Exclusive – How John Dodson went from turning down a Bare-Knuckle fight to becoming BKFC Champion

John Dodson, BKFC, UFCJohn Dodson didn’t always love the idea of bare-knuckle boxing. Now, he’s the BKFC champ. How did that happen?

John Dodson, BKFC, UFC

It might be hard to believe now, but John Dodson’s current bare-knuckle boxing run almost didn’t even come to fruition. What started as a deed for a family member has evolved over the years, and now sees him headlining a card this weekend with a title in the mix.

The 39-year-old UFC vet currently holds the BKFC Flyweight Championship, which he earned with a first-round stoppage of JR Ridge last year. He has previously stopped two other fighters under bare-knuckle boxing rules and is scheduled to put his belt on the line against standout Dominican Republic pro boxer Dagoberto Aguero this Friday.

John Dodson talks BKFC journey

Knowing all of that, you might be shocked about what happened when he was first asked about competing in fighting sans the gloves.

“To be honest with you? I said no,” Dodson said in a recent interview. “I told them absolutely not.”

The visuals of bare-knuckle boxing were off-putting for Dodson. While he has seen the studies that suggest bare-knuckle boxing, albeit still a dangerous sport, could have a lower rate of concussions than other forms of combat, nasty “skin on skin, bone to face” contact in matches gives him pause to this day.

“I still have that sense that ‘I don’t want to do this,’” Dodson joked. “Every time I’m at a BKFC event, I’m hearing people get hit in the back and it sounds so painful, man!”

Brotherly Love

John Dodson
Mandatory Credit: BKFC

So what brought Dodson into BKFC? Stepping up for a family member and showing brotherly love, believe it or not.

It was John’s brother, Eric who first expressed interest in competing for BKFC. John said his brother, known as the “Thuggy Bear,” went to a tryout hosted by the promotion and earned an opportunity to compete. However, fights kept falling through. John wanted to give his brother a shot at competing in BKFC, so he accepted a fight when they came to his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and made sure his Eric would get on the undercard.

“Ultimately I had to do my brother a solid,” Dodson said. “Be a good big brother and put on a hell of a show.”

Both of the Dodson brothers have found success since then. Dodson won his BKFC debut in just 40 seconds, putting away fellow UFC alum Ryan Benoit. “Thuggy Bear” picked up his last victory just a couple of months back. While he may have hesitancy about bare-knuckle fights, Dodson believes he’s in a period of his career that he is truly loving.

A Post-UFC Dodson

Four years removed from the end of his UFC run, a time in the promotion that lasted nearly a decade and included two different title fights against Demetrious Johnson, Dodson says he’s simply having fun. The pressure of being in the top MMA promotion is gone, allowing him to do so much more.

“When I was in UFC at 135 [pounds], I was still trying to secure a job and I wasn’t having fun anymore … I was playing the safe game, I wanted to ensure I had a next fight scheduled. Once those next fights stopped coming through, I had to change up my mentality. Back into having fun, making sure I can go and do what I always love.”

When his UFC career initially came to an end, Dodson remembers feeling lost. “Oh s***, I need to get a real job,” he remembers thinking. But it wouldn’t end up being the end of the road for him. What helped him regain focus was coaching at United Fit, where the Nobody’s Villains MMA team trains. Coaching is something that he wants to do even after his time as a fighter has come to an end.

John Dodson

“I always love coaching my team. Those guys keep me motivated … They push me to a new limit. When I was let go from the UFC, I needed something else to motivate me. I keep on training their guys, making sure that they can get better. And not only that, it helps me put the best foot forward.”

Dodson says he wants to keep competing to set an example for his students: “I don’t want to sit there and be telling them, ‘Hey you guys should do this, this is how you really become a champion’ without ever being one at all.”

While competing in bare-knuckle boxing, Dodson is no doubt still fully in the MMA world. He has been balancing his time as of late in between BKFC and Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN. He won his RIZIN debut in late 2022, stopping veteran talent Hideo Tokoro. He had a three-fight winning streak in MMA snapped late last year when 2021 RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix winner Hiromasa Ougikubo beat him on scorecards. While nothing has been announced, he hopes to return to Japan sometime soon.

Not Afraid of Aguero

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Mandatory Credit: Mike Roach – Zuffa LLC

Friday will be a different challenge compared to previous BKFC fights that Dodson has been in. He has previously faced MMA fighters under bare-knuckle rules or fighters like former champ Ridge, who have experience strictly in BKFC. But this weekend he’ll be facing a talent who comes from a more traditional boxing background. 

Aguero made his BKFC debut last year with a third-round win over Chance Wilson. He had a 17-fight pro boxing record before then, mainly building up wins in the Dominican Republic. He switched over to bare-knuckle competition after suffering a pair of losses, dropping a decision to Aram Avagyan and getting stopped by former Rey Vargas opponent Azat Hovhannisyan.

The different matchup doesn’t bother Dodson, as he seems to have the same confident mindset no matter who is across from him.

“I mean, he can have as many experiences all he wants,” he said. “15-2 doesn’t mean anything to me when it comes to being the more dynamic striker. I’ve solidified myself being one of the most dangerous strikers and one of the most decorated ones out of all of them.”

If the story about Dodson coming around on competing for BKFC didn’t prove that he’s still a changing and transforming fighter, a glance at his career makes a solid case as well. When looking at his success recently, it’s clear that he is having one of the strongest runs of his entire career. Before his close loss in RIZIN just a few months ago, he had a six-fight stretch of victories between MMA and bare-knuckle boxing, a run that hasn’t been seen since the start of his UFC campaign. Dodson competed a total of four times last year, a level of activity that was last seen more than a decade ago in his career.

A win this weekend would continue Dodson’s recent career resurgence and keep his champion status. And who knows, maybe it will keep him in the bare-knuckle sport that he still has second thoughts about for one more fight.

Exclusive – David Feldman heaps praise on Mike Perry ahead of BKFC 56 return: ‘He’s a major, major star in combat sports’

David Feldman heaps praise on Mike Perry ahead of BKFC 56 he's a major star in combat sportsBKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) boss, David Feldman has claimed promotional poster boy, Mike Perry is nothing short of…

David Feldman heaps praise on Mike Perry ahead of BKFC 56 he's a major star in combat sports

BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) boss, David Feldman has claimed promotional poster boy, Mike Perry is nothing short of a “major star” across the combat sports sphere, as he gears up for an end-of-year clash with former UFC lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez in Utah. 

Perry, a former contender under the banner of the UFC, will make his return to the ring in December against former lightweight champion, Alvarez in a welterweight main event slot atop a BKFC 56 card in Salt Lake City

Embarking on a perfect three-fight winning run since landing in the above-mentioned, Feldman-led promotion, Michigan native, Perry most recently turned in an impressive second round win over former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold back in April. 

The victory came off the back of consecutive decision wins for Mike Perry over both former Bellator MMA welterweight title challenger, Michael Page, and The Ultimate Fighter veteran, Julian Lane – in what has proven to be a hugely successful venture for UFC alum, Perry.

David Feldman heaps praise on BKFC star, Mike Perry

And sharing his thoughts on the recent surge in stardom of Mike Perry, BKFC leader, Feldman claimed that while both the promotion and Perry helped each other rise, the former has cast himself into a new stratosphere as a definitive combat sports star. 

“You know, I think – and Mike (Perry) will say it, we helped each other,” David Feldman told LowKick MMA during a recent interview. “As we resurrected him from the UFC and we were able to help him become a – really I think, he’s a major, major star in combat sports now. At the same time, he talks very good about us. He knows what to say [and] when to say it. He’s just a walking, you know, a walking drop, he knows what to drop and when to drop it. And he does good, and talks good about the organization.”

“He’s a great guy, he’s a great family man,” Feldman explained. “So, I think – look, I always say this, whether I’m talking to sponsors, whether I’m talking to tv networks, whether I’m talking to fighters, I say, ‘Listen, we have to establish a great partnership.’ And if we establish a great partnership, then it works for everybody. And if it doesn’t work for everybody, it doesn’t work for anybody. 

Also featuring on that previously mentioned April card in Colorado, incoming BKFC 56 headliner, Alvarez debuted in the rising promotion with a close, split decision win over fellow former UFC star, Chad Mendes, following his departure from Singapore organization, ONE Championship

Who wins at BKFC 56: Mike Perry or Eddie Alvarez?

Ode Osbourne Wants ‘Banger’ Against Matt Schnell After UFC Vegas 70 Win (Exclusive)

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Jamal Pogues Details Winning UFC Debut With A Broken Hand

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Exclusive | Louis Cosce expects a violent return to the UFC octagon following his 22-month absence

Louis CosceLouis Cosce will step inside the octagon for the first time in nearly two years when he takes on dangerous opponent Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen Vs. Song. The 27-year-old was last seen in action at UFC 255 where he lost his promotional debut at the hands of Sasha Palatnikov. Cosce was then […]

Louis Cosce

Louis Cosce will step inside the octagon for the first time in nearly two years when he takes on dangerous opponent Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen Vs. Song.

The 27-year-old was last seen in action at UFC 255 where he lost his promotional debut at the hands of Sasha Palatnikov. Cosce was then scheduled to return to face Preston Parsons in April of this year but had to withdraw from the matchup after catching COVID-19. Cosce spoke to LowKickMMA on the impact of contracting the virus and how the delay in his return to the cage affected him.

 “It was stupid. Literally, the first time I had caught it and it kicked my a** pretty good. I didn’t know what the hell it was I was like f*** I feel a bit sick, and I was running a fever. I had a COVID test laying around and yep it was f***** stupid.”

“I was bummed out you know but I didn’t want to just sit there and cry about it you know, if God has this in store, then I guess it’s in store I’ll be back sooner than later. I wanted to be back in august but as soon as I got offered the fight, I was like yes, I will take it.”

A 17-month hiatus quickly turned 22 as he was forced to withdraw from his matchup due to illness. Despite having to overcome such adversity, Cosce was not deterred in the slightest having already had the experience of overcoming long absences whilst competing in the early stages of his career.

When asked if he would be concerned about ring-rust having spent so much time away Cosce was not even phased by the thought of it, the sense of relief to be able to compete back inside the octagon was simply all that was on his mind.

“Not too much I’m still young you know, I’m a little nervous but that’s just every fight you know. You still got to get in there and do the damn thing, the same thing happened earlier in my career too when I was 21 fighting at 55. Then for some reason like some huge hiatus you know life came along I was out for almost like two years and then I fought like 5 times in 4 months and then another long one because of covid you know so then I think that one was close to eight months, nine months and this one is longer, but I am just glad to be back in there.”

Louis Cosce predicts victory by ‘knockout’ over Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night 210

Having waited this long to return he simply would have accepted any fight offer put in his way and Trevin Giles is no easy task for anyone as he drops down to the welterweight division. Whilst Cosce’s opponent cuts weight to compete in a new division, ‘The Monster’ feels doing the exact opposite is what may be an influencing factor for him in this matchup.

“Yeah, he looks tough, he’s definitely a lot more experienced when it comes to the UFC and I think this is like his ninth or tenth fight you know so that’s a lot more experience than I have. I only got one in there, but it’ll be good though fighting back at the apex, well a small arena I’ve got experience there you know I’ve fought there quite a few times.”

“I see myself catching him, but I don’t know we’ll see. I know he’s coming off a couple of losses and I’m coming off a loss you know. He’s coming off a couple of hard knockout losses, I think 185 was better for him honestly in my opinion.

I think some of these guys when they lose in a higher division they drop down thinking it’s going to be better but it’s like you’re kind of dehydrating yourself you know. I don’t really cut too much weight for 170 honestly, I was cutting a lot of weight for 55 when I first started and then I bumped up and I feel a lot better like a lot more hydrated, a lot more fresh.

I think I am the younger guy, I’m pretty confident everywhere honestly man I feel like he has good boxing you know, he has good power. The wrestling I feel like I have the grappling I know he’s a brown belt but you know we’ll see.”

It seems Louis Cosce is feeling supreme confidence ahead of making his return, and when asked how he sees himself getting his hand raised come fight night, the American just needed one word to clarify it all.

“Knockout.”

Tune in on September 17th to see how Louis Cosce fairs after nearly two years away from the octagon.

How do you predict Louis Cosce vs. Trevin Giles playing out come UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song?