Latest news with #KnuckleMania5
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ben Rothwell to headline BKFC 79, promotion's first event in Australia
Ben Rothwell to headline BKFC 79, promotion's first event in Australia BKFC is bringing bareknuckle boxing to Australia for an event headlined by a current heavyweight champion and UFC veteran, Ben Rothwell. On Saturday, July 19, BKFC 79 will take place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. It will be the promotion's first event on the continent. The promotion offically announced the event Tuesday. "Australia has long been on our radar," BKFC president David Feldman said in a press release. "The energy, the fans, and the venue are all perfect for showcasing BKFC. This isn't just a fight night – it's the beginning of a new era of combat sports in Australia." Rothwell (4-0 BKFC) currently holds the BKFC heavyweight crown, but the title will not be on the line in a main event super heavyweight bout against Australian powerlifting champion Alex Simon (0-0 BKFC). Following his exit from the UFC, Rothwell has ripped through four opponents under the BKFC banner, winning each by stoppage. In his last outing at BKFC: KnuckleMania 5, Rothwell knocked out Mick Terrill to become champion. Simon will make his BKFC debut on home soil. "Godly Strong" has dabbled in traditional boxing and MMA, building a record of 1-2 and 1-1, respectively. Also on the card will be UFC veteran Bec Rawlings (4-3 BKFC), who takes on Jade Masson-Wong (3-2). Another heavyweight from Australia, Haze Hepi (1-0 BKFC) will also compete at the event against an opponet to be named.
USA Today
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Kenzie Morrison carries competitive legacy of father Tommy Morrison into BKFC: 'I'm not turning anybody down'
Kenzie Morrison looked down at the large finger poking him in the chest. 'You're going to be world champion,' his father said. Morrison, who was a child at the time, looked over toward his brother. The two boys exchanged amazed looks as they received prodigal affirmations from their father, a hulking heavyweight world boxing champion. Morrison was born six years before his father, Tommy Morrison, retired. So it didn't really hit him until years later just how larger-than-life the figure he called 'Dad' was. 'The drive and determination that it takes someone to defy the odds that people are constantly telling them they can't do and to be so accomplished in that sport, that inspired me alone,' Morrison recently told MMA Junkie. 'He taught me little things growing up and tried to poke at me and my brother and tell us we're going to be the next world champ. We were all just like, 'Holy cow, no way.'' Morrison learned a lot from his WBO heavyweight boxing champion father, who died in 2013 at age 44. Morrison held wins over the likes of George Foreman and Donovan Ruddock among others. He also starred as in Rocky V as Tommy Gunn. Following in his father's footsteps, he's compiled a 22-1-2 boxing record of his own. Though his father never saw him compete as a professional, Morrison fights in his honor in an attempt to make his dad proud. 'I guess growing up in that atmosphere, it seemed more normal, I guess, to be that way,' Morrison said. 'I try to raise my son that way and just try to aspire for more in life than just the regular or average. He taught me what not to do as well. There are a lot of things that he didn't have that he should've had as far as characteristics and staying on track. But I don't want to get into the bad part of everything.' Now 34 and a decade-plus into his boxing tenure, Morrison said he is sick of the state of the sport. The gloves have come off and Morrison has signed a four-fight contract with BKFC. While his debut is not yet set, Morrison is eager to make his bareknuckle run a memorable one. 'I think I've fought for a really long time and I was able to work this all out with David (Feldman),' Morrison said. 'I think we're going to get in there and get our feet wet. I'm taking this more seriously than I've taken anything in a long time, just because of the opportunity that was presented to me, to be able to be part of such a great thing and possibly even end my career with a bareknuckle heavyweight world title. I think that would make my dad proud. I think that would open up doors for me to ultimately take care of my family and maybe even stay a part of the sport.' Even before he put pen to paper with BKFC, Morrison was keeping a close eye on the promotion's heavyweight division. He was glued to his screen when Ben Rothwell dethroned then-heavyweight champion Mick Terrill with a brutal knockout blow at KnuckleMania 5 in January. 'I've watched a lot of the heavyweight guys,' Morrison said. 'They're all really big. They're tough and they're all great fighters in their own rights. I just think I bring a little bit different look to the table being that I'm a little quicker than most of those big guys and I can crack with both hands. Outside of street fights, I've never really gotten in there and focused on fighting with my bare knuckles. It's going to be a crazy deal. I've been working out for the last three or four weeks with just taped hands and stuff. It's just a whole different ball game. '… I'm not turning anybody down and I'm trying to put on good fights for everybody. I want to make everyone proud of this sport and let's do it. I'm not f*cking around. I'm ready. … Size has never really worried me because I hit just as hard as those guys, I feel like. Hopefully, they can't chase me very long.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC brings back Jeremy Stephens for Des Moines showdown vs. Mason Jones
Jeremy Stephens is back in the UFC. Yes, you read that correctly. The 34-promotional fight veteran has reunited with the UFC for a home city bout May 3 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa against another returning promotional alumnus, Mason Jones. The UFC made the lightweight bout official early Friday after an initial report by Full Send MMA. Stephens (29-21 MMA, 15-8 UFC) has not competed in MMA since November 2022 and has not fought in the UFC since July 2021 when he departed the promotion. Post-UFC, Stephens went 1-2 in PFL before he ventured into the world of both gloved and bareknuckle boxing. After a boxing draw vs. Jose Aldo and a loss to Chris Avila, Stephens signed with BKFC. He defeated Jimmie Rivera and Bobby Taylor, before he beat down Eddie Alvarez in the Knuckle Mania 5 headliner in January. Jones (15-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) proved he deserved another look after his UFC departure in 2022. After he returned to the regional scene, Jones went 4-0 with three knockouts for Cage Warriors en route to a UFC re-onboard. With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for May 3 includes: Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal Mason Jones vs. Jeremy Stephens Mario Bautista vs. Marlon Vera Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Trevor Peek Serhiy Sidey vs. Cameron Smotherman Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos Azamat Bekoev vs. Ryan Loder This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC brings back Jeremy Stephens for Des Moines showdown vs. Mason Jones
USA Today
13-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC brings back Jeremy Stephens for Des Moines showdown vs. Mason Jones
Jeremy Stephens is back in the UFC. Yes, you read that correctly. The 34-promotional fight veteran has reunited with the UFC for a home city bout May 3 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa against another returning promotional alumnus, Mason Jones. The UFC made the lightweight bout official early Friday after an initial report by Full Send MMA. Stephens (29-21 MMA, 15-8 UFC) has not competed in MMA since November 2022 and has not fought in the UFC since July 2021 when he departed the promotion. Post-UFC, Stephens went 1-2 in PFL before he ventured into the world of both gloved and bareknuckle boxing. After a boxing draw vs. Jose Aldo and a loss to Chris Avila, Stephens signed with BKFC. He defeated Jimmie Rivera and Bobby Taylor, before he beat down Eddie Alvarez in the Knuckle Mania 5 headliner in January. Jones (15-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) proved he deserved another look after his UFC departure in 2022. After he returned to the regional scene, Jones went 4-0 with three knockouts for Cage Warriors en route to a UFC re-onboard. With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for May 3 includes:
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Could Conor McGregor fight in BKFC? Dave Feldman is realistic about it
KnuckleMania 5 provided yet another Conor McGregor viral moment for BKFC when the former UFC two-division champion decided to face off with Jeremy Stephens following his headlining win over Eddie Alvarez. It's fun to think about, isn't it? McGregor fighting 'who da fook is that guy' Stephens all these years after their seminal viral moment. McGregor is adamant about fighting for BKFC, the organization he now promotes as one of its investors. But the reality is that McGregor is bound by his UFC contract (two fights remain) from freely doing so. So while BKFC president Dave Feldman thinks about how awesome it would be for McGregor to compete in bareknuckle, he's realistic about the current chances. 'Anytime you get those kind of moments, it's awesome,' Feldman said Tuesday on 'The Ariel Helwani Show,' reflecting on McGregor and Stephens' faceoff. 'But I mean, I can't (make that fight) obviously unless the UFC wanted to do something with us, and they don't need us for anything. But maybe they would, right? Other than that, it doesn't happen.' Unlike other combat sports promoters through the years – such as Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya, or more recently Donn Davis – Feldman has maintained a cordial relationship with Dana White and the UFC. Feldman isn't looking to proverbially rock the boat with the world's biggest fight promotion, but it could at least be worth broaching the subject of allowing McGregor a one-off in BKFC. 'I think we're growing at a really great pace right now that – not that they're concerned about us; they're not. But if something like that happens, it just moves us up five or 10 more pegs, and I don't think that they want to help us grow,' Feldman said of the UFC. 'And I think that helps us grow tremendously. But who knows? It is worth the shot, and maybe we'll take that shot in the next week or two.' Whether anything comes to fruition, one thing is certain to Feldman. 'Yeah, (McGregor) wants it. He says, 'I have two fights left, and then we're gonna do it. I'm definitely fighting here.' He says it all the time,' Feldman said. '… He did tell me to make the date, and obviously there's a lot that would go into making that date. But I mean, wow, him vs. Jeremy Stephens, him vs. Mike Perry, it would be amazing.' And at least for now, it's just a dream.
