The push to make professional bare knuckle boxing legal in Australia and follow the lead of the UFC

Bare knuckle boxing is in the process of being legalised in Australia with  promoters claiming that the sport is safer for the brain than traditional gloved boxing.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is set to debut Down Under in early 2024 and stage up to six events each year. 

Bare knuckle boxing, also known as prizefighting, dates back to ancient Greece and Rome where it was a popular form of combat sport 

The company’s founder, Dave Feldman, said bare knuckle fighting was to boxing what rugby is to the American NFL, with no gloves making the sport safer and more fun to watch. 

‘We’re working towards legalisation in Australia right now,’ he told Fox Sports.

‘And it looks like in the next two to three months, we’re going to get the thumbs up there. Which I know Australian fight fans are going to love.

‘And for me, when making comparisons with bare knuckle [to boxing] I always say how it really is the rugby versus American football debate.

‘Without the gloves, fighting is safer and a lot more fun to watch.

‘And it’s the same without the helmet, football is safer too and it’s a lot more fun to watch.

Australia’s Bec Rodriguez will be on the card for BKFC 41 in the United States this weekend and would be a major drawcard if the sport was successfully established down under

Bare knuckle boxing became prominent in England in the 17th century, where fighters would compete without gloves, rounds or time limits

UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez reacts during UFC 205 Weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden. He could one day come to Australia as part of the new bare knuckle competition

‘So we’re expecting to do great numbers [in Australia] this weekend and our goal is then to do an event there in early 2024.

‘And once we get the ball rolling, we hope to be doing four to six events every year. We see Australia as a great market for us.’ 

BKFC argues that gloves only protect the hands, and not the head, with brain damage being a major concern in boxing. 

‘Bare knuckle Boxing may be brutal, but it’s safer for the brain and that’s what we should always care about,’ the BKFC Facebook page reads.

BKFC is already well established in America, and Australia is being targeted as a new market. Sunday’s BKFC 41 event is the biggest in the company’s history and will be shown live on Main Event. 

It includes former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, who will make their bareknuckle debuts against former Octagon favourites, Mike Perry and Chad Mendes. 

The event also features Brisbane’s bareknuckle queen, Bec Rodriguez, who will contest the flyweight title against Christine Ferea. 

The BKFC event has eight fights, including a heavyweight match between former UFC fighters Ben Rothwell and Josh Copeland. 

UFC fighter Luke Rockhold is another that is trying his hand at bare knuckle boxing, which could be coming to Australia

Eddie Alvarez, pictured fighting Conor McGregor at UFC 205, will take part in Sunday’s BKFC 41 event

BKFC believes that there will be no shortage of Australian talent eager to fight in the sport, as the country has a reputation for producing great strikers. 

Rawlings, a former UFC and Invicta fighter, made her bareknuckle debut in 2018, and has been pushing for BKFC to come to Australia ever since. 

She believes that the company’s move into the country is long overdue, and that there will be no shortage of boxers and MMA fighters keen to compete in the sport. 

Sunday’s event will be a major turning point for the sport’s growth in Australia, with BKFC already well established in America. 

It is expected that Sunday’s event will turn the sport mainstream, as it will be the highest-grossing gate and most viewed event, with more pay-per-views sold worldwide and more sponsorship dollars than any previous BKFC event. 

The company hopes that this is just the start of what could be a hugely successful venture into the Australian market.