The world of combat sports is constantly evolving, with new promotions and variations of existing disciplines emerging regularly. Among these, bare-knuckle fighting has seen a resurgence in popularity. Two prominent organizations in this space are Gamebred Fighting Championship, promoted by Jorge Masvidal, and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). This article delves into the rules and regulations that govern these promotions.
Jorge Masvidal, a well-known figure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has ventured into the bare-knuckle business with his Gamebred Fighting Championship. Masvidal is partnering with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA for this project, and all fighters will be outfitted in AA’s Real Hasta La Muerte (Real Until Death) clothing label.
Ibrahim Kawa, Masvidal’s manager, explained how the collaboration came together: “Anuel has a saying: ‘Real hasta la muerte,’ which basically means, ‘Real until I die. That resonates with Jorge and the brand that Jorge is trying to make. We’re looking forward to a lot of blood, gore and finding the best fighters out there who are going to make it.”
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fights follow the Unified Rules of MMA, but without the gloves, three five minute rounds, no kicks or knees to the head of downed opponents, etc etc.
When he announced the new league, Jorge Masvidal said, “I came up fighting in the streets and backyards of Miami with nothing but my fists; so this is really about me getting back to my roots as a fighter. Putting two competitors in there with no gloves and nothing standing between one another, that to me is pure fighting. That’s what I’m aiming to do with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. Strip the sport down to its primal essence. And we’ve got some great fighters on this card. So, tune in on Cinco de Mayo to get a taste of what’s to come as we’re planning to bring a lot more bareknuckle action in the future,” Jorge Masvidal said.
Read also: BKFC Albuquerque
Jorge Masvidal’s promotion is back again in November, with more names UFC fans will recognize. The card is topped by Alan Belcher vs. Roy Nelson for the heavyweight belt.
Nelson won previously in the promotion, beating Dillon Cleckler with ease. The 47-year-old Nelson went 23-19 in gloved MMA before putting them down in 2020 after suffering five straight losses in Bellator. The highlight of Nelson’s UFC run was his stint on the most popular season of The Ultimate Fighter when he beat streetfighter Kimbo Slice in a bout that drew six million live viewers on Spike TV.
Belcher was heavyweight champion over in BKFC, but vacated the belt and left the company. The 39-year-old Belcher went 18-8 in gloved MMA, including a 9-6 record in the UFC. His last fight in the Octagon was in 2013 but he didn’t officially retire until 2015 and even then needed a few more years to get out of his UFC contract.
He went 4-0 doing bareknuckle boxing for the Bareknuckle Fighting Championship from 2021 to February, 2023. This will be his bareknuckle MMA debut. 45-year-old Cuban Judoka Hector Lombard is also a veteran of Bareknuckle Fighting Championship, having gone 3-1 for that promotion, most recently dropping a decision to Lorenzo Hunt in a title fight. Before taking off his gloves, Lombard put together a 34-10-1 pro MMA record with 3 No Contests.
Lombard might have been one of the bigger busts in UFC history, coming to the promotion with a 31-2-1 record and an 8-0 Bellator record. After dropping his Octagon debut to Tim Boetsch in a split decision, he went 3-1 before failing a post-fight drug test. From that point on, Lombard was a changed fighter who dropped six straight Octagon bouts.
Read also: Romero's Transition to Bare Knuckle
The 45-year-old Brazilian Francisco Trinaldo served 10 years in the UFC, going 19-8 for the promotion in the course of a 28-9 overall pro (gloved) MMA record. The 33-year-old Chase Sherman is a more recent UFC product, having gone 2-6 with the promotion from 2020 to 2023. His overall MMA record is 16-12.
Other fighters scheduled for Jorge Masvidal’s card with UFC bouts to their name include Randy Costa, Jason Knight, Curtis Millender, and Brandon Davis.
The entire fight card for Jorge Masvidal’s next Gamebred bareknuckle MMA show is below:
- Alan Belcher vs. Roy Nelson
- Randy Costa vs. Jason Knight
- Dillon Cleckler vs. Alex Nicholson
- Curtis Millender vs. Joel Bauman
- Dannis LaBruzza vs. Javanis J Ross
- Chase Sherman vs. Carl Seumanutafa
- Chris Sarro vs. Hector Lombard
- Joe Penafiel vs. Brandon Davis
- Ago Huskic vs. Joshua Weems
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. Sasha Palatnikov
- James Freeman vs. Tyler Hill
Jorge Masvidal’s event happens Friday, November 10 in Biloxi, MS. It airs free on YouTube.
Let's delve into the specifics of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) rules:
Read also: Recovery Tips for Bare Knuckle Fighters
- Fighters are permitted to wrap and tape the wrist, thumb, and mid-hand.
- No gauze or tape can be within 1 inch of the knuckles.
- Fighters will “Toe The Line”
- There are two lines, three feet apart, in the center of the ring where the fighters will start each round.
- The front foot will be on the line, and then the referee will instruct the fighters to “Knuckle Up” this means the beginning of the round/bout.
- Punches are the only strike allowed and must be a closed fist. (No kicks, elbows, knees, or grappling)
- In a clinch, the fighter may punch his way out with the open hand. If there is a three-second lull in action while clinching, the referee will break the fighters.
- If a fighter gets knocked down, he will have 10 seconds to return to his feet, or the referee will stop the fight. You are NOT permitted to hit a downed fighter. If you do you will be disqualified, and your purse may be withheld.
- While a fighter is downed, the other fighter will be instructed to report to a neutral area.
- If a fighter is cut, and the blood is impairing the fighter’s vision, the referee may call a timeout a give the cutman 30 seconds to stop the bleeding.
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The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. At BKFC 3, Arnold Adams defeated Sam Shewmaker in the finals of an eight-man tournament to be crowned as the inaugural BKFC Heavyweight Champion.
Before acquiring the Bare Fist Boxing Association and officially establishing BKFC UK, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship made its debut in the United Kingdom with BKFC 27: London, which took place on 20 August 2022.
In 2023, BKFC announced the launch of the BKFC Prospects Series. Fighters on the Prospects Series will compete in front of BKFC President David Feldman for a chance at a contract with BKFC; similar in format to Dana White's Contender Series, or the PFL Challenger Series in mixed martial arts.
In July, 2025, Conor McGregor and David Feldman made a number announcements at the inaugural BKFC 2025 Champions Summit on Hollywood, Florida.
BKFC holds all bouts in a circular four-rope ring, referred to as the "Squared Circle". This ring incorporates elements of historical bare knuckle fighting by containing two scratch lines, three feet apart and in the middle of the ring. These scratch lines are based on the Broughton Rules, which governed bare knuckle fighting in the 19th century. It is a requirement that each fighter must start each round with their front foot on their scratch line.
Bare Knuckle Thai was a officially licensed brand of BKFC in Thailand. Rules were similar to Muay Thai, with the notable exception that competitors fight without gloves. Matches consist of five rounds, with each round lasting two minutes. The rules permitted the use of kicks, punches, elbows, and knees, but explicitly prohibit trips and sweeps. Fighters had to remain active in a clinch, which lasts for three seconds.
BKFC pay-per-view events were initially carried worldwide on FITE TV.
BKFC Fight Night Mohegan Sun: Porter vs.
BKFC Fight Night Derby: Cooke vs.
BKFC 86 Hollywood, FL: Trout vs.
BKFC 84 Palm Desert: Dyer vs.
BKFC Fight Night Michigan: Rodriguez vs.
BKFC 83 Italy: Camozzi vs.
BKFC Fight Night Hammond: Henry vs.
BKFC 82 Newark: Perry vs.
BKFC 81 Manchester: DeGale vs.
BKFC 80 Hollywood, FL: Perdomo vs.
BKFC Fight Night Montenegro: Bakočević vs.
BKFC Fight Night Edmonton: Stuve vs.
BKFC Fight Night Sturgis: Gogo vs.
BKFC Fight Night Philly: Pague vs.
BKFC 78 Hollywood, FL: Perdomo vs.
BKFC 77 Birmingham: Tierney vs.
BKFC 76 Texas: Tenaglia vs.
BKFC Fight Night Mohegan Sun: Porter vs.
BKFC 75 Albuquerque: Mundell vs.
BKFC 74 Salt Lake City: Richman vs.
BKFC Fight Night Clearwater: Warren vs.
BKFC 73 Italy: Camozzi vs.
BKFC Fight Night Omaha: Cochrane vs.
BKFC 72 Dubai Day 2: Stewart vs.
BKFC 71 Dubai Day 1: Trout vs.
BKFC Fight Night Manchester: Chipchase vs.
BKFC 70 Hollywood, FL: Palomino vs.
BKFC Fight Night Philly: Pague vs.
BKFC Fight Night Albuquerque: Richardson vs.