Overview BKFC is the bare knuckle fighting league that held the first state-sanctioned bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889, and it fights in a round, four-rope ring it calls the Squared Circle, where every round starts with both fighters toeing a scratch line at center ring. Bouts are five two-minute rounds of closed-fist punching, with wraps stopping an inch short of the knuckles. David Feldman founded it in Philadelphia in 2018, when the sport was illegal in every state; it has since been legalized in more than 30. Conor McGregor's company became a part owner in 2024. On site In 2026 the league fought at Fenway Park, the first sanctioned bare knuckle event in Massachusetts; at the Buffalo Chip campground during the Sturgis motorcycle rally; and in Daytona Beach at Blood 4 Blood, a card staged with live sets from Slaughter to Prevail and Black Label Society. The Liberty Brawl in Philadelphia that July marked the country's 250th anniversary. Between those it runs a steady circuit of casino rooms, from the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, to Mohegan Sun. In April 2026 it took its first card to Australia. Talent and Influencers At KnuckleMania V in 2025, Jeremy Stephens stopped Philadelphia's own Eddie Alvarez in the third round and Ben Rothwell won the heavyweight title with an 18-second knockout of Mick Terrill. At KnuckleMania VI in February 2026, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski took that title from Rothwell. Luis Palomino set the league's record for a title reign, 1,288 days with six straight defenses, and Kai Stewart became its youngest champion at 22. Track record BKFC had run 142 events by the end of 2025. KnuckleMania V sold out the Wells Fargo Center in January 2025 with 17,762 fans and $2.15 million in tickets, Pennsylvania's first sanctioned bare knuckle event and more than any MMA or boxing card had drawn in modern Philadelphia. The league took over Britain's Bare Fist Boxing Association in 2022 to form BKFC UK, and by 2026 it was running cards in England, Italy, Uruguay and Australia as well as across the United States. Brand presence Bucked Up sells co-branded BKFC flavors, a Bare Knuckle Punch hydration mix and BKFC Ice Cold pre-workouts. Forged Irish Stout, McGregor's beer, became the league's official stout partner in January 2024. DAZN began streaming BKFC cards in 2020 and signed a three-year deal in 2024, and the league also runs its own BKFC+ service and app.