Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is expanding its reach to the
Far East.
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During an appearance on “The MMA Hour” on Wednesday, BKFC president
David Feldman and
Rizin Fighting Federation boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced
that the organizations have agreed to a talent-sharing partnership
with plans for co-promoted events in the near future.
“Today we get to announce the official partnership with BKFC and
Rizin to produce Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship shows in Japan
and all over the southeast Asia region, as well as assist Rizin
with whatever else they need from around the world,” Feldman said.
“We’re really super excited about this partnership and to partner
with such a legend like Sakakibara.”
The arrangement will begin with Rizin fighters competing under the
BKFC banner at an upcoming event on July 12 at the Pechanga Resort
and Casino in Temecula, California. There, Rizin’s Tatsuki
Shinotsuka will face Cary Caprio in a bare-knuckle boxing
match.
Then on July 28, BKFC talents Tai Emery and
Charisa
Sigala will lock horns at Super Rizin 3. Additionally, BKFC
flyweight champion John Dodson
will face an as yet to be named opponent on the same card in
another bare-knuckle contest. Dodson has previously competed for
the Japanese promotion in MMA fights on three separate
occasions.
Rizin has partnered with Bellator
MMA for co-promoted events in recent years, but that was due in
large part to the relationship betwene Sakakibara and Scott Coker.
Coker is no longer with Bellator after the organization was
purchased by
Professional Fighters League late last year.
Sakakibara believes adding bare-knuckle fights to Rizin cards will
draw interest from Japanese fans.
“We truly feel the potential of BKFC,” Sakakibara said. “I do
believe this is happening all over the world in the combat sports
industry, is that everything is kind of being still and all the
fans are looking for a new movement. They’re looking for new
action. Exactly what’s happening in Japan. Obviously stateside
they’re doing Power Slap and all that kind of stuff is starting to
take off, but same thing here in Japan, a lot of people are wanting
new things. They’re wanting more excitement.
“We do believe that BKFC has everything it takes to deliver that
new excitement over here. The Japanese fans, they like it, and more
so we do believe that David and his team are extremely professional
and we believe they know what they’re doing. It just only made
sense for us to partner with them.”
The talent sharing arrangement will continue for the foreseeable
future, but Feldman confirmed that the goal is to eventually take
an entire BKFC show to Japan while co-promoting with Rizin.