BKFC News

Adam D Martin - July 12, 2021

Sheena Brandenburg, who is an MMA fighter and who also competes for BKFC, was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in a deadly hit-and-run incident. In March, it was reported that Brandenburg was involved in a terrible incident that left 56-year-old Troy Lambert dead after she hit his motorcycle from behind and left him for dead. Police say that Brandenburg was at a local tavern before the deadly hit-and-run incident.

Cole Shelton - July 5, 2021

Joey Beltran is still the BKFC heavyweight champion. Beltran was looking for his second title defense when he faced Sam Shewmaker in the main event of the stacked BKFC 18 card. Entering the scrap, the UFC and Bellator veteran was confident he would get his hand raised and he ended up doing so by decision.

Adam D Martin - June 30, 2021

Women’s combat sports superstar Paige VanZant has no regrets about leaving the UFC for BKFC, calling it “the best decision I’ve ever made.” VanZant competed in MMA from 2012 to 2020, and between 2014 and 2020 she fought exclusively for the UFC, where she went 4-5 overall. After becoming a free agent last summer, VanZant decided to take her talents to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Although she lost a decision to Britain Hart in her BKFC debut, VanZant has already been booked for her next fight, a rematch with her former UFC opponent Rachael Ostovich.

Adam D Martin - June 27, 2021

BKFC champion Luis Palomino called for a rematch with UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal, saying “remember I beat you in 2010, eight pounds heavy.” Palomino defeated Tyler Goodjohn via unanimous decision at BKFC 18 on Saturday night. The 40-year-old Miami native is now a perfect 4-0 in BKFC and is currently the promotion’s lightweight champion. During his MMA career, Palomino has fought at featherweight, lightweight, and even welterweight. While he has been doing well fighting at lower weights in BKFC, Palomino is open to fighting up at welterweight again, and it’s because he is looking to get a rematch against one of the UFC’s top superstars in the form of Masvidal.

Chris Taylor - June 26, 2021

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships returns to action this evening for BKFC 18, a ten-bout fight card headlined by Joey Beltran vs. Sam Shewmaker. The stacked lineup, which takes place from Seminole Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, features four title fights.

Cole Shelton - June 25, 2021

Julian Lane was up to his usual tricks on Friday night. Lane, who might best be known for his famous line of ‘let me bang, bro’ on The Ultimate Fighter is now competing in BKFC. The 33-year-old has been competing in sans gloves promotions since 2018. On Friday, however, after he weighed in, he confronted his opponent, Jake Bostwick. He got right into his face which Bostwick didn’t like so he slapped the TUF veteran. The two then had to be separated but Lane continued to slap himself in the face.

Andrew Whitelaw - June 24, 2021

Hector Lombard is a wild character and a hugely decorated fighter. He is a former Olympic judoka, a Pride and UFC veteran, and he was also the inaugural Bellator middleweight champion. Having dabbled in a multitude of martial arts, including kickboxing and Muay Thai, the Cuban-born brawler Lombard believes he’s found his favorite discipline in bare-knuckle boxing.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2021

Brian Maxwell didn’t really believe he was fighting Chad Johnson until fight week came along. Maxwell, a combat sports veteran, was messaged out of the blue to box the NFL Pro Bowler of the Mayweather-Paul undercard. It was surreal for Maxwell, but he says even though it was a massive fight, he wasn’t nervous.

Adam D Martin - May 28, 2021

Women’s bare-knuckle fighters Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich reacted after their rematch was officially booked in BKFC. BKFC announced this week that the VanZant vs. Ostovich rematch will take place on July 23 at BKFC 19. It’s a rematch of the pair’s fight at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January 2019, which VanZant won via second-round tapout. This time around, the two will meet in the BKFC ring with no grappling involved. It’s a striking-only fight and considering the popularity of both women, it figures to be one of the biggest fights that BKFC will hold this summer.

Cole Shelton - May 27, 2021

Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich are running things back, but this time will do it sans gloves. VanZant and Ostovich first met back in January of 2019 on the first ESPN+ show in Brooklyn. The fight makes VanZant’s return after a year layoff and she got back into the win column with a second-round submission win. Since then, both have parted ways with the UFC and signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and they have now agreed to rematch one another at BKFC 19 on July 23 the promotion announced.

Harry Kettle - May 21, 2021

Former UFC star Alan Belcher has officially ended his retirement from combat sports and signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC. Belcher last fought in mixed martial arts way back in 2013, losing to Michael Bisping via technical decision at UFC 159. He then went more than two years without competing before finally announcing in November 2015 that he’d be stepping away from the cage.

Drake Riggs - May 18, 2021

Paige VanZant has officially transitioned from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing. An unexpected sight for many, her husband, Austin Vanderford, also found it a bit tough to see. Regardless, the rising Bellator middleweight contender still fully supported, and supports, his partner in crime.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2021

Paige VanZant’s highly-anticipated BKFC debut on February 5 has reportedly struggled with pay-per-views. VanZant made the move to the sans gloves promotion after she was submitted by Amanda Ribas at UFC 251. It was a surprise to many, but also created interest to see how she would fare against Britain Hart in her debut. The fight seemed like it would gain some solid attraction, but according to the Wrestling Observer, the fight only sold 5,000 pay-per-views on TV.

Adam Martin - April 28, 2021

A rematch between former UFC fighters Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich is being planned for a BKFC event that will take place this summer. On Tuesday, BKFC announced that it has signed Ostovich to a new contract, and immediately there were rumors that she could be paired up in a rematch against VanZant in a battle between two of the promotion’s most marketable fighters. Indeed, according to MMAFighting.com, BKFC is targeting VanZant vs. Ostovich 2 for a summer matchup, either in June or July. The venue and location of that matchup have yet-to-be determined.

Cole Shelton - April 27, 2021

Rachael Ostovich has signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Ostovich was released from the UFC in December after losing three in a row. After the release, many were curious where she would sign as many pointed to Bellator given she is a Hawaiian, where Bellator holds events every year and is marketable. Yet, on Tuesday, it was announced BKFC signed the 30-year-old.

Drake Riggs - April 5, 2021

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has powered on as a dominant force in the bare-knuckle boxing world. To give back to the athletes, they’re now working on pension plans. “Our fighters are the most important asset of the company.” ‘We want to ensure that they are compensated not only on the night of the fight but also looked after in retirement. For each BKFC fight, money will be placed in a pension account for them to draw on upon retirement.” pic.twitter.com/1F91VZpx3J

Adam Martin - March 10, 2021

BKFC fighter Sheena Brandenburg has been charged in a deadly hit-and-run stemming from this past summer that left one man dead. According to 9&10 News, “State police say Sheena Brandenburg hit a motorcyclist from behind around 1 a.m. in August and drove away. The rider, Grayling resident Troy Lambert, died of his injuries. Both Brandenburg and Lambert were at a local tavern before the crash. Brandenburg, a 37-year-old Gaylord resident, has had a warrant out for her arrest since October. Police received a tip in November that she was living in Missouri. She was arrested by local law enforcement and extradited back to Michigan for her arraignment on March 8. Brandenburg is charged with reckless driving and failing to stop at the scene of a deadly accident. Her bond is set at $250,000.”

Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021

Former UFC star Paige VanZant says she knows the date and opponent for her next fight, but is unable to reveal the details just yet. VanZant parted ways with the UFC in summer of 2020, and promptly signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).