Bare Knuckle News: BYB Makes Ground Breaking Acquisition in England's BKB

BYB is here to stay following its latest purchase.

Don Povia / BYB

On Wednesday morning, BYB took a significant step in the growth of bare-knuckle fighting by acquiring England's BKB. BKB is the largest bare-knuckle promotion outside of the U.S. and has a roster of 175 international fighters and champions.

In a statement, BYB president and owner Mike Vasquez said the deal was only a matter of time before it came to fruition and believed in the product BKB had been building for nearly a decade.

"This is an unprecedented tipping point in mainstream bare-knuckle fighting globally," Vasquez said. "Since the inception of both companies, we’ve maintained and developed a working relationship with BKB that has showcased cross-promotional fights since 2021, giving fans what they truly want and deserve: the best fighters in the world, taking the gloves off and facing one another in the oldest and purest form of combat sports. This acquisition was a natural next step in becoming the biggest, baddest bare knuckle company in the world, with the largest international footprint and over 250 fighters from six continents and over two dozen countries, not to mention broadcasting on numerous platforms globally and to millions of people.”

READ MORE: BYB Exclusive: Heavyweight Champ Ike Villanueva Says Bare-Knuckle Is ‘Meant’ For Him After Extending Contract

Vasquez's thoughts were echoed by CEO Gregory Bloom, who was instrumental in getting the sport off the ground and sanctioned across the country, including states like Colorado and Louisiana, to name a few.

He also compared it to the early years of the UFC, specifically when Zuffa acquired the promotion from SEG in 2001 and had to take risks to ensure MMA could remain afloat.

“Make no mistake, BYB, and bare-knuckle fighting is taking over the combat sports world, with a trajectory not much different than the UFC and MMA were on twenty years ago," Bloom said. "BYB has positioned itself as the far-and-away leader in advancing the sport of bare-knuckle fighting both domestically and internationally. We have come a long way since Dada 5000’s backyard, but we’ve grown strategically, maintaining full control of the product, its ownership, and its intellectual property, and have continued to uphold the highest standards of professionalism. We have a brand ready-made for mass consumption, and the addition of BKB exponentially strengthens our product worldwide, as bare-knuckle goes mainstream.”

By going mainstream, BKB, which was previously owned by now-executives Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, can reach wider audiences through television deals and streaming platforms, which have seen early success across Fubo, Sling, and AT&T Now, to name a few.

At press time, Freeman and Smith-Brown's roles had not been fleshed out yet, although they will play a key role in the decision-making process going forward.

The announcement comes less than a week before BYB's next event in Denver, which is headlined by a vacant middleweight title fight between LT Nelson (4-1-1, 4 KOs) and Tommy Turner (2-1, 2 KOs).

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