Drew Stuve looks to impress in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship main event
The 28-year-old has found a home in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, headlining Saturday's BKFC Fight Night Edmonton card.
Stuve, who won his first two bare-knuckle outings, takes on 42-year-old American Will (The Brown Bomber) Santiago (2-1-1) at the River Cree Resort and Casino in suburban Enoch.
With his shaved head, tattoos and handlebar moustache, Stuve looks like he just walked off a Guy Ritchie movie set.
Stuve knows his way around a moustache. A former full-time barber, Stuve sold his shop to focus on fighting but still cuts hair, working out of his home around training.
Stuve more than looks the part of a bare knuckle fighter, however.
In his BKFC debut in March 2024, he defeated fellow Canadian (Lethal) Jay Kelly by first-round TKO. Last August, he stopped B.C.-based Briton Sonny (The Savage) Smith at 1:11 of the second round.
The first fight was a frenetic 71-second affair that saw Kelly come on like a berserker. It was trial by fire with Kelly's first punch slicing Stuve's face open.
But Stuve's superior striking showed through and Kelly went down, unable to continue.
It was a learning experience all round. Stuve wore a mouthguard with slightly protruding fangs that penetrated his lip.
More in control second time out, Stuve was able to use his boxing to control the distance. He floored Smith just 10 seconds into the fight but was staggered himself soon after and went down himself late in the round.
Stuve cut Smith under the eye, finishing him off with the third knockdown of the second round. Stuve outstruck Smith 67-27, connecting on 63 per cent of his punches.
'I wouldn't say it's comfortable. It's uncomfortable. I'm getting punched in the (expletive) face but I love it,' Stuve said after the fight. 'I feel like a (expletive) gangster.'
Saturday's card is the BKFC's third in Canada. Stuve fought on the first two which were BKFC Prospects cards featuring up-and-coming talent.
This time it's a regular BKFC show.
Growing up in Edson, Alta., Stuve played Jr. B hockey, moving to Dallas and Vancouver Island to continue his career. But he quit when his interest in the sport dwindled.
'Honestly I'm a way better fighter than I was a hockey player,' he said with a laugh.
'I love just seeing what you can, what you can accomplish — especially in such a hard, rough sport,' he added. 'My parents don't understand it. Most people don't understand it. But I like to see what you're capable of as a human and how far you can push yourself.'
While Stuve avoided dropping the gloves in hockey, he found himself in more than a few scraps growing up, often when someone made fun of his sister who has a developmental disability.
'I had a lot of anger as a kid,' he said.
His journey into combat sports started in Edmonton when he decided to drop into a local boxing club after driving past it every day on the way to work. A bar fight had convinced the then-18-year-old that he needed to find a way to control his emotions 'in a proper way.'
He had his first amateur boxing bout two months later.
Stuve, whose boxing record is 1-1-0 as a pro, drew the attention of BKFC after impressing at tryouts at Edmonton's Wolfhouse MMA gym.
'Honestly I never thought I'd do bare knuckle,' he said. 'I Like watching it but I thought it was kind of crazy.'
BKFC bouts are contested in a ring with five two-minute rounds. Fighters are permitted to wrap and tape the wrist, thumb and mid-hand, but no gauze or tape can be within 2.5 centimetres of the knuckles. Punches are the only strike allowed.
Without the benefit of gloves, cuts are common. And they can lead to doctor-mandated stoppages, which prevent the losing fighter from taking more damage.
'I'm just good at it,' said Stuve. 'My fighting style works really well for bare knuckle.'
Smith can attest to that. Stuve broke his nose with his right hand.
After contesting his first two BKFC bouts at welterweight (165 pound), Stuve has moved up to middleweight (175 pounds) after putting on pounds through a weightlifting program.
At six foot two, Stuve will have a four-inch advantage in height and 3.5 inches in reach over Santiago, who took the fight when original opponent Michael Manno dropped out.
Santiago has a 9-7-0 record as a pro mixed martial arts fighter, losing to American Kevin Holland on Dana White's Contender Series in June 2018. Holland has gone on to post a 15-11-0 record with one no contest in the UFC.
Originally from Boston, Santiago moved to New Mexico to train at the storied Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque.
Other Canadians on Saturday's card include (Super) Chad Lucanas, Tim (The Chin) Tamaki, (Hungry) Hasan Al-Ghanim, Nick (The Fury) Felber, James (Flash) Dalzell, Alexandra (Papa Al) Delgado-Lopez, Kimani (The King) Crawford, Matt (The Hawk) Socholotiuk, Adam (Clooney) De Freitas, Justin Kennedy, Caeden (Prettiest) Scott, and Kayden (The Giant) Giroux.
Bohdan (Iron Hammer) Kotok is originally from Poland but now lives in Canada.
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
SFU Red Leafs pondering return to Canadian leagues after issues with U.S.
The SFU Red Leafs are considering coming back to Canadian competition. SFU has been a member of NCAA Div. II since 2010, but the school explained in a written statement Thursday afternoon that it is looking at all its options and pointed to issues with competing in the U.S. as the reason why. SFU is the lone Canadian member in the NCAA. They moved there from the U Sports national body and its Canada West Conference, where they had been playing against the likes of the UBC Thunderbirds, UVic Vikes and Trinity Western Spartans in a variety of sports since 2000. Prior to that, SFU teams had played in the American small college National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since the school opened in 1965. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Multiple sources have told Postmedia that leaving the NCAA has been a conversation at SFU for several weeks. They said concerns include going back and forth across the border for games and the new NCAA rules limiting the participation of transgender athletes. The SFU statement didn't get into specifics, though. There was no word on whether SFU features any transgender athletes. 'SFU is proud to be Canada's only NCAA team. We are working closely with the NCAA to understand evolving changes to the NCAA participation framework and how they may impact our programs and our student-athletes,' the statement read. 'It has also become more challenging to have student-athletes cross the U.S. border. Underlying these specific examples, like all post-secondary institutions, SFU needs to consider sustainability as we build successful programs. 'Because of these factors, the responsible step for SFU is to consider various governance models, costs and implications. This is something we are committed to do. We are aware that any change would be a huge decision for the university and would take some time. It would also need to include careful conversations with internal and external stakeholders.' Canada West features teams from 17 schools. There are seven schools included in that from B.C., with the UBC Okanagan Heat, Thompson Rivers WolfPack, Fraser Valley Cascades and UNBC Timberwolves as well as UBC, UVic and Trinity Western. SFU would need to apply to both Canada West and U Sports and be voted in to become a member school. A report commissioned by SFU by McLaren Global Sports Solutions' senior vice-president Bob Copeland in May 2023 to look at the sustainability of football and the overall state of athletics at the school listed the application fees for Canada West at $313,000 and for U Sports at $55,000. SFU had shut down its football program initially in April 2023. A backlash from players, alumni and the football community led to the Copeland report. SFU published Copeland's report in September 2023. Football remained in limbo on the sidelines for several months, before SFU published its new strategic plan for athletics and recreation in January , and SFU Provost and Vice-President Academic Dilson Rassier confirmed at the time that the program was remaining shuttered. Mark Coletta, who is the longtime coach of SFU's club men's hockey program, told Postmedia in October 2023 that he thought a Red Leafs team could be a contender in Div. I in five years and that he could come up with enough boosters for the program to be self-funded. The school hasn't signed off on adding the squad to its varsity roster, though. Coletta's team has had success in exhibition games against Div. I teams, including playing the Boston University Terriers to a 1-1 draw on the road in January 2024. Under NCAA rules, an SFU team could play Div. I since there is no national tournament in men's hockey in Div. II. A move by the school to Canada West would kibosh all that. Canada West and U Sports would undoubtedly only accept SFU if it brought all of its eligible programs. Meanwhile, SFU has been in the midst of a cash crunch, like all universities in the country seem to be. Copeland's report pointed to an athletics budget deficit of $1.77 million when football was running. And a Postmedia story in December 2023 quoted a Rassier memo to faculty and staff in regards to department budgets being cut five to eight per cent over the current and coming fiscal years. Rassier told Postmedia in January in regards to the new plan for athletics: 'Part of this is planning is to make absolutely sure that department is financially sustainable. So we're going to be constantly evaluating to make sure. We cannot work in ways over the next few years in ways where the department won't be financially sustainable. We have to work within a budget that is responsible with the other needs of the university.' SFU named Luc Simard as executive-director of athletics and recreation in August 2024 . The athletic department had been under interim leadership for a year. Athletic director Theresa Hanson and the school agreed to part ways in August 2023. Simard had been the University of Toronto's director of sports and recreation. @SteveEwen SEwen@
The Province
an hour ago
- The Province
SFU Red Leafs pondering return to Canadian leagues after issues with U.S.
'The responsible step for SFU is to consider various governance models, costs and implications," a statement from the school this week read Get the latest from Steve Ewen straight to your inbox SFU Red Leafs running back Mason Glover tries to avoid a tackle by UBC Thunderbirds Ryan Baker during the 34th Shrum Bowl in 2022. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG The SFU Red Leafs are considering coming back to Canadian competition. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors SFU has been a member of NCAA Div. II since 2010, but the school explained in a written statement Thursday afternoon that it is looking at all its options and pointed to issues with competing in the U.S. as the reason why. SFU is the lone Canadian member in the NCAA. They moved there from the U Sports national body and its Canada West Conference, where they had been playing against the likes of the UBC Thunderbirds, UVic Vikes and Trinity Western Spartans in a variety of sports since 2000. Prior to that, SFU teams had played in the American small college National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since the school opened in 1965. Multiple sources have told Postmedia that leaving the NCAA has been a conversation at SFU for several weeks. They said concerns include going back and forth across the border for games and the new NCAA rules limiting the participation of transgender athletes. The SFU statement didn't get into specifics, though. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There was no word on whether SFU features any transgender athletes. 'SFU is proud to be Canada's only NCAA team. We are working closely with the NCAA to understand evolving changes to the NCAA participation framework and how they may impact our programs and our student-athletes,' the statement read. 'It has also become more challenging to have student-athletes cross the U.S. border. Underlying these specific examples, like all post-secondary institutions, SFU needs to consider sustainability as we build successful programs. 'Because of these factors, the responsible step for SFU is to consider various governance models, costs and implications. This is something we are committed to do. We are aware that any change would be a huge decision for the university and would take some time. It would also need to include careful conversations with internal and external stakeholders.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canada West features teams from 17 schools. There are seven schools included in that from B.C., with the UBC Okanagan Heat, Thompson Rivers WolfPack, Fraser Valley Cascades and UNBC Timberwolves as well as UBC, UVic and Trinity Western. SFU would need to apply to both Canada West and U Sports and be voted in to become a member school. A report commissioned by SFU by McLaren Global Sports Solutions' senior vice-president Bob Copeland in May 2023 to look at the sustainability of football and the overall state of athletics at the school listed the application fees for Canada West at $313,000 and for U Sports at $55,000. SFU had shut down its football program initially in April 2023. A backlash from players, alumni and the football community led to the Copeland report. SFU published Copeland's report in September 2023. Football remained in limbo on the sidelines for several months, before SFU published its new strategic plan for athletics and recreation in January, and SFU Provost and Vice-President Academic Dilson Rassier confirmed at the time that the program was remaining shuttered. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mark Coletta, who is the longtime coach of SFU's club men's hockey program, told Postmedia in October 2023 that he thought a Red Leafs team could be a contender in Div. I in five years and that he could come up with enough boosters for the program to be self-funded. The school hasn't signed off on adding the squad to its varsity roster, though. Coletta's team has had success in exhibition games against Div. I teams, including playing the Boston University Terriers to a 1-1 draw on the road in January 2024. Under NCAA rules, an SFU team could play Div. I since there is no national tournament in men's hockey in Div. II. A move by the school to Canada West would kibosh all that. Canada West and U Sports would undoubtedly only accept SFU if it brought all of its eligible programs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, SFU has been in the midst of a cash crunch, like all universities in the country seem to be. Copeland's report pointed to an athletics budget deficit of $1.77 million when football was running. And a Postmedia story in December 2023 quoted a Rassier memo to faculty and staff in regards to department budgets being cut five to eight per cent over the current and coming fiscal years. Rassier told Postmedia in January in regards to the new plan for athletics: 'Part of this is planning is to make absolutely sure that department is financially sustainable. So we're going to be constantly evaluating to make sure. We cannot work in ways over the next few years in ways where the department won't be financially sustainable. We have to work within a budget that is responsible with the other needs of the university.' SFU named Luc Simard as executive-director of athletics and recreation in August 2024. The athletic department had been under interim leadership for a year. Athletic director Theresa Hanson and the school agreed to part ways in August 2023. Simard had been the University of Toronto's director of sports and recreation. @SteveEwen SEwen@ Read More Op-Ed News Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps News
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Frederick Richard is taking his fight to make gymnastics ‘cool' to a new front: His uniform
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frederick Richard is taking the fight to make men's gymnastics matter to a new front: his wardrobe. The charismatic 21-year-old Olympic bronze medalist switched out the stirrup pants that have long been a staple of the men's uniform for shorts with compression leggings at the U.S. Championships this weekend, firm in his belief that the three-tenths (0.3) deduction he receives every day of competition that he breaks the rules is worth it if it makes his sport more accessible. Even when those tenths add up. Richard edged Fuzzy Benas by less than a quarter of a point for second place behind two-time national champion Asher Hong. If Richard had worn the traditional uniform, his margin over Benas could have been a little more comfortable. Yet asked if the statement he is trying to make — that it's time for men's gymnastics to modernize its uniforms — is worth the risk to his potential placement during a given meet, he didn't hesitate. 'It's 1,000% worth it,' Richard said. 'If you look at these kids in the crowd, I'm thinking about them and I'm thinking about when I was younger.' Finding an alternative While Richard quickly fell in love with gymnastics as a kid growing up in the Boston area, the stirrup pants worn by the guys on pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, and high bar were another matter. 'If I left the gym to go to the gas station, I didn't want anybody to see me in my pommel horse pants,' Richard said. 'Kids would say, 'Do you do gymnastics?' I'd say 'Yeah.' But I didn't want them to search 'gymnast' and see the uniform. I didn't feel like it was cool.' His solution was to design an alternative. With the help of the apparel company Turn, Richard debuted the look earlier this year and 'refined' it ahead of nationals. During the opening night of competition on Thursday, the rising Michigan junior wore maize-and-blue colored zebra-patterned leggings with (almost) matching blue shorts. On Saturday, Richard swapped the maize and blue for gray. Both times, there was a 'ND -0.3' next to Richard's score on the first event in which the traditional pants were required. Yet Richard wasn't as focused on the ribbon board where his score was posted, but on the young boys in the stands below them. '(I want them to) see this, and they're like, 'This is cool. I want to wear this. This kid is trying to make the sport cool, he looks cool,'' Richard said. 'And that's the stuff that gets kids into the sport, that's stuff that keeps kids in the sport.' Even if it's a largely American conversation. Fighting for relevance While the popularity of men's gymnastics in the U.S. has declined for decades (though there is optimism that the bronze medal Richard and his teammates captured at the 2024 Olympics could help stem the tide), there are no such issues overseas. They're not talking about stirrup pants in China. Or Japan. Or Russia. Places with dominant programs whose stars become champions and national heroes in the process. The challenges men's gymnastics faces in the U.S. are many. The number of Division I programs that offer it as a scholarship sport is a fraction of what it was decades ago. And the impact of the recent House settlement could make opportunities at a level that has long served as a feeder system to the U.S. national team even scarcer. At the Olympic level, the men have long competed in the shadow of the star-studded (and highly successful) women's program. Richard has long understood this. He's seen the attrition firsthand. While the uniform didn't stop him from pressing on, he believes he might be the exception, not the rule. Countless young boys dabble in multiple sports growing up, gymnastics included. Richard thinks tweaking the uniform requirements into something he considers more modern could remove what he thinks might be a roadblock to sticking with it for some. 'It does add to what makes a 12-year-old boy decide, 'Do I want to keep doing this sport? Or should I play football or soccer, because my friends think I'm cool when I play with them?' he said. The rules do allow for a little latitude. Some German female gymnasts opted for full-body unitards at each of the last two Olympics, though the design does not run afoul of FIG regulations. What Richard is doing does. Pushing the limits And while he stressed he would never wear his outlawed uniform in a team competition — he wore regulation pants while helping lead Michigan to the NCAA championship this spring — that might not be the case the next time he competes internationally. 'We'll see about the world stage,' Richard said. 'We'll have to talk and see what they allow, but I want to keep pushing it. I'm having fun. I feel more free.' He'll have some time to think about it. When the six-man roster for the 2025 World Championships was announced late Saturday night, Richard's name wasn't on it. The decision had nothing to do with Richard's uniform but the uniqueness of this year's world meet, which does not include a team event and is largely designed for event specialists. At his best, Richard is one of the top all-arounders on the planet. Yet even he admitted he was at about '80%' at nationals following a whirlwind stretch that included traveling to places like Uganda. Richard is partnering with the African nation to open a facility for boys there interested in acrobatics. The joy he felt during the trip was palpable. So has the criticism he's received back home for his uniform choice, with some telling him if he wants to look like a basketball player, maybe he should go play basketball. While Richard's modified look wouldn't look out of place on the court, pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik — who won a pair of bronze medals in Paris and became a breakout star in the process (all while wearing stirrup pants) last summer — agrees with his Olympic teammate that there 'should be a certain level of flexibility' when it comes to uniforms, though he also pointed out that having everyone wear identical outfits is designed to help the judges do their jobs. 'So like, you can't wear like super baggy clothes, obviously,' Nedoroscik said. 'But I do like there should be maybe a little bit of wiggle room.' That's all Richard says he is asking for, though it seems highly unlikely the FIG would eliminate the deduction for a uniform violation anytime soon. That is not going to stop Richard from pressing on. 'I'll wear it for the next 10 years if I have to,' he said. 'So eventually, if I keep succeeding and winning, and eventually on the international stage do the same thing and keep winning, (the FIG) will see how people like it (and) the younger kids will start wearing it … and the trend is going to grow.' ___ AP sports:
