SIX years after the UFC was finally legalised across Australia, plans are now underway to also bring the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Down Under.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, BKFC founder Dave Feldman revealed he is now in the final stages of having his bareknuckle promotion not only legalised locally, but set to host its first Aussie event as soon as next summer.
The news comes on the eve of what is shaping as the biggest event in BKFC history this Sunday – which includes Australia’s bareknuckle queen Bec Rodriguez contesting the flyweight title.
Watch BKFC 41 LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday April 30 from 10am AEST. ORDER NOW >
Set to be shown live on Main Event, BKFC 41 is also stacked with a host of UFC favourites, among them former champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez.
In the main event, Rockhold makes his bareknuckle debut against another former Octagon favourite, Mike Perry – already on a run of two straight wins in BKFC.
Then in the co-main, Alvarez throws down against former UFC contender Chad Mendes, whose final fight in the Octagon was a loss to Australia’s now featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia after Friday’s BKFC41 press conference, Perry said he was expecting to both “wobble” Rockhold and make him “bleed”.
“Because I don’t care if you’re bigger, stronger, faster, taller,” the American fired. “I don’t care about any of the attributes you have.
“I want to come after you, put my hands on you, hurt you.
“So I’m looking to break Rockhold’s chin down.
“I have to get past his range first, put my hands on him and do some damage.
“And I do expect to wobble him.
“But even if his chin can take it, I plan to close the distance, get my head on his chest, hit the body, which then opens up the head — and then I’ll hit him in the face.
“Bust him up, cut him open, make him bleed.”
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Speaking about his push into the Australian market, Feldman said the plan was to debut Down Under in early 2024 and then stage “up to six events” every year.
Apart from flying in the likes of Rockhold and Perry, BKFC will also look to unearth a crew of Australian bareknuckle stars.
Asked about the push, Feldman said: “We’re working towards legalisation in Australia right now.
“And it looks like in the next two to three months, we’re going to get the thumbs up there.
“Which I know Australian fight fans are going to love.
“And for me, when making comparisons with bareknuckle (to boxing) I always say how it really is the rugby versus American football debate.
“Without the gloves, fighting is safer and a lot more fun to watch.
“And it’s the same without the helmet, football is safer too and it’s a lot more fun to watch.
“So we’re expecting to do great numbers (in Australia) this weekend and our goal is then to do an event there in early 2024.
“And once we get the ball rolling, we hope to be doing four to six events every year. We see Australia as a great market for us.”
Quizzed on Sunday’s card, the BKFC founder and president continued: “This is the event that turns a major corner for us — straight into mainstream.
“It will be our highest grossing gate, our highest viewed event, most Pay Per Views sold worldwide, most sponsorship dollars … most everything.
“We’ve got two former UFC champions, a guy who fought for the title, another guy who is a dog in this sport — it’s just an amazing event.”
Among the top acts too is Brisbane mum Rodriguez, who will fight flyweight champ Christine Ferea.
After competing for six years herself in both the UFC and Invicta, Rawlings then made her bareknuckle debut in 2018, and on the same night as the company, at BKFC 1.
She has also welcomed the BKFC push Down Under.
“Because ever since their first show, I’ve been asking David to bring BKFC to Australia,” she said.
“We’re a country of great strikers.
“And I’ve had so many fighters – boxers, MMA guys — asking about getting themselves a fight for BKFC. The guys would have no trouble filling an entire card with Aussie talent.”
Rodriguez added that having Sunday’s card covered by Main Event represented a huge turning point for the sport’s growth locally.
“Obviously BKFC is already well established in America,” she said.
“But I think this weekend’s show will really be the one that makes its mark on Australian fans … especially when I win that belt and bring it home with me.”
Watch BKFC 41 LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday April 30 from 10am AEST. ORDER NOW >
All up, the BKFC main card includes eight fights, among them are a potential heavyweight slobberknocker between former UFC fighters Ben Rothwell and Josh Copeland.
After winning his BKFC debut via brutal KO last October, Big Ben insists there is still more to his striking game “that the world doesn’t know about”.
“I have a lot of skills to show yet,” Rothwell told us. “A lot of technique the world doesn’t know about.
“I don’t feel like I get as much respect for how good a boxer I am.
“But now I want to show that.
“Being my age (41), MMA training was getting really hard on my body.
“The wrestling, the take-downs, the submissions … I love jiu jitsu and have been known for having a very good ground game, but it was wearing down my body.
“Now though, I only have to focus on my boxing.
“It’s so much easier on my body, I’m avoiding a lot of damage and the boxing is fun for me.”
Watch BKFC 41 LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday April 30 from 10am AEST. ORDER NOW >