Tag: Bare Knuckle FC

Paige VanZant Declines Bellator, Signs With Bare Knuckle FC

VanZantPaige VanZant’s next chapter in combat sports will be in bare knuckle action. The former UFC women’s flyweight revealed on social media on Wednesday that she had signed a new deal with a promotion. “Contract Signed. About to change the game. Fight news coming soon. #bigbusiness 🙈😉” And as per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, that promotion […]

VanZant

Paige VanZant’s next chapter in combat sports will be in bare knuckle action.

The former UFC women’s flyweight revealed on social media on Wednesday that she had signed a new deal with a promotion.

“Contract Signed. About to change the game. Fight news coming soon. #bigbusiness ??”

And as per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, that promotion is Bare Knuckle FC.

“Paige VanZant has signed a new multi-fight, exclusive contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, according to sources.”

Bellator was also in the running for VanZant’s signature, especially as her husband Austin Vanderford is a contracted fighter with the Santa Monica-based promotion.

However, Bellator president Scott Coker revealed to MMA Fighting that she declined their offer.

VanZant became a free agent after fulfilling the last fight of her UFC contract at UFC 251 last month. She suffered a first-round submission defeat to Amanda Ribas.

After the fight, UFC president Dana White revealed VanZant should definitely test free agency based on her performance — comments that disappointed the 26-year-old.

“I feel like I thought we were closer friends and he could text me or call me,” VanZant said. “Something to have a little bit of compassion, something to communicate with me personally but maybe he will. We just don’t know. I’m sure it’s an uncomfortable situation.

“I’ve never spoken negatively about the UFC. I’m not bitter about where I am in my career, bitter about the position that the UFC has put me in whatsoever. I just felt like for myself, I wanted to test free agency and that’s not because I dislike the UFC or dislike Dana or anybody.

“Dana’s comments, what I’m hearing you say, he wants me to test free agency then hopefully they just let me go then. If that’s how they feel, then they’ll just let me be free.”

VanZant got her wish in the end as she will start a new chapter with Bare Knuckle FC.

What do you make of this move?

BKFC Announces Signing Of ‘Iranian Hulk’ Sajad Gharibi

Bare Knuckle FC continue to add names to their roster but the latest one may be the biggest one yet in Sajad Gharibi. Literally. Following the BKFC 9 prelim broadcast on Saturday, the promotion ran a promo announcing the debut of Gharibi — otherwise known as “Iranian Hulk.” Gharibi, a bodybuilder, has made a name […]

The post BKFC Announces Signing Of ‘Iranian Hulk’ Sajad Gharibi appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bare Knuckle FC continue to add names to their roster but the latest one may be the biggest one yet in Sajad Gharibi. Literally.

Following the BKFC 9 prelim broadcast on Saturday, the promotion ran a promo announcing the debut of Gharibi — otherwise known as “Iranian Hulk.” Gharibi, a bodybuilder, has made a name for himself due to his absurd and giant physique.

He has become a social media sensation as a result with over 450,000 followers on Instagram.

You can see one of his posts below:

The promo had no details on a debut date or an opponent but did include phrases such as “World War III” and “USA vs. Iran” for 2020.

BKFC president David Feldman expanded on the promo later on.

“This guy’s going to make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut in early 2020,” he said (via MMA Fighting). “We’re going to do a show entitled ‘USA vs. Iran: World War III.’ He’s literally our biggest signing we’ve ever had.

“But he’s going to make his way over to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he’s gonna make a home here, and we expect really, really big things from ‘The Iranian Hulk.’”

What do you think of this signing? Do you think it’ll be a success or a disaster?

The post BKFC Announces Signing Of ‘Iranian Hulk’ Sajad Gharibi appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Wanderlei Silva Inks Deal With BKFC

Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Wanderlei Silva’s fighting days aren’t over just yet. Silva will put down his gloves and instead fight bare-knuckle moving forward. FanSided reports that the 43-year-old has signed a contract with the Bare-Knuckle FC (BKFC) promotion. No opponent or date for Silva’s BKFC debut has been revealed, but an announcement is […]

The post Wanderlei Silva Inks Deal With BKFC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Wanderlei Silva’s fighting days aren’t over just yet. Silva will put down his gloves and instead fight bare-knuckle moving forward.

FanSided reports that the 43-year-old has signed a contract with the Bare-Knuckle FC (BKFC) promotion. No opponent or date for Silva’s BKFC debut has been revealed, but an announcement is expected during their next event. Silva holds an MMA record of 35-14-1 and hasn’t fought since September of last year where he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at Bellator 206.

Currently on a two-fight losing streak in MMA, Silva hasn’t tasted victory since his 2013 win over Brian Stann, who he knocked out in the second round of their UFC on Fuel TV meeting. Venturing into bare-knuckle boxing is an odd decision from Silva, considering he recently suggested he’s suffering from several signs of CTE.

“I was in a lecture about concussion and of the 10 symptoms the guy mentioned, I had eight,” Silva said in a recent interview with the Brazilian website PVT (h/t MMA Fighting). “The symptoms would be, for example, mood swings, getting angry very fast, forgetting some things, having difficulty sleeping.”

What do you think about Silva taking part in bare-knuckle boxing?

The post Wanderlei Silva Inks Deal With BKFC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Latest To Sign With BKFC

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is the latest veteran to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). The news was announced by the promotion on Thursday: “We are happy to announce the signing of ‘Bigfoot’ Silva to our roster,” BKFC president David Feldman said in a statement. “He has fought and beat […]

The post Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Latest To Sign With BKFC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is the latest veteran to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).

The news was announced by the promotion on Thursday:

“We are happy to announce the signing of ‘Bigfoot’ Silva to our roster,” BKFC president David Feldman said in a statement. “He has fought and beat some of the best in the world. We have some intriguing matchups that we are talking about with him now. I really expect great [fights] from Antonio.”

There is no news on a potential debut date or opponent yet, but an update should be provided soon. However, a potential clash with newly-crowned BKFC heavyweight champion Chase Sherman could be in the works.

Silva was a former heavyweight title challenger in the UFC, boasting victories over the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski. However, he would only win once in his last 10 MMA fights. He was last seen competing in Glory Kickboxing where he suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Rico Verhoeven back in October 2017.

He joins a number of UFC veterans to have signed with BKFC such as Artem Lobov, Jason Knight and Leonard Garcia to name a few.

What do you think of Silva’s decision?

The post Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Latest To Sign With BKFC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

BKFC 7 Results: Kaleb Harris Faceplant KOs Johnavan Vistante

On a night featuring multiple UFC veterans, it was Kaleb Harris who shined the most during Bare Knuckle FC (BKFC) 7 which took place Saturday night at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. Harris took on Johnavan Vistante and delivered a vicious overhand right that dropped his 29-year-old opponent to the ground face-first. Vistante […]

The post BKFC 7 Results: Kaleb Harris Faceplant KOs Johnavan Vistante appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

On a night featuring multiple UFC veterans, it was Kaleb Harris who shined the most during Bare Knuckle FC (BKFC) 7 which took place Saturday night at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Harris took on Johnavan Vistante and delivered a vicious overhand right that dropped his 29-year-old opponent to the ground face-first. Vistante was attempting an uppercut, but unfortunately for him, Harris connected first.

You can see the replays below:

Vistante would announce his retirement on social media soon after:

“It was a good run,” he tweeted. “Had my first professional fight at 16. I loved every minute of it. It’s took me too long to realize that the dream of my children and family are more important than mine alone. It’s been real guys. I love every single one of y’all who have supported me. Thank u”

Other notable results included the main event which saw former UFC veterans Jim Alers and Leonard Garcia collide. Alers came out on top as he knocked the former featherweight down before proceeding to finish him in the first round.

Former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman was also in action as he defeated Arnold Adams via unanimous decision in his second BKFC appearance. As a result, he claimed the promotion’s heavyweight title.

Helen Perlata also earned the promotion’s women’s featherweight title when she defeated Christine Ferea via unanimous decision.

The full BKFC 7 results can be found below:

  • Jim Alers def. Leonard Garcia via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:38
  • Chase Sherman def. Arnold Adams via UD
  • Helen Perlata def. Christine Ferea via UD
  • Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Melvin Guillard via TKO (hand injury) – Round 3, 5:00
  • Adam Pellerano def. Joshua Boudreaux via TKO (leg injury) – Round 2, 2:30
  • Dale Sopi def. Juan Torres via UD
  • Kaleb Harris def. Johnavan Vistante via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:51
  • Quintin Henry def. Bubba Malbrough via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:55

The post BKFC 7 Results: Kaleb Harris Faceplant KOs Johnavan Vistante appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov Does Poor Numbers For Bare Knuckle FC

Bare Knuckle FC 6 headlined by Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov reportedly did not do as well as claimed by president David Feldman. The highly-awaited grudge match took place late last month that saw Lobov come away with the unanimous decision victory. Feldman recently told MMA Junkie that the event was trending towards 200,000 pay-per-view […]

The post Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov Does Poor Numbers For Bare Knuckle FC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bare Knuckle FC 6 headlined by Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov reportedly did not do as well as claimed by president David Feldman.

The highly-awaited grudge match took place late last month that saw Lobov come away with the unanimous decision victory. Feldman recently told MMA Junkie that the event was trending towards 200,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys, which would represent a huge success for the promotion.

However, according to MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer, it was in the range of 18,000 buys, at least on traditional television PPV. While the event was also broadcast online on FITE TV, Meltzer notes that “it is extremely rare that a pay-per-view event that airs on television does nearly the same number on digital.” The normal number seems to be 15 percent additionally on digital, but even that would be far from the 200,000 estimate of Feldman.

When it comes to Google searches, BKFC did 200,000 searches, which notably beat UFC Greenville which took place the same night. In addition, of the 18,000 buys, roughly 37.5 perecent were from UFC fans who had ordered UFC 235. Roughly 22.6 percent of the number also ordered the September rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.

Feldman has yet to comment on these new PPV estimates, but it would be interesting to hear what he has to say.

Did you expect these numbers for BKFC 6?

The post Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov Does Poor Numbers For Bare Knuckle FC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.