Jorge Masvidal’s venture as a fight promoter will officially kick off this summer.
The former UFC title challenger and MMA star is set to launch his bareknuckle MMA promotion, Gamebred Fighting Championship, on June 18 in Biloxi, Miss. The event is being headlined by a bout between MMA and bareknuckle boxing veterans Jason Knight and Charles Bennett. The news was announced on Saturday.
Masvidal (35-15 MMA, 15-9 UFC) announced his plans to start a bareknuckle MMA promotion earlier this year ahead of his title bout rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 261 – a bout he lost by second-round knockout.
“If you guys are looking for something a little bit different, just imagine what they do without gloves,” Masvidal said. “That’s kind of the idea. Better grappling. Better striking. We assume there’s going to be better finishes.”
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Both Knight and Bennett are not strangers to MMA and fighting bareknuckle.
Knight competed in the UFC for three years, racking up a record of 4-5 and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses, beating notable names such as Dan Hooker and Alex Caceres. He’s also competed twice in bareknuckle boxing under the BKFC banner.
Bennett has over 70 professional MMA fights, competing under many notable MMA promotions such as in Pride FC, Rizin FF, EliteXC, and King of the Cage. He’s competed in bareknuckle boxing under the BKFC banner where he’s gone 0-3. The 41-year-old also remains winless in MMA in quite some time being winless in his last 11 MMA bouts.
The event will air live on BKTVApp.com on June 18.