NXTbets Inc

  • Trout faces Bonner for vacant BKFC lightweight title in Philly

    BKFC Brings First Combat Sports Event to Fenway Park

    Fenway Park is set to host BKFC-92 on Aug. 29, bringing Massachusetts’ first sanctioned bare-knuckle fight event to the field at the home of the Boston Red Sox. The card will also mark the first combat sports event of its kind at Fenway Park, as BKFC continues its push into new markets after previous outdoor events in South Dakota and Spain.

    BKFC featherweight world champion Kai Stewart is scheduled to defend his title against New England standout Harry Gigliotti in the main event. Stewart’s sixth title defense would set a BKFC record. BKFC president Dave Feldman called the Boston show an unprecedented showcase.

    Ticket sales are scheduled to begin June 25 at 10 a.m. through Redsox.com/BKFC. The event still needs final licensing approval from the City of Boston, and BKFC said additional bouts and more event details will be announced in the coming weeks.

    More
  • Trout faces Bonner for vacant BKFC lightweight title in Philly

    DeLeon Stops Soto as BKFC Opens Tennessee Card

    BKFC Fight Night Nashville marked Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s debut in Tennessee on Friday at the sold-out Pinnacle in Nashville. The card had already completed official weigh-ins, which went mostly smoothly, with most fighters making weight. JC “Corazon” DeLeon came in at 155.8 pounds and Tony “Loco” Soto at 156, while prelim fighters all made or came in near their contracted weights. Caleb “Batman” Harvey weighed 165.6 pounds at weigh-ins, and his opponent had not yet been recorded at that time.

    In the main event, DeLeon defeated Soto when Soto’s corner stopped the fight after three rounds. Tray “Big Dog” Martin upset No. 2 featherweight contender Nathan “The Reaper” Rivera in the co-main event, winning by decision after a winner-takes-all overtime round. Bobby “ODB” Taylor stopped Angel “OG” Hernandez with a second-round TKO after scoring six knockdowns.

    Prince McLean won the first ironweight bout in BKFC history with a late first-round TKO over Jeramy “The Cowboy” Karshner. Joby “Jobywankenobi” Steffensmeier won the first BKFC fight in Tennessee history by split decision. The undercard also featured victories by Cole Ferrell, Ravon “Big Shot” Baxter, Caleb Harvey, Zach “The Ripper” Russ and Payton “The Horseman” Hayes.

    More
  • Trout faces Bonner for vacant BKFC lightweight title in Philly

    Trout faces Bonner for vacant BKFC lightweight title in Philly

    BKFC’s first Liberty Brawl in Philadelphia will feature Austin Trout challenging Ben Bonner for the vacant lightweight title. The promotion says the card is set for Friday, July 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of an Independence Day showcase tied to America’s 250th birthday and Philadelphia’s 250th anniversary. Trout called the matchup an honor and a chance to represent the United States.

    Trout enters unbeaten at 5-0 in BKFC. The former WBA boxing champion and former BKFC world welterweight champion is trying to join the small group of fighters who have won BKFC titles in more than one weight class. He said Bonner will bring his best effort and described him as the toughest opponent of his BKFC run to date.

    BKFC also announced public and media workouts for Tuesday, June 23 at Stateside Live! in Philadelphia, with Eddie Alvarez scheduled to appear alongside founder David Feldman and newcomers Johnny Garbarino, Cody Russell and Lex Ludlow. The card also features Britain Hart defending her strawweight title against undefeated challenger Sarah Shell in the co-main event. BKFC said Liberty Brawl will be its third event at Xfinity Mobile Arena, following the previous two record-setting sellouts.

    More
  • BKFC 8th Anniversary: Henry vs. Lane Finalized at Hollywood Weigh-Ins

    BKFC 8th Anniversary: Henry vs. Lane Finalized at Hollywood Weigh-Ins

    Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is marking its eighth anniversary with BKFC Fight Night Hollywood at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, an event that will stream live worldwide on the BKFC App. The promotion held official weigh-ins Thursday ahead of the event, which finalized fighters’ eligibility and produced the official weights for the announced matchups.

    The main event pairs undefeated Bryce “Baba Yaga” Henry, who has finished all six of his BKFC fights by stoppage, against former BKFC world champion Julian “Let Me Bang” Lane, who is pursuing his 10th professional bare-knuckle victory. At the official weigh-ins Henry came in at 161.4 pounds and Lane at 165.2 pounds. The co-main features former champion Gorjan “GoGo” Slaveski against Johnny “El Toro” Tello, each at 165.6 pounds.

    A cruiserweight rankings matchup will see Stephen “Tomahawk” Townsel face Mike Jones, with Townsel weighing 206 pounds and Jones 205.2. Heavyweights Brandon Alfano and Alex Govea weighed 249 and 248 pounds respectively. Other fighters listed on the card include Ashton “No Chance” Caniglia, who weighed 153.4 pounds, Peter “D2G” Peraza, Mike “Mighty Mouse” Hansen at 142.2 pounds, Gee “The Cutman” Perez at 139.4 pounds, Julio “The Cuban Horse” Perez Rodriguez at 205.8 pounds, Lamont “KO King” Stafford at 205 pounds, Rohan “Headline Ro” Prado and James Rodriguez. Organizers noted the fight card is subject to change, and BKFC described the night as both a competitive fight card and a celebration of the promotion’s eight years in operation.

    More
  • BKFC plots Till crossover grudge, keeps three big-name backups

    BKFC plots Till crossover grudge, keeps three big-name backups

    David Feldman, president of BKFC, called a potential Darren Till and Mike Perry grudge match “the biggest fight we’ve ever done” and said the promotion would “definitely” try to make it. He said he planned to speak with Perry about his intentions and acknowledged Perry had other options, including potential bouts tied to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions or a return to BKFC. Feldman added the promotion had “three really big names” under consideration and said BKFC wanted to turn Till’s debut momentum into a high-profile crossover grudge bout while preserving fallback plans.

    Till made his BKFC debut at BKFC 90 in Birmingham. He was dropped by Aaron Chalmers in the first round before scoring a second-round one-punch knockout with a left hand. Till had originally been slated to face Perry before Perry returned to MMA to fight Nate Diaz.

    Reports varied on the nature of the Perry–Diaz stoppage: some outlets listed the result as a second-round TKO via corner stoppage, while others said the bout was stopped at the end of the second round because of cuts to Diaz. Feldman explicitly named Perry among the opponents being considered and described a Till–Perry matchup as a top priority.

    More
  • Connor Tierney retires after catastrophic broken jaw at BKFC 90

    Connor Tierney retires after catastrophic broken jaw at BKFC 90

    Connor Tierney announced his retirement from Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hours after suffering a catastrophic broken jaw that cost him his title at BKFC 90 in Birmingham. In an Instagram story posted after the event, Tierney wrote, “this injury is it for me,” and thanked supporters. He was hospitalized after the fight and the injury was described as serious and said to require major surgery. Footage reshared by part-owner Conor McGregor showed Tierney’s jaw appearing split in two with a visible separation between his teeth, footage described in one report as “disturbing.”

    More
  • Darren Till stops Aaron Chalmers in second round at BKFC 90

    Darren Till stops Aaron Chalmers in second round at BKFC 90

    Darren Till made his bare-knuckle debut and scored a stoppage victory over Aaron Chalmers in the co-main event at BKFC 90 at Utilita Arena in Birmingham. Chalmers dropped Till early, but in the second round Till knocked down Chalmers and the referee completed a 10-count, ending the bout by decisive stoppage. The light heavyweight fight was Till’s first outing under a three-fight BKFC deal he signed in April.

    Till left the UFC in 2022 and spent the intervening period in boxing and other combat activity before his BKFC debut. Sources reported he compiled four boxing wins, and one account described those bouts as including exhibition and influencer matches and noted he made his professional boxing debut last year against Luke Rockhold, so reports vary on whether all four wins were professional. Till weighed 188.8 pounds at the BKFC 90 weigh-ins, his lightest recorded weight since December 2022, after earlier moving up from welterweight to middleweight in the UFC and later bulking up to just under 200 pounds for his first pro boxing match. Chalmers weighed 187.8 pounds at the weigh-ins, entered BKFC 90 2-0 in BKFC, and brought a crossover résumé that included a 5-2 MMA record from BAMMA and Bellator and an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2023.

    BKFC 90’s headline bout was Connor Tierney versus Rico Franco for the interim BKFC welterweight title. A brawl between Tierney and Franco broke out during the face-offs at the weigh-ins, briefly overshadowing the Till–Chalmers stare-down. MMA Fighting provided live results and play-by-play coverage of the event.

    More
  • Phillips argues Till matchup makes competitive sense at 205

    Phillips argues Till matchup makes competitive sense at 205

    John Phillips said Darren Till should be his next opponent in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, arguing the matchup makes competitive sense because both men are natural 205-pounders. Phillips told Bloody Elbow that Till historically struggled cutting to 185 pounds in MMA and that the fighters’ similar size and strength would produce a more even fight than Till’s lighter opponents. Phillips said if both fighters win their next bouts it “will make sense” to book the fight and called it “an exciting matchup fans need to see.” The two men had shared a BKFC card at BKFC 90.

    Darren Till moved to BKFC after leaving MMA and signed a three-fight deal in April. He scored a second-round stoppage in Dubai, a result that put him on a Birmingham card. Till had been scheduled to make his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC 90 against Aaron Chalmers.

    At the BKFC 90 weigh-ins Till weighed 188.8 pounds, his lightest recorded weight since December 2022. Aaron Chalmers weighed 187.8 pounds, one pound lighter than Till. The weigh-ins underscored Till’s history of changing weight classes: he had difficulty making welterweight in the UFC, moved up to middleweight during his UFC career, and after leaving the promotion bulked up to just under 200 pounds for his first professional boxing match. Chalmers has competed at weights as low as 155 pounds in Bellator. The face-off portion of the BKFC 90 weigh-ins was briefly overshadowed by a brawl between Connor Tierney and Rico Franco. Phillips’ remarks positioned a Phillips-versus-Till bout as a plausible near-term booking for BKFC, pending each man’s upcoming results.

    More
  • Feldman hails BKFC-90 as first all-British title, vows expansion

    Feldman hails BKFC-90 as first all-British title, vows expansion

    Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship completed its final press conference in Birmingham on May 28 and confirmed official weigh-ins have been completed ahead of BKFC-90, scheduled for May 30 at the Utilita Arena. The card is headlined by an Interim Welterweight World Title bout between Connor Tierney and Rico Franco, with Darren Till making his BKFC debut in the co-main against Aaron Chalmers.

    At the press conference BKFC founder David Feldman said Conor McGregor called in to add an extra knockout bonus to each fight, and he described the event as the promotion’s first all-British world championship while saying BKFC is expanding internationally. Feldman and organizers framed BKFC-90 as a milestone for the company’s U.K. expansion and said stakes were heightened for fighters on the card. Tierney called the matchup the toughest fight of his career. Till vowed to “wipe” the roster and singled out Chalmers, who accepted underdog status and said the bout will demonstrate his level and bring his contract to a close. BKFC released final press conference photos, video and quotes from Birmingham.

    BKFC posted weigh-in photos, videos and official results for both the main card and the prelims. Main-card weights included Tierney at 164.8 pounds and Franco at 164.4, Till at 188.8 and Chalmers at 187.7, John Phillips at 205.4 and Ryan Barrett at 205.0, and Tommy Hawthorn and Will Smith both at 155.6. Prelim weights included Kris Trezise 165.8, Luke Brassfield 162.4, Lucasz Parobiec 264.5, Kaseem Saleem 274.0, Nathan Leeson 154.6 and Stevie Davenport 154.4. The posted results provide the official weights and confirm whether each fighter made or missed their mark. The prelims will be available free on the BKFC app at 7:00 p.m. BST (2:00 p.m. EDT) and the main card airs at 8:00 p.m. BST (3:00 p.m. EDT). UK viewers can access the show on Triller PPV.

    More