Midnight Mania! Sanchez Slams NSAC Over BKFC Ban While Power Slap Flourishes

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

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In recent years, bare knuckle boxing has carved out a niche for…


UFC 253 Sanchez v Matthews
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

In recent years, bare knuckle boxing has carved out a niche for itself. To the surprise of some, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is entering its fifth year in the fight promotion business. Last year, BKFC held 20 events all across the country, as well as a trio of trips to Thailand.

Business appears to be booming.

Though ZUFFA boxing is a dead venture, UFC and Dana White are also looking to expand into alternative forms of competition. Power Slap debuted this month, and though there’s been a few viral knockouts, the complete lack of defense has soured the opinions of many viewers.

There’s also the question of how exactly this sport was sanctioned. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) is a stingy group, but they were quick to rubber stamp White’s pet project … provided nobody dies! BKFC, meanwhile, remains blocked from the state of Nevada.

Longtime UFC veteran and recent BKFC signee Diego Sanchez doesn’t understand it at all. He recently took to Instagram to vent his confusion and distaste for Power Slap. “I guess the NSAC isn’t worried about these guys?” He wrote. “In all my years of combat sports I never took impacts to the head with this type of pure connection and direct positioning! As a fighter you can roll a punch and have vasoline not chalk on our faces.”

Say what you will about the carnage of bare knuckle, but at least its participants can block, roll, and slip punches! Speaking with BJPenn.com, Sanchez elaborated and explained his belief that UFC’s relationship with NSAC is keeping bare knuckle boxing banned from Las Vegas.

“This is the farthest BKFC has gone West (going to Albuquerque) and of course in their expansion, of course, they want Vegas,” Sanchez said. “But, UFC has the lock on that, they won’t sanction BKFC where they are combat athletes that are skilled fighters and warriors that are trained. But, they will sanction Power Slap where you got a powerlifter that is smacking the hell out of another guy giving him real brain damage.”

Next up for Sanchez is a showdown opposite former boxing champion Austin Trout at BKFC: “Knucklemania 3” in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Feb. 17.

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