BKFC seeks 50 fighters for $20M World’s Baddest Man tournament
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 10, 2026
BKFC tryouts begin
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is opening open tryouts later this month in Manchester, England, as it moves toward BKFC 94 on Sept. 26 and lays the groundwork for a 50-fighter field in its next big tournament. The promotion says the open tryouts are only the first stop in a wider search that also includes Brisbane, Belgrade, Tampa and Las Vegas. It is building the process around a narrow target, fighters between 185 and 275 pounds, and around a format that starts with a single round and leaves little room for a slow start. The setup gives BKFC a clear path from local tryouts to a global talent pool, with each stop feeding the same larger competition. Manchester opens the tour, but the promotion has already mapped out the rest of the route. That gives the event a long lead-in and a wide geographic footprint before the first bracket is even set.
World’s Baddest Man
BKFC plans to select 50 fighters for a $20 million tournament called the World’s Baddest Man competition, and the structure is built to move fast once the field is set. The promotion will use a one-round, single-elimination format, which means every bout carries immediate weight and every winner advances with no second chances in the opening stage. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Miami in December, then continue with 16 fighters moving on to a Round of 16 in Philadelphia in early February 2027. From there, the field narrows again, with the final eight advancing to a live finale in late July 2027. The last stage will decide prize money and BKFC contracts, which gives the event a direct competitive finish beyond the title itself. The weight range, the one-round format and the step-by-step progression all point to a tournament designed to produce a clear winner quickly while still stretching across multiple cities and months. BKFC is turning the tryout process into a long bracket, with Miami, Philadelphia and the live finale each serving as a checkpoint on the way to the end.
Fox Nation docu-series
BKFC president Dave Feldman said some well-known fighters have already applied for the competition, though he would not name them because of confidentiality agreements. That keeps the focus on the structure of the event rather than on any individual entrant, even as the promotion says interest is already building around the tryout window. The media rollout will extend the tournament’s reach beyond the ring. Fox Nation will air a six-episode docu-series beginning in June 2027, giving the competition another platform as the bracket advances from the opening selection process to the later rounds and final live stage. The series adds a second layer to the project, with the fight schedule on one track and the television presentation on another. BKFC is pairing the talent search with a longer content plan, which starts with open tryouts in England, moves through more stops in Australia, Europe and the United States, and carries into a tournament cycle that runs through 2027. Feldman’s comments suggest the promotion already has attention from established names, and the docu-series gives that interest a way to reach viewers when the event is underway.
