Rothwell, never more than a contender in the UFC, had still been a popular fighter, and appeared to have found a new lease on his fighting life in bareknuckle, going 4-0 for BKFC.

Arlovski, 47, was 1-0 in bareknuckle (and 1-0 as a boxer) as he entered a title fight over 20 years after winning the UFC crown. Ageless wonder indeed. Though at 44, Rothwell was no spring chicken himself.

The pair had met twice previously, with Arlovski defeating “Big Ben” twice in MMA.

Not a lot of feeling out, as the two big men got right down to work in the Knuckle Mania VI main event. Arlovski had Ben in trouble early, landing a hook and backing him up to the ropes. A couple of clinches followed, then Rothwell swung wild and missed. Arlovski punched his way in, finding more success. Rothwell, however, connected to the side of the head with a right hand. Another right hand would see Rothwell stagger back prior to the bell to end round one.

The second started scrappy, with both men firing frequently. Rothwell landed a counter, but Arlovski repeatedly found a home for his right hand. “The Pitbull” had his jab going as well, and looked to be the faster man. Rothwell was cut open, blood running down his forehead and around his eye.

The back half of round two was all Arlovski, with Rothwell frequently under fire. And starting round three, the ringside physician was brought in to check the damage on Rothwell, particularly around his eye, though he was allowed to continue.

Arlovski had plenty of pep in his step in the third, driving forward repeatedly, working his right hand with his jab. Big Ben was bleeding again, face a crimson mask. That brought the doctor in again, and this time, he called it. Tons of damage on Rothwell, while Arlovski appeared to barely have a scratch. Solid movement for a 47-year old who clearly came prepared.

The ageless Andrei Arlovski does it again, earning the BKFC heavyweight title at the promotion’s flagship event.

Official Result: Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 3, 1:14

The post BKFC KnuckleMania 6: Andrei Arlovski Bloodies Ben Rothwell, Wins Heavyweight Title appeared first on Cageside Press.

The former multi-time title challenger in UFC and Bellator MMA will enter the world of gloveless combat but he was not the only former UFC title challenger that the bare-knuckle fighting organization has enlisted the services of. Thiago Santos was also announced as a new signee at the massive press event leading into the promotion’s BKFC 78 effort in Hollywood, Florida this weekend. Romero and Santos have a bit of a history with one another as the former defeated the latter at the PFL vs. Bellator card by way of a unanimous decision.

The 48-year-old has recently been active on the Dirty Boxing Championship circuit with Romero picking up victories over Duane Crespo and Ras Hylton under the DBX banner.

BKFC also signs an additional pair of UFC veterans

Also at this massive media event that featured a variety of assembled world, European, and UK champions, another pair of UFC fighters were announced as new signees for bare knuckle.

Aspen Ladd will be knuckling up and toeing the line after taking a handful of fights on the Bellator MMA and PFL circuits after her 2022 departure from the UFC. Ladd has tested skills against several former UFC and Bellator champions across multiple weight categories including Kayla Harrison, Julia Budd, Raquel Pennington, and Germaine de Randamie.

Also, former stalwart UFC middleweight Derek Brunson will be stepping into the world of bare-knuckle. Brunson had a lone fight in the PFL smart cage after his UFC tenure ended in 2023 which was a run that saw him fight names like Dricus du Plessis, Darren Till, Israel Adesanya, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, and Robert Whittaker to name a few.

All of the aforementioned signees not having debut opponents locked in, as expressed by the organization at the BKFC Champions Summit press conference.

The post BKFC Signs Yoel Romero, Former Jon Jones Foe, and 2 More UFC Vets appeared first on Cageside Press.

The now-former ranked 125lb’er was one of the key figures caught up in a betting scandal that briefly stunned the UFC (not to mention fans) a couple of years back. Molina (11-2), along with then Glory MMA head coach James Krause, was suspected of being behind irregularities in betting on the Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbiek fight in November 2022.

Krause was a coach of Minner, who fell early in the fight with Nuerdanbiek due to injury. He was also working for an off-shore sports book, and selling his own gambling know-how directly to fight fans making wagers, often boasting that he made more money gambling then coaching or fighting. Molina, meanwhile, was helping Krause push his gambling business – only for it all to come crashing down after the Minner fight.

At least some of Krause’s actions, and Molina’s, were done fairly openly. However, weeks before the Minner fight in November 2022, the UFC changed its gambling policy to forbid betting by fighters, even on bouts outside of their own. Molina and Krause at least ignored that new policy.

Back in January 2023, Molina was removed from the UFC’s active roster, though he was under suspension by the NSAC at the time, due to his involvement with Krause. Molina had been involved with the “1% Club” — a betting Discord run by Krause, and a scheme that helped the flyweight make car and mortgage payments, he bragged.

Multiple investigations followed, with even the FBI getting involved. James Krause has yet to learn his fate, though he’s been essentially estranged from the MMA world since.

Earlier this year, Molina received a three-year ban, backdated to the Minner fight (Minner himself was handed a two-year suspension). That ruling, made by the NSAC, found that Molina not only failed to disclose the injury to Minner, but that he instead placed a large wager on the fight. The suspension means the flyweight is eligible to return to action on November 5, 2025. Yet on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Molina claimed to have signed on with BKFC, after being handed his release officially by the UFC.

Molina stated on Helwani’s show that the UFC told him “We can’t go forward with you under the circumstances after the hearing, and we wish you the best in your future,'” which led to him asking for and being granted his release. Then came the deal with BKFC, which the promotion announced on social media just yesterday, in a since-deleted post.

However on Wednesday, BKFC announced that it will honor the suspension, which is being upheld by the Association of Boxing Commissions. “Yesterday’s announcement regarding Jeff Molina’s signing was premature. We respect the ABC’s current suspension and will honor their rules and suspensions,” promotion officials wrote.

That means more waiting for Molina, who can still compete for the promotion after November 5, should they opt to retain his services.

The post Ousted by UFC, Jeff Molina Sees BKFC Deal Halted Due to Betting Suspension appeared first on Cageside Press.

Emery will challenge flyweight champ Britain Hart at BKFC Fight Night: Dubai on April 4, in her highest-profile fight to date.

“I have no words. Even just hearing these things, I get stuck. Just because it’s been the longest journey,” Emery told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “And I really think this journey for me even started from when I was a kid. That’s when I realized I’ve got to fight to survive, or fight to live, or fight to just be able to be recognized, to do anything in life.”

Emery noted that she didn’t have the easiest upbringing, bouncing between a pair of foster homes. She then became an electrician, before picking up roots and moving to Thailand. It all started to pay off, however, when Emery went viral following her win at BKFC Thailand 3 in 2022.

Now, she’s paired up with Hart, who Emery believes has been overlooked despite her championship status.

“I think she brings a lot and I think a lot of people have overlooked her abilities, just because maybe she’s fought UFC fighters, she’s fought Pearl Gonzalez, Paige VanZant,” observed Emery. “The only ones she’s ever lost to is Christine Ferreira, and people who are champions in their own weight division. So that just shows she always takes on a challenge, she’s never given up. There’s been a few bloodbaths, and she’s got this passionate heart that does not want to back down.”

Emery feels Hart has created both her own style, and legacy through BKFC. And she’s aware of the experience deficit. “She’s had so much more ring time than me, I feel like I’m still learning how to colour and figure out how I want to be in there.”

Despite fighting for gold in just a few weeks, Emery, win or lose, intends to continue competing for Dana White’s Power Slap, and other combat sports promotions. It appears that all her ducks are in a row, in terms of being allowed to do just that.

“One hundred percent, everyone’s on the same page,” stated Emery. For that, Tai Emery thanks her manager, who has everything and everyone organized and in sync. “I do remember even reading in the contract, winning the belt, not wining the belt, I’m still allowed to one, do Power Slap, also jump over and do Misfits Boxing, which is an influencer [promotion]. So everyone’s on the same page, and I love that.”

That’s especially important given it’s not easy for her to cut weight. “Because now it means, one I can stay busy. I can’t go 115, two months later, 115 pounds again. This camp is really serious, anyone who knows and has done real weight cuts for sports to take that advantage of that size knows how serious the food is, the training is, the recovery is after,” stated Emery.

“So for me, it’s been whispered, I even get to speak with Frank, Frank’s the guy under Dana running Power Slap. So there’s talks of International Fight Week for UFC. I should be on this card, which is June, last week of June, which is awesome. Because that way I can slap at 135, which is 61 kilos. This allows by body as a female to just get that rebalance happening.” Plus redevelop other skills, she added, given training for Power Slap is rather different than training for BKFC. “For me, I really liked my Power Slap training because I did a lot more strength and conditioning, and Olympic lifting, and put more focus on stuff that I wouldn’t do in [a normal fight] camp.”

Watch our full interview with BKFC Fight Night: Dubai’s Tai Emery above.

The post Tai Emery “Has No Words” After Long Sports Journey Leads to BKFC Title Shot appeared first on Cageside Press.

This space showcased a groundbreaking group of renegade pro wrestlers through the 90’s and early 2000’s. The visceral fervor that permeated through the ECW arena years ago pulsated through the arena once again. Fans flocked to the corner of Swanson and Ritner to take in a great night of bare-knuckle boxing in Philadelphia.

BKFC Philly Headliner

Dustin Pague and Andrew Angelcor battled it out in the headliner of the night. Pague was previously a ranked welterweight in the promotion. For Angelcor, he usually fights at lightweight but was moving up for a challenge. Pague showcased good movement throughout as he actively switched stances. This while being offensively effective and defensively responsible at the same time.

While Angelcor seemed to be briefly rocked in the second stanza, the Barstow native began to find more success with his right hook over the top of the guard. Alas, Pague’s connectivity rate was demonstrably there in the form of a gaping cut on the forehead that caused the ringside doctor to wave off the bout for a second-round TKO victory in favor of Pague.

Cory Vidal vs. Brandon Conley was the co-main event bout with both men engaging in individual hard charges at the beginning of the contest. The two light heavyweights were game with Vidal seemingly aiming to crowd more and work at a tighter range while Conley seemed to prefer working at a greater distance.

Conley was deducted a point for an errant eye poke in the third round which ended up playing a big role in the bout’s verdict. The next two rounds saw both have their moments which lead to a majority draw verdict in the end.

Crowd Favorite

John Garbarino came in as one of the bigger crowd favorites of the night and showed out against Rayne Wells in the night’s feature fight. The composure and measured approach of Garbarino early on showcased a certain poise before dropping Wells under a flurry of lefts and rights which notched him a first-round knockout in forty-seven seconds.

Travis Thompson vs. AJ Craig was a clash between an OG in Thompson who has been with the promotion since BKFC 1 and Craig who was aiming to notch a statement win in bare knuckle boxing. Thompson aimed to crowd Craig early and work in body shots from the clinch whilst on the ropes. Conversely, for Craig, he used a lot of lateral movement and counter-punching as he collected a first-round knockdown.

Craig was largely counterpunching at will with his footwork behooving him through the contest until a bloodied, bruised, but unbroken Thompson dropped Craig to the canvas in the final stanza. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough to notch a decision win as Craig would earn victory via unanimous decision.

Maurice Horne and Adam De Freitas was a bit clouded by some controversy toward the end. Both were active with the lead right hands in this rare southpaw versus southpaw battle. De Freitas sustained a slight forehead cut in the opening round. The Canadian combatant would drop Horne to the canvas in the first round. The two then had a back-and-forth flurry to end off the round.

Horne would then notch his own knockdown in the second stanza with De Freitas stumbling a bit after initially getting up causing the ref to wave it off. Even though Horne was the local fighter, there were many in the crowd who felt that the stoppage at the 1:08 mark was a bit on the premature side of things.

Ludlow vs. McKenna

Lex Ludlow vs. Connor McKenna was a heavyweight contest that saw the latter often try to goad the former into a firefight and overextend. Ludlow stayed measured and calculated with some of the bombs he was landing cutting up McKenna in the second frame. Ludlow kept finding a home for the jab followed by a power right overtop of the guard and mixed in body shots well to keep McKenna guessing.

Fatigue set in and while McKenna was more active in the later stages, Ludlow would get his hand raised in the end. The heavyweight BKFC debutant then used his post-fight interview to call out the legendary Fedor Emelianenko who Conor McGregor previously teased interest in adding to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship roster someday.

Historic BKFC finishes

Dalvin Blair versus Justin Walters was a blink-and-you-missed-it type of affair. Walters charged forward right off of scratch only to be finished right away. Blair secured a KO at the four-second mark which is now the third-fastest knockout in the history of BKFC.

Elijah Harris vs. Brandon Honsvick was another bare-knuckle boxing bout that ended in lightning-quick fashion. Honsvick was stiffened after a massive flurry of punches saw him crash to the canvas in a fencing position. Harris secured the fourth-fastest knockout in BKFC history at the seven-second mark.

BKFC Fight Night Philly

Pat Carroll versus Mike Furnier saw the former drop the latter with big rights early. Carroll kept the pressure on as a flurry of lefts and rights again put down Furnier. Mike Furnier was grimacing while holding the side of his head and was unable to beat the count. A noticeable hematoma emerged in the spot Furnier was favoring. Carroll made good on his BKFC debut with a forty-six-second KO win over the three-fight BKFC competitor, Furnier.

Also, Anthony Pagan, who was cornered by combat sports legend Eddie Alvarez, made a statement against Colin Reeser. Pagan dropped Reeser on three separate occasions and cut him up in the process. The opening bout of the evening was waved off fifty-two seconds in.

The post Historic KO’s Punctuate BKFC Philly at the Old ECW Arena appeared first on Cageside Press.

“If he thinks this fight’s going to be anything like (his last fight), which I don’t think he does, he knows what he’s in for,” Conley told Eddie Law of Cageside Press.

“I don’t want to sound too cocky or arrogant, but…he shouldn’t have signed the contract.”

Conley (2-0 BKFC) is confident, but not arrogant when it comes to his assessment on his opponent, but he doesn’t mince words either.

“I’m just being honest man. I like the guy, I’ve talked to him a few times, he’s very polite, respectful,” he said.

“But he shouldn’t have signed the contract against me. It is what it is.”

No issues with his opponent, but there’s a little something added to a fight when a man signs to fight Conley in the ring. Call it bulletin board material, call it part of the business, but for Conley it’s enough to get him going.

“When he did that he made it a little bit personal. When he signed that line that’s him saying he thinks he can beat me. I’m going to show him otherwise,” said Conley.

Conley’s journey has been a wild one. He began in combat sports, but then switched over to powerlifting before getting in the ring with no gloves on. Now with his sights set on BKFC glory his goals have become clearer.

“Right now my #1 goal is to knock Cody Vidal out, or make him quit, and I want to get my house paid off. I’d like to get in that $20 something million tournament. I want to show all these people that you don’t have to have a big glorified name to kick people’s asses,” he said.

“Eventually win the title at 185. Short term, long term, it don’t matter. I’ll fight anybody.”

Watch the entire interview with Brandon Conley above. He takes on Cody Vidal at BKFC Fight Night: Philly on March 21 at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

The post Brandon Conley All In On BKFC, “Shouldn’t Have Signed The Contract” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Pague (3-2 BKFC) was originally set to take part in BKFC’s flagship event Knucklemania 5 in Philadelphia in January, but a last second cancelation took him out of the event.

“I found out 10 minutes before my arrival at the hotel. Like literally that Thursday morning,” Pague told Eddie Law of Cageside Press.

“Weigh-ins are Friday, fight was Saturday. We’re about 10 minutes away my manager calls me. (I’m) thinking he’s just checking in.”

Unfortunately for Pague this was not a routine call to see how he was doing.

“Hey buddy I got some bad news. I’m like ‘Scott don’t tell me this’. I know when he says I got bad news there could only be one bad news. So he’s like yeah fight’s off. I’m like how? How is this possible? It’s Thursday morning,” Pague said.

“Apparently your opponent failed his medicals.”

Medicals are a routine part of the fight game, but something that gets taken care of before fight week. Pague was confused as to how this could even happen so he went to the source for an answer.

“JD Burns actually gets there, I talk to him face to face, I’m like dude what happened,” he asked.

“Apparently what happened…he had a scar behind his retina which he’s gotten approved for before. It’s no damage to his retina it’s just from a previous injury that healed.”

Burns had gone to a new eye doctor and a mix up between the doctor’s notes and BKFC’s doctors forced them to pull the opponent.

Now he gets another shot at fighting in Philadelphia, and to top it off it’s in the main event against Andrew Angelcor.

“I even found out about this fight probably before lunchtime (that same) Thursday. They’re like hey we’re going to get you back. There’s another Philly event at the end of March. I didn’t know the opponent yet, but they’re like yeah we’re going to make you main event,” he said.

“March 21st it’ll be at 2300 Arena. I was like cool, not as as awesome as the Wells Fargo, but main event that’s great. I’ll sign, whoever you got, shortly after they told me Andrew Angelcor. I was like beautiful.”

Pague was game to fight anybody, but he badly needed a date because he had something else on the calendar that could have caused some issues.

“I get real excited, but also get really nervous because my wife and I leave for vacation March 22nd. I’m like what’s the date? So my manager’s like I’ll find out just calm down,” he said.

“He calles me, ‘It’s back in Philly, you’ll be main event.’ I’m like what’s the date, he’s like March 21st, I’m like alright i’ll sign. So I’m fighting Angelcor main event and then we fly out to Mexico the next day.”

The post Dustin Pague Hyped To Main Event BKFC FN: Philly After Knucklemania Cancelation appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The Underground King,” whose post-UFC career included a brief stint in ONE Championship, arrived on the bareknuckle scene in 2023, going 1-1 in BKFC with a win over Chad Mendes followed by a loss to Mike Perry for the symbolic “King of Violence” title (basically the BKFC’s take on the UFC’s BMF championship). At 41, Alvarez is well out of his prime, his best years behind him, but fighting at home in Philly against an equally worn Stephens might just produce an entertaining scrap.

As for the co-main event, it’s hard to see heavyweight champ Mick Terrill vs. “Big” Ben Rothwell going the distance. Rothwell, another former UFC star, actually asked for this release from the MMA powerhouse with a fight on the books. He immediately became a player in BKFC, earning three finishes in three fights, most recently against fellow UFC alum Todd Duffee.

Early on in BKFC’s run, “Rowdy” Bec Rawlings, an Ultimate Fighter 20 and UFC alum, earned the nickname “The Queen of Bareknuckle” as she became the promotin’s first female champ winning the Police Gazette Women’s Featherweight World Championship as well as the World Boxing Foundation Latin American championship by BKFC 4 in 2019. After leaving the promotion briefly, she returned, only to come up short in two chances at the BKFC flyweight championship. At BKFC KnuckleMania 5, she’s been paired up with the ever-popular Taylor Starling, a two-time title challenger. If nothing else, the winner jumps back in the win column.

Where to Watch BKFC KnuckleMania 5

Saturday, January 25, 2025 sees BKFC KnuckleMania 5 takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The card airs live on DAZN starting at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Full results from the event can be found below.

BKFC KnuckleMania 5 Results

Jeremy Stephens def. Eddie Alvarez by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 3, 2:00
Ben Rothwell def. Mick Terrill (c) by KO Round 1, 0:36 – for the BKFC heavyweight championship
Bec Rawlings def. Taylor Starling by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 49-45)
Pat Brady def. Zach Calmus by TKO, Round 1, 0:53
John Garbarino def. Apostle Spencer by KO, Round 1, 0:59
Kaine Tomlinson Jr. def. Pat Sullivan by KO, Round 1, 0:37
Steve Banks def. Joey Dawejko by TKO, Round 3, 1:54
Dustin Pague vs. JD Burns
Brandon Meyer def. Zed Montanez by KO, Round 2, 0:39
Travis Thompson def. Zach Panell by KO, Round 2, 0:41
Phil Caracappa def. Noah Norman by DQ, Round 4, 0:40
Cody Russell def. Logan Tucker by KO, Round 3, 0:49
Itso Babulaidze def. Bryan McDowell by unanimous decision (48-42, 47-43, 48-42)

The post BKFC KnuckleMania 5 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alvarez (30-8 MMA, 1-1 BKFC) makes his return to bare knuckle after more than a year away following his loss to Mike Perry in Dec 2023. He returns for BKFC’s flagship event in his hometown of Philadephia.

Stephens (29-21 MMA, 2-0 BKFC) returns following a decision victory over Bobby Taylor at BKFC 65 last September.

The press conference will feature Conor McGregor who will be in town to promote the event going down this weekend.

BKFC KnuckleMania 5’s card:

• Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Mick Terrill vs. Ben Rothwell
• Taylor Starling vs. Bec Rawlings
• Patrick Brady vs. Zachary Calmus
• Dustin Pague vs. JD Burns
• Travis Thompson vs. Zachary Pannell
• John Garbarino vs. Apostle Spencer
• Pat Sullivan vs. Kaine Tomlinson Jr
• Cody Russell vs. Logan Tucker
• Phil Caracappa vs. Noah Norman
• Zedekiah Montanez vs. Brandon Meyer
• Itso Babulaidze vs. Bryan McDowell
• Joey Dawekjo vs. Steven Banks

BKFC KnuckleMania 5 takes place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday Jan 25. Watch the entire presser above.

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