Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship announced on May 18, 2025 that former boxing world champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring was set to face Michael “Papa G” Larrimore for the vacant BKFC bantamweight title (135 pounds). The bout was slotted as the main event of BKFC-89 on May 22, 2025 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California after Nick Maness was ruled out with an injury.

Herring entered the card with a 24-5 professional boxing record and a 1-0 BKFC mark following a unanimous decision over Matt Guymon, and the promotion noted a Herring victory would have made him, alongside Austin Trout, one of two fighters to hold world titles in both bare-knuckle and professional boxing. Larrimore was listed 3-1 in BKFC competition with three first-round knockouts and a lone loss to former champion Keith Richardson.

BKFC-89 was scheduled to air live worldwide on DAZN, with the main card set for 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT and prelims to stream on the BKFC app at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. An open ceremonial weigh-in was scheduled for May 21, 2025 in Indio, California. The announced undercard included No. 3 JoMi “The Archangel” Escoboza versus No. 4 Cody “The Knuckle Maniac” Vidal, a light-heavyweight matchup with rankings implications for champion Lorenzo “The Juggernaut” Hunt, and a featured heavyweight bout between Levi “Pitbull” Costa and Chase Gormley. Organizers noted neither man had reached a fourth round across a combined five BKFC trips. The card also listed debuting and fan-favorite fighters Daniel “Machete” Alvarez, David “El Perro Necio” Diaz, Jared “Lenny” Lennon and Evgenii “The Sailor” Kurdanov, and organizers cautioned the lineup remained subject to change.