BKFC DEBUTS IN MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM ON SEPTEMBER 27
JAMES DEGALE VS. MATT FLOYD
AARON CHALMERS VS. JACK FINCHAM
JONNY GRAHAM VS. NAVID MANSOURI
Manchester, United Kingdom (August 22, 2025) Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), The World’s Fastest Growing Combat Sports Promotion, debuts in the fighting town of Manchester, United Kingdom on Saturday, September 27 at the beautiful, new AO Arena and broadcast globally on DAZN.
Headlining BKFC-81, Two-Time Super Middleweight Professional Boxing World Champion James ‘Chunky’ DeGale clashes with Australian Boxing Champion Matt ‘The Jedi’ Floyd. Fighting in the co-main event, reality TV stars turned bare-knuckle fighters, Aaron ‘The Joker’ Chalmers battles Jack Fincham. Competing in the feature fight of the evening, Jonny Graham faces Navid ‘Nav’ Mansouti for the BKFC UK Lightweight Title.
Tickets are Now-On Sale and can be purchased online at BKFC. The AO Arena is located at Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M3 1AR, United Kingdom.
“We’re excited to promote this stellar, action packed bare-knuckle fighting event at the beautiful AO Arena in Manchester,” said David Feldman, Founder and President of BKFC. “This is our 12th event in the United Kingdom and we’re looking forward to a venue full of BKFC loud and proud supporters from all over the country.”
Said Jared Kass, SVP of DAZN, “We’re thrilled to host another landmark BKFC event, this time from the iconic AO Arena in Manchester. Fans around the world will be able to experience the action exclusively on DAZN, with a lineup that blends world champions, crossover stars, and UK fan favorites. September 27 is set to deliver an unforgettable night that continues to showcase why BKFC is one of the fastest-growing sports properties globally.”
An Olympic Gold Medalist in 2008 representing Great Britain, James ‘Chunky’ DeGale compiled a professional record of 29-3-1 with fifteen knockouts; twice earning the IBF Super Middleweight World Title with victories over Andre Dirrell and Caleb Truax. In a career filled with fighting in the biggest arenas in the country, DeGale, making his bare-knuckle debut, is among the most popular professional athletes in the United Kingdom.
Sporting a hard-hitting professional boxing record of 15-2 with ten knockouts, Matt ‘The Jedi’ Floyd will also be making his bare-knuckle fighting debut. Fighting in numerous Asian countries, Floyd will be hitting the squared circle in his first appearance in the United Kingdom. In his native Perth, Australia, Floyd has lived a treasured life from gang leader to community mentor running a local boxing gym.
Geordie Shore UK TV star, Newcastle, UK native Aaron ‘The Joker’ Chalmers knocked out Chas Symonds in his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC-72 in Dubai on April 5, 2025. He also holds a professional MMA record of 5-2 and has a 1-0 record in professional boxing.
Love Island Reality TV Star Jack Fincham of Swanley, Kent UK will be making his combat sports debut in the highly anticipated bare-knuckle matchup with millions expected to tune-in for this clash.
Fighting in the high stakes UK feature fight at BKFC-81, Jonny Graham, (2-1), of Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom faces Navid ‘Nav’ Mansouri of Rotherham, Yorkshire, United Kingdom for the vacant BKFC UK Welterweight Title. Also carrying an undefeated professional boxing record of 5-0, Graham returns to action following a hotly contested UK title battle against Connor Tierney at BKFC-64 on August 10, 2024.
Compiling a terrific professional boxing record of 22-4-2 with seven knockouts, Mansouri quickly impressed in his BKFC debut with a first-round knockout of Ruslan Tokhtarov at BKFC-73 in Florence, Italy.
Additional fights for this exciting event will be announced shortly.
Social Media
Instagram: @BareKnuckleFC
Twitter: @BareKnuckleFC
Facebook: @BareKnuckleFC
YouTube: @BareKnuckleFightingChampionship
TikTok: @BareKnuckleFC
Website: www.BKFC.com
Media Contact/Credentials
Bernie Bahrmasel
Double B Sports
Phone: + 1 773 592-2986
Email: BernieBahrmasel@yahoo.com
Twitter: @BernieBahrmasel
About Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC)
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is the first promotion allowed to hold a legal, sanctioned, and regulated bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889. Based in Philadelphia, and headed by President and former professional boxer David Feldman, BKFC is dedicated to preserving the historical legacy of bare knuckle fighting, while utilizing a specifically created rule set that emphasizes fighter safety. BKFC holds all of its bouts in a revolutionary circular four-rope ring, designed to encourage fast-paced and exciting bouts. The patented BKFC “Squared Circle” contains scratch lines, based on the Broughton Rules which governed bare knuckle fighting in the 19th century, and which requires fighters to “Toe the Line”: start every round face to face, and just inches apart.
In BKFC, only those fighters who are established professionals in boxing, MMA, kickboxing, or Muay Thai are allowed to compete. The referees and judges are required to have extensive professional combat sports experience. All fights are held under the auspices and control of an Athletic Commission. Unlike other fighting organizations and combat sports internationally which claim to be “bare knuckle”, but require wraps, tape, and gauze; BKFC is true to its word as fighters are not allowed to wrap their hands to within one inch of the knuckle. This makes BKFC unquestionably the truest form of bare knuckle fighting. BKFC is dedicated to not just creating the safest, most exciting, and highest-level bare-knuckle fighting organization in the world, it’s also leading the way for a new fully recognized professional combat sport. BKFC is truly the sport of the future, which fully respects its remarkable past.
About DAZN
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