The push to make professional bare knuckle boxing legal in Australia and follow the lead of the UFC
Bare-knuckle boxing is currently being legalized in Australia, with promoters claiming the sport is safer for the brain than traditional boxing with gloves.
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) will debut in Down Under in early 2024 and host up to six events each year.
Bare-knuckle boxing, also known as prize fighting, dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, where it was a popular form of combat sport
Company founder Dave Feldman said bare-knuckle fighting was to boxing what rugby is to the American NFL: Without gloves, the sport becomes safer and more fun to watch.
“We are currently working on legalization in Australia,” he said Fox Sports.
And it looks like we’re going to get the thumbs up for the next two to three months. Which I know Australian fight fans will love.
“And for me, when I make bare-knuckle comparisons [to boxing] I always say what the rugby versus American football debate is really like.
“Without the gloves, fighting is safer and much more fun to watch.
‘And without a helmet it’s the same, football is also safer and much more fun to watch.
Australia’s Bec Rodriguez is on the cards for BKFC 41 in the United States this weekend and would be a big draw if the sport was successfully established under
Bare-knuckle boxing became prominent in England in the 17th century, where fighters would compete without gloves, rounds or time limits
UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez reacts during UFC 205 weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden. He could one day come to Australia as part of the new bare-knuckle competition
“So we expect to get big numbers [in Australia] this weekend and our goal then is to do an event there in early 2024.
“And once the ball gets rolling, we hope to host four to six events each year. We see Australia as a great market for us.’
BKFC states that gloves only protect the hands, not the head, with brain damage being a major problem in boxing.
“Bare-knuckle boxing may be brutal, but it’s safer for the brain and that’s what we should always care about,” reads BKFC’s Facebook page.
BKFC is already well established in America and Australia is under attack as a new market. Sunday’s BKFC 41 event is the largest in the company’s history and will be featured live on the Main Event.
It includes former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, who will make their bareknuckle debut against former Octagon favorites, Mike Perry and Chad Mendes.
The event will also feature Brisbane’s bareknuckle queen, Bec Rodriguez, who will contest the flyweight title against Christine Ferea.
The BKFC event features eight fights, including a heavyweight bout between former UFC fighters Ben Rothwell and Josh Copeland.
UFC fighter Luke Rockhold is another trying bare-knuckle boxing, which could be coming to Australia
Eddie Alvarez, pictured fighting Conor McGregor at UFC 205, will compete in the BKFC 41 event on Sunday
BKFC believes there will be no shortage of Australian talent eager to fight in the sport as the country has a reputation for producing great strikers.
Rawlings, a former UFC and Invicta fighter, made her bareknuckle debut in 2018 and has been pushing for BKFC to Australia ever since.
She believes the company’s move to the country is long overdue and there will be no shortage of boxers and MMA fighters eager to compete in the sport.
Sunday’s event will mark a major turning point for the sport’s growth in Australia, with BKFC already well established in America.
Sunday’s event is expected to take the sport mainstream as it will be the highest-grossing gate and most-watched event, with more pay-per-views sold worldwide and more sponsorship dollars than any previous BKFC event.
The company hopes this is just the start of what could become a hugely successful venture in the Australian market.