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.

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Bare Knuckle FC rose to prominence thanks to ‘The Queen of Bare Knuckle,’ Bec Rawlings, becoming something of a star for the promotion out of the gate. However, if anything really put the bare knuckle boxing organization on the map, it was the bloody showdown between Artem Lobov and Jason Knight earlier this year. The win by Lobov propelled him into a grudge match with boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi (Lobov won the bout after plenty of chirping and bad blood leading into the fight). Saturday at BKFC 9, the pair were running it back.

Going down in Biloxi, MS, BKFC 9 looked to reclaim some of the glory the pair brought to the company in their first scrap. Lobov vs. Knight 2 topped a card with plenty of UFC/MMA veterans, as Chase Sherman, Joey Beltran, Johnny Bedford, and Charles ‘Felony’ Bennett were also on the card. Of note, Sherman and Beltran were battling for the BKFC heavyweight championship.

The event kicks off at 9PM EST, with the PPV available via Fite.tv and traditional PPV outlets.

BKFC 9 Results:

Jason Knight def. Artem Lobov by TKO in Round 5 (0:29)
Joey Beltran def. Chase Sherman by Unanimous Decision
Johnny Bedford def. Charles Bennett by TKO (Hand Injury) in Round 2 (2:00)
Helen Peralta def. Maia Kahaunaele by TKO in Round 1 (1:57)
Kenny Licea def. Harris Stephenson by TKO in Round 1 (1:03)
Chris Sarro def. John McAllister by KO in Round 1 (1:32)
Kaleb Harris def. Jeff Chiffens by TKO (Referee Stoppage) in Round 2 (2:00)
Wes Combs def. Adrian Miles by DQ (Illegal Ground Strike)
Dillard Pegg def. Adam Pellerano by KO in Round 1 (0:46)

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The award for most shocking and least expected MMA event of the year can already be handed out and it’s not even April. Tuesday, it was announced by popular adult site CamSoda that the company was getting into the MMA business. They’ll be hosting their first (MMA) event in Florida.

CamSoda Legends MMA goes down April 26 with a main event of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez taking on former UFC middleweight Alex Nicholson. Nicholson (9-5), while mostly fighting at middleweight, has fought at light heavyweight as well as heavyweight in his career. The Spartan lost his last fight under the LFA banner; however, he does have wins in three of his last four.

Ricco Rodriguez, on the other hand, has one win in his last five fights. Rodriguez, a former UFC heavyweight champion who was on top of the world after defeating Randy Couture at UFC 39, is in the twilight of his career and likely to retire soon. It would’ve been hard to imagine in 2003 that it would come to this in 2018.

Depressing Rodriguez talk aside, the card also boasts other notable names. The biggest arguably being Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett. The man now known as “Felony,” possibly due to his multiple arrest charges, currently holds a record of 29-35-2. Not a stellar record, but Felony is loved by the fans for his entertaining fighting style and crazy antics inside and out of the octagon.

Bennett has not won in his last seven fights. Krazy Horse got his name back on the map in 2016 by getting a highlight reel knockout in RIZIN FF, then calling out Wanderlei Silva on the mic. Since then, he’s been unable to find the win column. Instead of fighting Silva, he’s fighting Titan FC veteran Bruce Lutchmedial, who is 5-3 in his MMA career.

A weird card for sure, but possibly one to watch.

CamSoda Legends MMA goes down April 26th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

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