannon December 11, 2020 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 14: Palomino vs. Alers November 13, 2020 Miami, Florida, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 13: Beltran vs. Stamps October 10, 2020 Salina, Kansas, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 12: Alves vs. Lane September 11, 2020 Daytona Beach, Florida
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 11: Palomino vs. Vallie-Flagg July 24, 2020 Oxford, Mississippi, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 10: Lombard vs. Mundell February 15, 2020 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 9: Lobov vs. Knight 2 November 16, 2019 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga October 19, 2019 Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 7: Alers vs. Garcia August 10, 2019 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. [15]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6: Malignaggi vs. Lobov June 22, 2019 Tampa, Florida, U.S. [16]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 5: Lobov vs Knight April 6, 2019 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. [17]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 4: USA vs Mexico February 2, 2019 Cancun, Mexico [18]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 3: The Takeover October 20, 2018 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. [19]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 2: A New Era August 25, 2018 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. [20]
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 1: The Beginning June 2, 2018 Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. [21]
List of BKFC events

BKFC weight classes[]

Division Upper weight limit Gender
Heavyweight Unlimited Male
Cruiserweight 205 lb (93 kg) Male
Light heavyweight 185 lb (84 kg) Male
Middleweight 175 lb (79 kg) Male
Welterweight 165 lb (75 kg) Male
Lightweight 155 lb (70 kg) Male
Featherweight 145 lb (66 kg) Male
Bantamweight 135 lb (61 kg) Male
Flyweight 125 lb (57 kg) Male/Female

Current champions[]

BKFC Champions[22][23]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Heavyweight (206+) United States Arnold Adams[24] November 6,2021 0
Cruiserweight (205) United States Hector Lombard[25] June 26, 2021 0
Light heavyweight (185) United States [26] November 12, 2021 0
Middleweight (175) Brazil Thiago Alves June 26, 2021 0
Welterweight (165) Puerto Rico Elvin León Brito January 29, 2022 0
Lightweight (155) Peru Luis Palomino July 24, 2020 4
Bantamweight (135) United States Johnny Bedford August 20, 2021 0
Women's Flyweight (125) United States Christine Ferea February 19, 2022 0
Police Gazette Champions[22][23]
Division Champion Since Defenses
World Heavyweight United States Joey Beltran
Canada Bobby Gunn (Champion Emeritus) 		October 10, 2020 0
American Heavyweight United States Chase Sherman August 10, 2019 0
World Lightweight Peru Luis Palomino[27] July 24, 2020 1
World Bantamweight Vacant June 2021
World Women's Flyweight Vacant
Australia Bec Rawlings (Champion in recess)[28] 		November 4, 2019 0
American Women's Flyweight United States Helen Peralta August 10, 2019 0
See also: Police Gazette Championship History

Championship History[]

Heavyweight Championship[]

Weight limit: above 205 lbs (93 kg)
The inaugural champion was determined by an 8-man tournament.[29]
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 United States Arnold Adams
def. Sam Shewmaker 		BKFC 3
Biloxi, Mississippi 		October 20, 2018
2 United States Chase Sherman
def. Arnold Adams 		BKFC 7
Biloxi, Mississippi 		August 10, 2019
3 United States Joey Beltran
def. Chase Sherman 		BKFC 9
Biloxi, Mississippi 		November 16, 2019

1. def. Marcel Stamps at BKFC 13 on October 10, 2020
2. def. Sam Shewmaker at BKFC 18 on June 26, 2021

4 United States Arnold Adams (2)
def. Joey Beltran 		BKFC Fight Night: New York
Salamanca, New York 		November 6, 2021

Cruiserweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 205 lbs (93 kg)
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 Cuba Héctor Lombard
def. Joe Riggs 		BKFC 18
Miami, Florida 		June 26, 2021

Light Heavyweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 185 lbs (84 kg)
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 United States Lorenzo Hunt
def. Héctor Lombard 		BKFC 22
Miami, Florida 		November 12, 2021

Middleweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 175 lbs (79.3 kg)
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 Brazil Thiago Alves
def. Ulysses Diaz 		BKFC 18
Miami, Florida 		June 26, 2021

Lightweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 155 lbs (70.3 kg)
The inaugural champion was determined by a 4-man tournament
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 Peru Luis Palomino
def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg 		BKFC 11
Oxford, Mississippi 		July 24, 2020

1. def. Jim Alers at BKFC 14 on November 13, 2020
2. def. Tyler Goodjohn at BKFC 18 on June 26, 2021
3. def. Dat Nguyen at BKFC 22 on November 12, 2021
4. def. Martin Brown at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 on February 19, 2022

Bantamweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 135 lbs (61.2 kg)
The inaugural champion was determined by an 8-man tournament.
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 United States Johnny Bedford
def. Reggie Barnett Jr. 		BKFC 6
Tampa, Florida 		June 22, 2019
2 United States Dat Nguyen
def. Johnny Bedford 		BKFC: KnuckleMania
Lakeland, Florida 		February 5, 2021
Nguyen was stripped of the title in June 2021 after he and the organization were not able to reach agreement on new contract.[30]
3 United States Johnny Bedford
def. Reggie Barnett Jr. 		BKFC 20
Biloxi, Mississippi 		August 20, 2021

Women's Flyweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 125 lbs (57 kg)
No. Name Event Date Defenses
1 United States Christine Ferea
def. Britain Hart 		BKFC: KnuckleMania 2
Hollywood, Florida 		February 19, 2022

Tournament winners[]

Weight Class Champion Runner-up Event Date Tournament Bracket
Heavyweight Championship Tournament United States Arnold Adams United States Sam Shewmaker BKFC 3: The Takeover October 20, 2018 Heavyweight Tournament Bracket
Lightweight Championship Tournament United States Johnny Bedford United States Reggie Barnett Jr. BKFC 6: Malignaggi vs. Lobov June 22, 2019 Lightweight Tournament Bracket

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Bare 1st Event of Its Kind". bleacherReport. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  2. ^ "BKFC About". bareknuckle.tv. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  3. ^ Foley, Matt (June 2018). "28 States Said 'No' to Bare-Knuckle Boxing. But 1 Said 'Yes'". OZY. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  4. ^ "The first appearance of an Iranian in BKFC". YJC (in Persian). 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2021-12-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ THAITICKETMAJOR. "Official Ticket | BKFC THAILAND". THAITICKETMAJOR. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  6. ^ "Bare knuckles are coming out of the darkness". Phillyvoice.com. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  7. ^ "BKB Hall of Fame". BKB Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  8. ^ "Lightweight tournament quarterfinals". Mymmanews.com. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  9. ^ "Rumble Johnson joins BKFC Front Office". RBR MMA. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  10. ^ "BKFC and DAZN agree to broadcast partnership starting in August". mmafighting.com. July 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Everything you need to know about Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship". MyMMANews.com. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  12. ^ Limited, Bangkok Post Public Company. "BKFC Thailand". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  13. ^ Damon Martin (May 27, 2021). "Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich official for BKFC 19 on July 23". mmafighting.com.
  14. ^ KnuckleMania Live Weigh Ins!. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. February 4, 2021. Event occurs at 13:29 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "BKFC 7 | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships | Home". bkfights.
  16. ^ "NEWS | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships | Home". bkfights.
  17. ^ Thomas Myers (April 5, 2019). "Bare Knuckle FC 5 fight card for 'Lobov vs Knight' on April 6". mmamania.com.
  18. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2019-02-02). "Bare Knuckle FC 4 Complete Guide! How To Watch, Who Is Fighting & More!". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  19. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2018-10-20). "Bare Knuckle FC 3 Complete Guide! How To Watch, Who Is Fighting & More!". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  20. ^ Mindenhall, Chuck (2018-08-24). "After exceeding expectations in first bare knuckle event, Bare Knuckle FC ready to usher in 'new era'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  21. ^ Newport, Kyle. "Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to Be 1st Event of Its Kind in USA Since 1889". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  22. ^ a b "BKFC Fighters". bareknuckle.tv. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  23. ^ a b "CURRENT BARE KNUCKLE CHAMPIONS". bareknuckle.tv. 24 September 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  24. ^ Alexander K. Lee (November 6, 2021). "BKFC 9 Results: Jason Knight avenges loss to Artem Lobov with fifth-round KO, Joey Beltran captures heavyweight title". mmafighting.com.
  25. ^ Kristen King (June 26, 2021). "Bare Knuckle FC 22 results: Lorenzo Hunt wins cruiserweight championship over Hector Lombard". www.bloodyelbow.com.
  26. ^ Kristen King (June 26, 2021). "Bare Knuckle FC 22 results: Lorenzo Hunt wins cruiserweight championship over Hector Lombard". www.bloodyelbow.com.
  27. ^ "BKFC 14: Palomino vs Alers Results". 13 November 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  28. ^ "RANKINGS". Police Gazette Boxing Corporation. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  29. ^ "Tournament". mymmanews.com. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  30. ^ Damon Martin (June 10, 2021). "BKFC unable to come to terms with Dat Nguyen, new 135-pound champion to be crowned in July". mmafighting.com.

External links[]

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