BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, founded as BYB Extreme Fighting Series (BYB), is a bare knuckle fighting organization founded in 2015 by former MMA fighter Dhafir ("Dada 5000") Harris and Mike Vazquez, former owner of NASCAR team HRT Motorsports. Harris rose to fame from his staging of backyard bare knuckle fights which went viral online and subsequently became the subject of the Billy Corben documentary, Dawg Fight. BYB is an abbreviation of "Back Yard Brawl", a nod to the company's origins. BYB's fights are held in its patented Trigon ring or cage, which it touts as the smallest fighting surface in combat sports.
History BYB announced that its premiere event, Battleship I – originally scheduled to take place aboard the deck of the Resorts World Bimini Superfast – would air on June 5, 2015, shortly after Dawg Fight premiered on Netflix. The event was scrapped from the cruise ship with the organization citing inclement weather, and subsequently held indoors at an undisclosed location in Miami.
BYB went on hiatus following Dada 5000's return to the ring at Bellator 149 in February 2016 with a fight against Kimbo Slice. The promotion would host BYB 2: Brawl for it All in Cheyenne, Wyoming on April 5, 2019, at Cheyenne Ice & Event Center. That event started the current run of numbered BYB events in states including Florida and Mississippi, as well as internationally in London.
Partnership with BKB In November 2021, BYB announced a talent exchange partnership with UK-based BKB in which each promotion sends fighters overseas to be featured on the other's cards. The series kicked off at BYB 8 with BKB's Barrie Jones knocking out BYB's Luis Melo in the first round. Through 2022, the companies have hosted 15 trans-continental bare knuckle matchups.
On October 16, 2022, the event featured a mix of BYB vs. BYB, BKB vs. BKB, and BYB vs. BKB fights. The show featured a number of firsts including the first sanctioned professional female bare knuckle fight in UK history (Jamie Driver def. Sonya Dreiling), the first female title match in UK history (Jozette Cotton def. Miranda Barber for the BYB Super Welterweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt), and Seth Shaffer defeated Carlos Guerra to win the inaugural BYB Welterweight title as well as the Police Gazette Diamond Belt. The event was broadcast live on Stadium.
Acquisition of BKB On May 8, 2024, it was announced that BYB Extreme had acquired BKB. Founded in 2015 by Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, BKB had hosted 40 events prior to the acquisition, some which featured fighters from BYB Extreme. Despite BYB acquiring BKB, both Freeman and Smith-Brown will stay with BYB Extreme in an executive capacity and will oversee the continued expansion of BYB Extreme into Europe.
First event in England BYB Extreme held its first event in England, BYB 12: London Brawl, on October 26, 2022. Aside from being the promotion's first event in the United Kingdom, BYB 12 also featured the first-ever women's bare-knuckle fights, highlighted by a title fight between Jozette Cotton and Miranda Barber for the BYB Women's Super Welterweight Championship.
First UAE event BYB hosted the first-ever bare-knuckle fighting event in the Middle East with BYB 16: Desert Brawl on March 18, 2023. The event was held at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, headlined by a Police Gazette Diamond Belt title fight between Jarome Hatch and Marko Martinjak.
Rebranding to BKB On February 26, 2025, it was announced that BYB Extreme would rebrand to BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing. BYB Extreme had acquired the Coventry, UK-based promotion BKB in May 2024.
Media
In June 2023, beIN SPORTS announced it secured an exclusive media rights deal with BYB in North America to broadcast "Best of BYB" archive shows as well as five live events, making it the first bare knuckle fighting to air live on linear television. In 2024, BYB announced expanded coverage to Fight Network and Fuse.
In March 2025, BKB signed a multi-fight deal with Vice to carry live fights, becoming the channel's first live programing as it moved into a heavy sports focus. In August 2025, NBC Universal announced that it would carry BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing live in Spanish as a cornerstone program on Telemundo Deportes Ahora.
Events EventDateLocationNotesBYB Battleship I Miami, FloridaBare Knuckle Kickboxing boutsBYB 2: Brawl for It All Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne Ice & Event CenterFirst Bare Knuckle Boxing tournament on BYB Extreme history BYB 3: Brawl at the Rock Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino HollywoodBYB 4 Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino HollywoodBYB US vs. Russia Miami, Florida, BYB ArenaBYB 5 Miami, Florida, Tamiami Park FairgroundsBYB 6 Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino HollywoodBYB 7: Brawl by the River Miami, Florida, James L. Knight CenterJomi Escoboza def. Rene Rodriguez (Cruiserweight)BYB 8: Tis the Season to Brawl Miami, Florida, James L. Knight CenterBYB 9: Tampa Brawl Tampa, Florida, Florida State FairgroundsJose Fernandez def. JD Burns (Super Middleweight)BYB X: Biloxi Brawl Biloxi, Mississippi, Mississippi Coast ColiseumTony Lopez def. Jordan Mitchell (BYB Heavyweight); Paty Juarez def. Monica Medina (PG Diamond)BYB 11: Brawl in Doral Doral, Florida, Trump National Doral MiamiBYB 12: London Brawl London, England, Indigo at The O2Seth Shaffer def. Carlos Guerra (BYB Welterweight, PG Diamond); Jozette Cotton def. Miranda Barber (BYB Super Welterweight, PG Diamond)BYB 13: Tampa Brawl For It All Tampa, Florida, Florida State FairgroundsDesmond Green def. Scott McHugh (BYB Middleweight, PG Diamond); DJ Linderman def. Tony Lopez (BYB Heavyweight)BYB 14: Carolina Brawl Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill Sports & Event CenterFirst BK fight in SC history; Sam Liera def. LT Nelson (BYB Interim Super Middleweight)BYB 15: Broward Brawl Miramar, Florida, Miramar National Guard ArmoryBYB 16: Desert Brawl Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dubai Duty Free Tennis StadiumFirst BK fight in UAE/Gulf Region history; Jarome Hatch def. BKB's Marko Martinjak (PG Diamond)BYB Trigon Combat Costa Mesa, California, The Hangar at OC Fair & Event CenterFirst gloved event in BYB historyBYB 17: Brawl at Rock Hill Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill Sports & Event CenterMark Irwin def. Joshua Oxendine (BYB Lightweight); Jozette Cotton (c) def. Jamie Driver (PG Diamond)BYB 18: Police Gazette International Cup London, England, Indigo at The O2Team USA (BYB) def. Team UK (BKB) 6–3; Barrie Jones def. Tommy Turner (PG Diamond); Marko Martinjak (c) def. Jarome Hatch (PG Diamond)BYB 19: Brawl in the PinesAugust 10, 2023 Pembroke Pines, Florida, Charles F. Dodge CenterBrandon Birr def. Harold McQueen (BYB Featherweight); Carlos Alexandre def. Andre Ewell (BYB Welterweight); Sam Liera def. Jose Fernandez (BYB Super Middleweight); LT Nelson draw James Connelly (PG Diamond)BYB 20: Brawl on the BayouSeptember 16, 2023 Biloxi, Mississippi, Mississippi Coast ColiseumMonica Medina def. (c) Paty Juarez (BYB Lightweight, PG Diamond)BYB 21: Fall Brawl October 21, 2023 Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill Sports & Event CenterDJ Linderman (C) def. Rashad Coulter (BYB Heavyweight)BYB 22: Rocky Mountain Brawl December 2, 2023 Denver, Colorado, Stockyard Event CenterLT Nelson vs. Robert Serna (BYB Super Middleweight); Julio Tanori def. Mark Irwin (c) (BYB Lightweight); Paty Juarez def. Monica Medina (c) (BYB Lightweight)BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines IIJanuary 18, 2024 Pembroke Pines, Florida, Charles F. Dodge CenterMarko Martinjak (c) def. Jarome Hatch (PG Diamond); Cub Hawkins def. Daniel Lerwell (PG Diamond 185)BYB 24: Super Brawl SaturdayFebruary 10, 2024 Biloxi, Mississippi, Mississippi Coast ColiseumIke Villanueva def. DJ Linderman (BYB Heavyweight); Harold McQueen def. Brandon Birr (BYB Featherweight)BYB 25: Brawl on the BayApril 4, 2024 Tampa, Florida, Florida State FairgroundsCub Hawkins def. Ryan Jett (BYB Light Heavyweight); Agnesa Kirakosian def. Shelby Cannon (BYB Super Flyweight)BYB 26: Mile High BrawlMay 10, 2024 Denver, Colorado, Stockyards Event CenterLT Nelson def. Tommy Turner (BYB Middleweight) BYB 27: Brawl in DuvalJune 14, 2024 Jacksonville, Florida, Prime Osborn Convention Center BYB 28: Bourbon Street BrawlJune 14, 2024 New Orleans, Louisiana, Alario Center Gustavo Trujillo def. Ike Villanueva (BYB Heavyweight and PG World Diamond); Helen Peralta def. Monica Medina (BYB Featherweight) BYB 29: Brawl in the Pines IIIAugust 10, 2024 Pembroke Pines, Florida, Charles F. Dodge CenterGregoris Cisneros def. Cub Hawkins (BYB Light Heavyweight)BYB 30: Cardiff BrawlAugust 17, 2024 Cardiff, Wales, Vale Arena LT Nelson def. Barrie Jones (PG World Diamond) BYB 31: Stockyard BrawlAugust 17, 2024 Denver, Colorado, Stockyards Event Center Khortni Kamyron def. Paty Juarez (BYB Super Lightweight); Julio Tanori def. Mark Irwin (BYB Lightweight) BYB 32: Leeds BrawlOctober 12, 2024 Leeds, England, John Charles Centre for SportHarry Gigliotti def. Joe Fitzpatrick (BYB Super Lightweight); Liam Rees def. Scott McHugh (BYB Super Welterweight) BYB 33: Wolverhampton BrawlNovember 9, 2024 Wolverhampton, England, The HangarMarko Martinjak def. Brad Scott (BYB Super Cruiserweight); Dan Podmore def. Ryan Barrett (BYB Bridgerweight) BYB 34: Brawl in the Pines IVDecember 6, 2024 Pembroke Pines, Florida, Charles F. Dodge CenterGustavo Trujillo def. Richie Leak (Unified BYB-BKB Heavyweight Title); Jamie Driver def. Sonya Dreiling (BYB Welterweight) BYB 35: Albuquerque BrawlJanuary 11, 2025 Albuquerque, New Mexico, Revel ABQJavon Wright def. Walter Saravia (Vacant BYB Welterweight) BYB 36: Cardiff Brawl IIFebruary 1, 2025 Cardiff, Wales, Vale Arena Barrie Jones def. Gregoris Cisneros (BYB Light Heavyweight) BYB 37: Denver Brawl IVFebruary 22, 2025 Denver, Colorado, Stockyards Event CenterHarry Gigliotii def. Jon Barnard (BKB Super Lightweight) BKB 38: Wolves Brawl IIMarch 22, 2025LT Nelson def. James Connelly (BKB Super Middleweight) BKB 39: Brawl at the BeachApril 4, 2025Cub Hawkins def. Jack Marshman (BKB Cruiserweight) BKB 40: Cardiff Brawl IIIApril 19, 2025Liam Rees def. Martin Reffell (BKB Super Welterweight) Dan Podmore def. Emil Markic (BKB Bridgerweight)BKB 41: Brawl in Duval IIMay 31, 2025 Jacksonville, Florida, Prime Osborn Convention Center Jarod Grant def. Jorge Bargallo (BKB Interim Lightweight) BKB 42: Music City BrawlJune 21, 2025 Nashville, Tennessee, The PinnacleLT Nelson def. Sam Liera (BKB Super Middleweight) ; Javon Wright def. Carlos Guerra (BKB Welterweight)BKB 43: Bolton BrawlJuly 5, 2025 Bolton, England, The HideoutHarry Gigliotti def. Kallum Skhane (BKB Super Lightweight) BKB 44: Denver Brawl VAugust 16, 2025 Denver, Colorado, Stockyards Event CenterPaty Juarez def. Khortni Kamyron (BKB Lightweight)
Weight classes DivisionUpper weight limit Heavyweight Bridgerweight Super Cruiserweight Cruiserweight Light Heavyweight Super Middleweight Middleweight Super Welterweight Welterweight Super Lightweight Lightweight Super Featherweight Featherweight
Current champions Men's As of
Weight classChampionDate wonFeatherweightYampier Ramirez March 29, 2026Super FeatherweightAlberto Blas January 31, 2026 Lightweight Jon Barnard April 17, 2026 Super Lightweight Estevan Partida May 16, 2026WelterweightJavon WrightJanuary 11, 2025Super WelterweightRolando Gabriel DyDecember 5, 2025 Middleweight LT Nelson May 10, 2024 Super Middleweight LT Nelson December 2, 2023 Light Heavyweight Cub Hawkins November 22, 2025 Cruiserweight Cub Hawkins January 18, 2024 Super Cruiserweight Marko Martinjak November 9, 2024 Bridgerweight Marko Martinjak October 18, 2025 Heavyweight Gustavo Trujillo July 13, 2024
Women's As of
Weight classChampionDate won Super Flyweight Agnesa Kirakosian April 4, 2024 Featherweight Helen Peralta July 13, 2024 Lightweight Paty Juarez December 2, 2023 Super Lightweight Khortni Kamyron August 17, 2024 Welterweight Jamie Driver December 6, 2024
Police Gazette World Diamond Belt