Jorge Masvidal is going back to his roots, in a way, with his latest venture, Gamebred FC.
A bare-knuckle MMA start-up (remember, Masvidal rose to fame during his backyard fighting days), the promotion is set to hold its first event on June 18. And now, the inaugural voyage of Gamebred FC has a headliner: MMA/bare-knuckle boxing veterans Jason Knight and Charles “Felony” Bennett.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was among the first to report the news.
Knight (21-6 MMA, 1-1 BKB) was a popular figure in the UFC from 2015 to 2018. However, a 4-5 record and four-fight skid at the end of his run there saw him get the dreaded pink slip from Dana White and co. Knight, affectionately known as “Hick Diaz” for his fighting style, would end up jumping to BKFC, putting on a memorable pair of scraps with fellow UFC ex-pat Artem Lobov in 2019. The pair would split the fights, with Knight losing a decision in the first, but getting his vengeance with a fifth-round TKO of Lobov in their second meeting.
After stepping back into the cage for a pure MMA contest at iKon 5 in March (and picking up a rear-naked choke submission win), Knight will now try his hand at bare-knuckle MMA. And he’s drawn one of the sport’s true characters in Charles Bennett.
Bennett, (30-41-2 MMA, 0-3 BKB), at 41, has seen pretty much all there is to see in combat sports. Then known as “Krazy Horse,” he’s well-known for runs in KOTC, PRIDE, and a 7-second KO of Minoru Kimura under the RIZIN banner in 2016. The fighter now nicknamed “Felony” also participated in an infamous backstage altercation with Cristiano Marcello while in PRIDE in 2005.
In more recent years, Bennett has struggled to find a win while still competing on a regular basis. He’s lost his last 11 MMA bouts, and all three of his bare knuckle boxing fights.
Gamebred FC is expected to air live on BKTVAPP.com on June 18, 2021. The event will take place in Biloxi, Mississippi.
