Category: BKFC

Bare Knuckle FC announces multi-year broadcast partnership with DAZN

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will have a new home for viewers to see its upcoming events.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will have a new home for viewers to see its upcoming events.

BKFC officials announced on Friday that the promotion has entered into a three-year broadcast agreement with DAZN Worldwide that will include live fight cards for subscribers, additional pay-per-view events and other various shoulder programming.

The deal kicks off with the BKFC card in Marbella, Spain on Oct. 12, according to a press release issued to MMA Junkie.

“Our partnership with DAZN represents a major inflection point in BKFC’s global expansion,” BKFC president David Feldman said in a statement. “This three-year deal allows us to bring the adrenaline-pumping action of BKFC to an even larger, worldwide audience. DAZN shares our vision of elevating the sport of bare-knuckle fighting, and together, we will deliver an unparalleled experience to combat sports fans across the globe.”

BKFC put on its first event in June 2018 and has since experienced a slow but respectable growth in notoriety.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor recently gained an ownership stake in the company, and has put forth a legitimate effort in pushing the brand using his massive platform.

BKFC has tested various broadcast partners during its more than six years of existence, but the DAZN deal marks the most noteworthy collaboration to date.

“We are thrilled to become the exclusive home of BKFC’s premier events, said DAZN senior vice president of North America Jared Kass in a statement. “This collaboration speaks to DAZN’s dedication to delivering innovative and unforgettable combat sports experiences. With BKFC now part of our portfolio, fans worldwide will have access to some of the most exciting fights and content in the sport.”

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Photos: BKFC 66 weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs

Check out these photos from the BKFC 66 weigh-ins in Florida.

Check out these photos from the BKFC 66 weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs ahead of the event taking place at Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. (Photos courtesy of BKFC)

BKFC champ Christine Ferea plans to donate brain to further CTE research

Christine Ferea says combat sports saved her life. When her time is up, she will give a part of her body to help the next generation.

BKFC women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] is glad to be a big part of the growth of bareknuckle boxing. While she’s enjoying being on top of the game, she also looks forward to when her days in the ring are over so she can give back to the next generation.

Ferea (8-1 BKFC) has no intentions of calling it quits any time soon. In her first fight of 2024, “Misfit” faces Jade Masson-Wong in the main event of BKFC 65 in Salt Lake City on Sept. 6. Ferea, who enters the fight on a six-fight winning streak, has really found her home in bareknuckle boxing.

Admittedly, Ferea doesn’t know where she would be today if she weren’t a fighter. She credits combat sports with saving her life, allowing her to become a “psychopath champion.” When she’s done inside the ring, she has every intention of giving back as a coach – but it won’t stop there.

Ferea says she will donate her brain for research to help scientists further analyze the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) so that it can help future generations of fighters make better decisions about their careers.

“I go to the Cleveland Clinic, they do the brain studies for fighters, and they’ve been doing it for a long time,” Ferea told MMA Junkie Radio. “… They do an MRI scan, you know those are super expensive. They tell me my cognitive, where it’s at, if I have the damage, what is being damaged, year after year. So, I do it yearly and actually, since bareknuckle, I’m going to be honest with you, my cognitive and everything has gotten better. I don’t know, maybe because I’m not taking as much hits, and I’ve got defense better.”

Ferea was scheduled to compete earlier in the year at BKFC 61 against Heather Hardy. However, the fight was scratched just days before as Hardy pulled out of the fight, citing concerns for her brain health and loss of vision after years of competing in combat sports. Hardy decided to end her career after suffering too many concussions.

When Ferea’s time is up, she will donate her brain in hopes of discovering how fighting affects the brain, especially in female fighters.

“I also want to give my brain,” Ferea said. “CTE and all that, you can’t really know until you’ve passed away, and they can open up your brain, take your brain out, and dissect it. For females, we haven’t been here (fighting) very long. So there’s not a lot of research. I’ve been doing this 20 years now and I’m the perfect candidate to see what kind of damage can be done to the female over periods of time of competition. Hopefully, it will help the future, and the girls and the men will know when to stop and what it can do to you over time.”

Ferea has been fighting since her amateur MMA days in 2012, aside from a few dust-ups during her school days. She admits she has had a few concussions over the years and probably has some brain damage, but believes nothing “severe” has occurred during her career. To her knowledge, she feels all her faculties are present and can function at total capacity.

There are still plenty of unknowns about how fighting affects the brain. The UFC has partnered with Cleveland Clinic to support research on brain trauma. Researchers are aiming to reach a point where they can identify cognitive issues before a fighter suffers a brain injury and have the analysis be a part of combat sports regulation.

“I just want to be a champion that uses their platform for the good, give back what I can,” Ferea said. “The game has given me a lot and helped set me free from a lot of demons, so that’s all I can do is give back as much as I can.”

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Ex-Bellator fighter, Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers signs with BKFC

BKFC has added Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers to its roster.

[autotag]Aaron Chalmers[/autotag] will continue his combat sports career in bareknuckle boxing.

The Geordie Shore reality T.V. show star has signed a multifight deal with BKFC, the promotion announced Tuesday. No debut date or opponent was revealed.

Chalmers, 37, who made his name through the U.K. reality T.V. show Geordie Shore, turned to professional fighting soon after his appearance on the show. He began fighting in MMA under BAMMA, and then signed with Bellator after a 4-0 stint. Under the Bellator banner, Chalmers went 2-2. His last MMA fight was with Bellator in February 2020.

In recent years, Chalmers turned his attention to boxing. He competed in two professional bouts and three exhibitions. Most notably, he went the distance in an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2023, which ended without a winner.

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BKFC signs Nate Maness after UFC split

Nate Maness went 5-2 in the UFC, earned three performance bonuses, and but was on a two-fight streak – but wasn’t re-signed.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag] to find a new home.

Weeks after the seven-fight UFC veteran Maness revealed he was not re-signed by the promotion, he’s inked a new multifight deal with BKFC.

Maness’ manager Pat Wilson, of Rise Sports Management, and BKFC officials recently informed MMA Junkie of the news, and Maness made a formal announcement Tuesday on social media.

Maness’ departure from the UFC was a bit of an unusual one, as he won back-to-back fights prior to the expiration of his contract. He went 5-2 with the promotion, including three Performance of the Night bonus-earning performances.

Despite his success, the promotion was not interested in bringing him back. Maness told MMA Junkie in late July that UFC officials had not given him a reason as to why they did not want to keep him. However, Maness later said on X he was informed members of the UFC brass were not pleased with his excitement level.

With his UFC exit behind him, Maness, 33, looks to continue his success in a different combat sport. He currently does not have a date or opponent booked for his first BKFC appearance, though is expected to debut in the coming months.

MMA Junkie Radio #3494: Fighter of the Year early discussion, Belal Muhammad’s roasts, UFC news, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Monday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,494, the guys got the discussion started early for Fighter of the Year candidates, talked Conor McGregor in BKFC, discussed the latest MMA news and more. Tune in!

Video: BKFC fighter Trevor Bozniak snaps mutilated ankle back into place like it’s no big deal

BKFC fighter Trevor Bozniak’s foot was totally twisted in the wrong direction, so he wrenched it back into place as if nothing happened.

[autotag]Trevor Bozniak[/autotag]’s foot was sideways, bent under him, as he sat on the canvas Saturday at a BKFC Prospect Series event in Enoch, Alberta, Canada.

Twenty-year-old opponent [autotag]Kayden Giroux[/autotag] had knocked him down with a right hand in the opening seconds of the fight, and Bozniak’s leg was crushed with the brunt of the fall.

After he identified the injury, referee Dan Miragliotta immediately waved off the fight. However, after Bozniak used Miragliotta to pull himself up off the canvas, his foot was back in the proper position. Bozniak had subtly replaced his foot, but it was still too late.

He walked backward to his stool and then walked forward on the instruction of the ringside physician – as if nothing happened.

Former Strikeforce champ ‘King Mo’ Lawal out of BKFC debut on Sept. 13

43-year-old former Strikeforce champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has been ruled out of his BKFC debut due to injury.

[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]’s return to combat sports competition is off.

Former Strikeforce champion and longtime Bellator veteran “King Mo” Lawal was scheduled to make his BKFC debut at BKFC 66 on Sept. 13 at Dave Mundell, but an injury sustained in training will prevent that from happening.

A BKFC official verified the news to MMA Junkie on Wednesday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

The exact nature of Lawal’s injury was not disclosed, and it remains to be seen if the 43-year-old will make another comeback attempt once he is medically cleared. In the meantime, BKFC officials told MMA Junkie a new fight for Mundell’s BKFC middleweight title is in the works.

“King Mo” hasn’t competed since November 2019, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Andrew Kapal at Bellator 233 in his MMA retirement bout. The result extended his losing skid to four fights, all of which came by stoppage due to strikes.

During his MMA career, Lawal (21-10) defeated notables such as Quinton Jackson, Jiri Prochazka, Linton Vassell, Cheick Kongo, and more. He served as a part-time coach at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., during his fighting career, but following his retirement, became a full-time part of the gym.

When speaking to MMA Junkie shortly after his fight was announced earlier this month, Lawal said his incentive for a comeback was to “test himself.”