BKFC announces Ice Wars, an on-ice fight series without the hockey
BKFC Ice Wars is the latest addition to the combat sports rolodex.
On Wednesday, BKFC announced it has purchased stake in Ice Wars, an on-ice league that has promoted hockey-esque fights since 2022. The promotions will combine for an inaugural BKFC Ice Wars event on June 14 at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The second event will take place north of the border at River Cree Casino & Resort in Enoch, Alberta, Canada.
The events will be 'legal, sanctioned, and regulated' according to BKFC.
Fights will take place in what the promotion is calling 'The Ice Box,' a 900-square foot ice enclosure designed specifically for ice fighting. Fighters will wear hockey equipment and four-ounce MMA gloves.
Each bout will be between three and five rounds, of 90-seconds each with one-minute breaks in between.
'We've been watching what the team at Ice Wars has been building, and it's been incredible to see the passionate response they've received from audiences,' said David Feldman, Founder and President of BKFC said in a written statement Wednesday. 'Their vision and energy align perfectly with what we do at BKFC—bringing raw, high-adrenaline combat sports to fans in a way they've never seen before. Partnering with them to create BKFC Ice Wars was an easy decision, and we're excited to take this to the next level together.'
There will be two linesman-esque referees on hand to officiate each fight with three judges scoring the contests.
'Judges shall evaluate the bout based on effective striking (Plan A), effective aggressiveness (Plan B), and control of the fighting area (Plan C),' according to the promotion. 'Plans B and C are only taken into consideration if Plan A is weighed as being even. Effective striking is judged by determining the impact/effect of legal strikes landed by a fighter solely based on the results of such legal strikes. Effective aggressiveness means aggressively making attempts to finish the fight. Fighting area control is assessed by determining who is dictating the pace, place and position of the bout.'
The promotion says it is shooting for six events in 2025, then as many as 24 in 2026. Steaming info will be announced in the coming weeks.
Four weight classes will exist for ice fighting.
Heavyweight: Over 200 pounds
Cruiserweight: 175 to 200 pounds
Middleweight: 150 to 170 pounds
Lightweight: Under 150 pounds
'Partnering with BKFC is a game-changer for Ice Wars,' said BKFC Ice Wars CEO Charlie Nama said in a written statement. 'BKFC's backing gives us the platform and resources to bring our sport to the world stage, creating a new frontier in combat sports. This isn't just a partnership – it's the fusion of two high-energy, no-holds-barred fight disciplines into one powerhouse league. Our first event is just the beginning, and we're building something that will redefine international prizefighting competition and entertainment.'
Check out a clip of Ice Wars below, from before its partnership with BKFC.
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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Real-life 'Slap Shot': Inside the unbridled chaos of Ice Wars, BKFC's push into organized hockey fights
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — The fictional hockey world had the Hanson brothers, a bespectacled trio who came to the Charlestown Chiefs from the North American Hockey League, where gooning it up was a way of life. The nonfictional Ice Wars, which came into existence with its first-ever event this past Saturday at the Soaring Eagle Resort and Casino in the middle of central Michigan, has the LaPorte brothers, Nick and Will, 6-foot-6 hockey specimens who throw hands more for simple pleasure. It was a wild scene in Mt. Pleasant for the inaugural event, which functioned as an arm of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). It had been dubbed Ice Wars: Battle of the Border. The center of the action was a miniature 800-square foot rink, known as the Ice Box, enclosed by pliable wooden boards. Along the side sat the VIPs, who were close enough to the action at times to whisper sweet nothings into the bleeding ears of the combatants. The ice lay like a sheet of porcelain, virginal in its whiteness, yet ominous too — as if quietly anticipating a crime scene. Advertisement In fact, if you looked closely, you'd see that it wasn't ice at all; it was 'synthetic ice,' which is an elegant way of saying plastic. The only thing frozen in the room were the daiquiris up top. Had a Zamboni come through it would have wrecked the whole rig. Each one of the 20 total fighters — half of them Canadians, the other half American — made the walk across a stage and through fountains of shooting sparks. They wore blade protectors on their skates, which they slipped out of as they pulled up ice-side, the way UFC fighters remove their shirts. The referees, sporting helmets and striped shirts just like you'd see in an NHL game, made the scene almost comical. All the familiarity of hockey with nary a puck or a stick in sight. Ice Wars super heavyweight Catlin Big Snake skates for his bout against Zach Hughes. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) The fighters wore gaudy yellow hockey jerseys, which could be spotted from the nosebleeds easy enough. Not that there were nosebleeds. The ballroom was intimate, with a seating capacity just over 2,000, and more than 1,800 of those seats filled with curious onlookers, many of whom delighted in the novel approach of taking the game of hockey out of the fighting. Advertisement 'I've had fights in MMA, and this is the most fun fighting I've ever had in my life,' the super heavyweight Zach Hughes told me perhaps 45 minutes after he got flattened by Catlin Big Snake, a.k.a. 'The Chief,' a slab of humanity from Alberta who not so long ago dressed for the Monroe Moccasins of the Western Professional Hockey League. 'All the guys here are great. Me and 'Chief' have already been sitting here bulls***ing after the fight.' The founder of Ice Wars, Charlie Nama, warned me that it's a different vibe than other combat sports. That the guys who were swinging hammers at each other's heads would be drinking beers together within an hour of the stitches being cinched. He wasn't wrong. The bar was full of barroom brawlers who just happen to know how to skate, most of them based north of the Great Lakes. Many of them had lush playoff beards too, even if the closest playoff team to Mt. Pleasant was over a thousand miles away in Edmonton. After each introduction, the players skated forward in the Ice Box, circling each other just like you'd seen when they drop gloves in the sanctioned hockey world. You could feel the spirit of 'Tie Domi' bouncing off the walls. Then they'd start swinging, which can be exhilarating for an offshoot combat sport that isn't entirely sanctioned. In fact, it's not sanctioned at all! Advertisement (Except for in Wyoming.) Nobody was losing time thinking about taboos or niches, though, because the rounds are 90-second affairs, and this is an action league. The fighters would grab a fistful of jersey, then jostle each other toward their incoming fists. Lots of jerking, twisting and thrashing, a sadistic little tango. The fists crashing off of helmets fast and furious. Uppercuts finding a home for those who tried to plant their head into a chest. Short, quick punches, looping right hands. Guys wincing, skating off with dangling arms. Holding their rib cages from unexpected body shots, or from crashing into the synthetic ice. There was blood which had to be squeegeed off from time to time. Advertisement If there was a surprise, it was that the first three fights all went to decisions, because the idea of Ice Wars is to create knockouts. Viral knockouts. The kind of thing that might grab attention when sliding down a scroll. The first finish came when Nick LaPorte, one of the twins who happens to be a cast member on the Canadian television show 'Shoresy,' scored a TKO over Matt 'Dunner' Dunn. The crowd let up a tremendous roar as he got his hand raised. LaPorte had predicted to me he'd finish his opponent in 11 seconds the night prior while crushing a pizza at the Soaring Eagle food court, which turned out to be ambitious. As it stood, he did so in just under a minute. 'The ice was a little tougher than I thought,' Laporte said afterward, showing me a fun cartoon graphic he'd made which said 'Dunn in One' on his phone. 'I had to get moving around a bit just to get a little bit more of an edge. After that, nah, it went exactly as I thought it would. I thought it was going to be quick and it went exactly like I thought.' Nick LaPorte comforts Matt Dunn after knocking him out. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) As for the judges, three of them sat at opposite corners of the Ice Box. There was four-time Stanley Cup champion Darren McCarty of the Detroit Red Wings, who had a stringy Layne Staley-like braid in his beard (which was pink). McCarty made a name for himself when he made Claude Lemieux turtle up in a fight at Joe Louis Arena. At one point, when a kid named Andre Thibault from the French-Canadian league (a veteran of hundreds of fights) shoved Elias Thompson's head over the boards near where McCarty was stationed, the Detroit legend turned and gave an approving nod to his fellow judge sitting down the way. Advertisement That would be Jon 'Nasty' Mirasty, one of the meanest SOBs to ever play hockey. He was notorious for laughing during his fights, which were plenty. He spent time on the Danbury Thrashers, a minor league team which inspired a documentary about the style of play (fights, fights and more fights). He was still rocking his traditional mohawk, and his nose lay a little crooked across his face. The last judge was Frank 'The Animal' Bialowas, who racked up his share of penalty minutes too. He played four games for Toronto Maple Leafs and had 12 penalty minutes. In 1993 alone, he had 352 penalty minutes while playing with the St. John's Maple Leafs. 'I've fought everybody there is,' he told me. And when I inquired about the scoring criteria, well, let's just say it's based more on expert gut feeling than anything scientific. There is no 10-point must system in Ice Wars. That kind of thing bores the hell out of enforcers on the ice. The fights are judged as whole, rather than round-by-round. 'You just know who won,' Bialowas told me when elaborating. 'You can tell.' Will LaPorte downs James Brooks in Ice Wars' debut main event. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) Were there moments when Ice Wars felt like a smoker show? Sure. There was a fog layer hanging over the synthetic ice surface, and there were a few 'kick his ass Seabass' and 'U.S.A' chants to be heard. The low-rent nature of a first show wasn't without charm. And there was royalty there, too. Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns — the 'Motor City Cobra' himself — sat up close to the action, watching a subgenre of the fight game find out if it has any legs. Advertisement What was the man who stood toe-to-toe with Marvin Hagler in one of the greatest boxing matches of our lifetimes thinking as jerseies were being pulled over heads? The only thing he'd offer was a gentle smile. And in the end, it was a fight between Bay City's own Ryan Snobeck and Alex Marchisell — or 'Marchy' as he's known up in the Great White North — that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Snobeck had showed up in a patriotic speedo for the weigh-ins, so you knew he meant business. He and "Marchy" latched on and swung at range, mercilessly, absorbing whatever the other was willing to dish out. The entire crowd stood. The commentary team of former UFC fighters Ian Heinisch and Chris Camozzi provided the soundtrack, as their play-by-play boomed over the speakers for everyone to hear. Including the principals themselves, who just kept slamming fists into the meat spots. It was a frenzied moment that perhaps showed the potential of what Ice Wars could be if enough caution is thrown to the wind. Advertisement 'I had 52 friends show up,' Snobeck told me after. 'I had a high-school cheering section, and I did each of their tickets individually at the will call. I even did the seating chart for them. I wanted everybody to sit next to somebody that they enjoyed. I took a lot of pride in this whole thing. Ryan Snobeck celebrates after his wild win over Alex Marchisell. (Photo via RGBTV Photography) 'And when I met Alex, which I believe was Friday during the whole weigh-in, I said, 'let's put on a great show and throw punches,' and we shook each other's hand and that was it. That was it.' Can Ice Wars catch on? It's too early to tell, but the first show had its moments. One of my favorites was when Camozzi brought his BKFC belt over to face off with Esteban Rodriguez, and things got physical. Each fighter began leaning into the other, like linemen colliding at the line of scrimmage, and they were putting hands on each other with a shared thought running between them as the tussle dragged on — is somebody going to break this up? Advertisement It turned out, no, nobody was going to break it up. Everybody just stood and watched. They tussled for at least 20 to 30 seconds, an eternity, with Camozzi at one point putting his hand around Rodriguez's neck. Each looked around for the intervention. Finally, somebody did step in, but it was a classic moment of a fledgling show. Some of the kinks will need to be worked out. Saturday's event will debut on the BKFC app this Wednesday, June 18. The second card will take place in Alberta in two weeks. In a couple of months, Ice Wars will have a show in Tampa, which they promise will be the first with real ice. After all, you can't be the Ice Wars if you're fighting on plastic. Ice is central to the equation. And so are the cult figures. The fictional world of hockey had the Hanson brothers, who put foil on their knuckles and roughed up vending machines. If Ice Wars can produce anything like the real-life equivalent? Well, that's what Charlie Nama and company are hoping to find out.
Newsweek
3 days ago
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Exclusive: Mike Perry on Dirty Boxing Success and Partnering With Jon Jones
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. MMA legend Mike Perry has spent years in the combat sports space competing. He began his career in the mixed martial arts space back in 2014. After a string of wins through various promotions, he would make his eventual UFC debut in 2016. Perry would be known as one of the most violent strikers, and he picked up wins against big names like Jake Ellenberger, Paul Felder, Alex Oliveira, and more. Following his UFC career, Perry would eventually move to the BKFC, where he holds an undefeated 5-0 record. With big wins against Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, and Thiago Alves, he has been named the "King of Violence." Now, Perry has taken his talents to being a fight promotion co-owner. He started Dirty Boxing, which held its first event in March. The MMA/boxing style combines striking, spinning backfists, but no kicking. Dirty Boxing co-owners Jon Jones and Mike Perry posing with Yoel Romero. Dirty Boxing co-owners Jon Jones and Mike Perry posing with Yoel Romero. Dirty Boxing Championship Combatants take one another on in a boxing ring designed for this style, and they use four-ounce gloves. Perry sat down with Newsweek Sports to discuss the next event, Dirty Boxing 2, co-owning the promotion with UFC champion Jon Jones, and more. What is dirty boxing? "Dirty boxing is fighting. It's a brutal, fast-paced, forceful style of, you know, knocking out your opponents, going for the win, or running into trouble. You know, small gloves, elbows, spinning back fist, Superman punches, a mixed martial arts style of striking, and it's dirty boxing ... We took out the kicks because I think the kicks slow down the action. When you watch a boxing fight, is very intense when they're throwing combinations and they're staying in the pocket. We invite that here at dirty boxing. We want these guys to go for an entertaining show and put it all on the line, throw heat, and have a great time." How did Dirty Boxing start? "It came together by me being an exciting, entertaining fighter. I got to meet some great people and entertaining people outside of the ring, and coming together with those people, you know, I have a good time with them, and, you know, thankfully, I can have a good time around them, and same for them with me. So, you know, we get to talking about different styles of fighting, people like a Mike Perry fight, I bring it, and that's what we want to see in Dirty Boxing." How did Jon Jones get involved in Dirty Boxing? "So we put on a show that the fighters appreciate, the fighters who speak with us and work with us appreciate, and Jon is involved because he wants to make a difference in the fight game, in combat sports as well. Entertaining fights and putting it on the line, but seeing who's best, and we're going to put on some really great fights, especially this Saturday. I mean, just our second card, our first card was incredible, and our private show, so you know, it's taken off since the private show, and we're really excited about everything that's happening with Dirty Boxing." You got Andre Arlovski, Yoel Romero in Dirty Boxing 1, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alex Caceres in Dirty Boxing 2. Who else is coming to fight in the promotion? "There are some legends, and you got to be careful when you mention who's coming, because if they're coming to just watch, then they might not come, because I've already mentioned they could decide up until the last day and be like, You know what? I changed my mind so but the fighters that we have signed contracts with, you know, you said legend Francisco Trinaldo might not be a legend, but he is in in a way or two. You know, he's competed a lot in UFC." You're doing commentary for Dirty Boxing. Are you planning on competing in dirty boxing yourself? "Brother, let's go, man. I'm ready to go outside and run right now, and I hope a pro fighter comes out of their house sees me running and goes, 'let's go' ... I'm already excited and and, you know, hope that I can get into a fight soon. I think things are coming together, and they're gonna get me in the ring." Do you think that if you had a longer camp, the result would have been different with Jake Paul? "I mean, absolutely, the way things wind down, but I get to that sometimes in life, you get a short camp and you were, your body was already in this mode of preparation. Um, but not at that point in my life. I had just beaten Thiago Alves. I had taken some time and and enjoyed my life after that, that big win to go five and, oh, and bare knuckle and and the sport difference, putting on the size I never fought at 200 pounds." What's the next evolution of Dirty Boxing? Where do you expect the promotion and you to go from here? "You know, I always just want a chance, man, and we're getting that chance with Dirty Boxing this weekend. People are going to see it like the team that we have involved. They're probably sweating, hoping everything that they worked so hard on is coming together as best it can. And I know they're good at what they do, they're great at what they do." The first Dirty Boxing event was streamed for free on YouTube, as will Dirty Boxing 2. Fans can check out the action on June 14, starting around 4 pm PST/7 pm EST at the official Dirty Boxing YouTube channel. Fans can also still purchase tickets to the event in Orlando, Florida, here. For more MMA, head to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
'Balance is everything': UFC alum Ian Heinisch finds traction with Ice Wars, BKFC fights on ice
'Balance is everything': UFC alum Ian Heinisch finds traction with Ice Wars, BKFC fights on ice Finding the perfect balance in life is important. It might be even more important in BKFC Ice Wars. If not, you might be in trouble. Fighting an opponent is difficult enough? But fighting physics if you don't have the tools? That sounds like an equal challenge – and the coinciding struggles is all part of the fun, says its president and former UFC fighter Ian Heinisch. "Balance is everything in this sport, so hockey players do have the advantage there," Heinisch recently told MMA Junkie. "But the fighters have that grit, that clinch work. They probably have more power in the hands. But that's what makes it so interesting. You have to have that full package of balance, of being good on skates most importantly because I don't care how hard you can throw a punch. If you can't balance, you're just going to fall down. It's going to be interesting to see who has the advantage. So far, I've seen more seasoned vets on the ice, enforcers, have the advantage. But now we have some UFC vets who can skates, so it's going to be very interesting to see how they fair against some of these hockey players." The start-up ice fighting series of the world's leading bareknuckle boxing brand is set to debut Saturday. It'll feature combatants from across the combat sports world, but also ex-hockey enforcers. It'll stream live and free across various platforms including YouTube, in an effort to spread brand awareness. But Heinisch thinks it won't take long before fight fans become well-acquainted. Heinisch never envisioned getting into the promoting game, but the opportunity fell in his lap. He's happy it did. His competitive career was cut short due to brain injuries, though he's doing better now. Heinisch found success in the crypto world, and now adds Ice Wars to his diverse portfolio. "It's going to take off," Heinisch said, confidently. The concept was developed by a third party, which ran a pilot series months prior to its BKFC partnership. With much room to grow and the previous owner encountering health issues, BKFC president David Feldman got involved and soon Heinisch, who had commentated the fights held under the previous regime, was named Ice Wars president. "I was introduced through some friends," Heinisch said. "It was kind of like the beta testing for the Ice Wars concept. It was a lesser-production regional thing. They were kind of testing it out but I was one of the lead commentators then. I saw the fights and I had no idea what to expect, but it was special. These fights were incredible. There were so many techniques that I could've never imagined would be for hockey fighting. Some people were in the clinch. Some people had their hands down skating backward, slipping and ripping. I said, 'You know what? This is special. But the show is ran terribly.' It didn't have good backing but I stayed in touch with the owner. He had a life-threatening condition where he had to get heart surgery. We just stayed in touch and he eventually got this connection with Dave Feldman and BKFC and they basically said they were going to fully back it. They wanted to make in the sister company of BKFC. They loved the idea. Originally, I was just going to be the commentator but I was offered to step into a partial owner and be the president of the promotion, so I jumped all over it. I thought it was a great opportunity for me. I have the connections. I've seen poorly-ran promotions and I've see the highest of the high with the UFC, so I was all about it. I believe in what they're doing and I believe this is absolutely going to skyrocket." BKFC Ice Wars 1: "Battle at the Border" takes place at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. – on Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe reservation land. Heinisch said the company is working to get the sport sanctioned in ABC commission-regulated areas as well. The BKFC brass has recent experience, having led the charge in getting bareknuckle boxing, a sport long outlawed, sanctioned in dozens of states. "We're in uncharted territories but we have someone who has been through all of this before, Dave Feldman," Heinisch said. "Him getting bareknuckle sanctioned in all these states, and now them being one of the top fight promotions. So there are all these hoops to jump through. It's just such a new concept but we are being well-received in many states and I believe after they see these fights and they see this is an actual new sport, I think it's going to be opened up nationwide." Heinisch anticipates Saturday's launch will kick off an ambitious schedule of six-to-eight events in 2025, followed by 20-24 in 2026. Fighters are being signed to multifight deals. Two such examples are former UFC fighters Brian Kelleher and Charles Rosa, who have yet to have their debut matchups announced. "We have a lot of interest," Heinisch said. "People love this concept. But when you have the BKFC backing us, we have major interest with sponsors. We have an incredible team. We have an amazing startup guy from Tom Brady's portfolio. We have Dave Feldman guiding us, his production team, his marketing team, sponsors. Obviously now, I'm bringing in my fight knowledge. I'm having fighters in my DMs all the time. It's just proof of concept. Like, we don't even have an official fight. Yes, Ice Wars have been done before but that was with gloves. This is bareknuckle Ice Wars. Right now, we already have peaked the interest of the entire MMA community and boxing community and bareknuckle boxing community. I think after this first fight, the floodgates are going to open."
