Five Fighters who are made for Bare Knuckle FC

Ok, Bare Knuckle FC, I see you. When I sheepishly pressed “purchase this event” I felt like, well, I’ve spent my money on worse things, so let’s do it. I didn’t have the highest expectations for the event. One reason was that to me it seemed like it might be done pretty poorly, but I was wrong. Another reason for my doubts and this is something I’m still concerned about, but the notion of putting a career grappler in Ricco Rodriguez in the main event. I mean that could prove to be troublesome. It was.

So, with those thoughts in mind, I watched Bare Knuckle FC and was immediately hooked. I liked the ring setup, I was hooked by the action and by the end of the night, I had zero doubts about purchasing their second event, whenever that might be. It got me wondering though, who else could they look for to have amazing fights in their promotion. I mean, who could provide the Joey Beltran/Tony Lopez like fireworks for future events. Sidenote: If you haven’t seen that Beltran/Lopez fight, find out how to watch it, and watch it. You can thank me later. So I decided to put together a list of five (six) fighters who would be perfect fits for this new promotion. The only rules were they couldn’t be active fighters in other organizations….although admittingly, I cheated. Here’s my five or six (or seven) in no particular order.

Chuck Liddell

I know the scuttlebutt in MMA now is Chuck fighting Tito for the third time in a promotion led by Oscar de la Hoya. Scrap that. I don’t want to see it. I want to see Chuck Liddell in Bare Knuckle FC where he can box, sans gloves and drop folks left and right. This is a perfect fit for Liddell. He doesn’t have to worry about being taken down. He doesn’t have to worry about being leg kicked either. He can simply put on the classic blue shorts with the ice-trim, wrap his hands and throw bombs. I don’t care who he faces, I just want to see ‘The Iceman’ fight in a format that is tailor-made for him. This is undoubtedly it.

Nick and or Nate Diaz

I know, I cheated the system here a little bit. Both of these guys are I believe contracted to the UFC for the foreseeable future. I don’t know Nick’s contract situation, but he’d be amazing in this promotion. His unique boxing style, his bravado and trash talk would make him the preeminent star for this new promotion. To be honest, at this point I just want to see Nick back in a ring or cage doing what he does. This would be a magical fight. Nate would also likely be a gigantic star, but he might have priced himself out of anything but the UFC and Conor McGregor. That said, this sport was made for the Diaz brothers.

Mark Hunt (pictured)

Hunt doesn’t have much time left on his UFC deal, and he could show up at Bare Knuckle FC and just toe the line and drop people left and right. Every time Mark Hunt walk-off KO’s a cat, you get to go to the concession stand for a free Mark Hunt Ice Cream Sandwich. I can see it already. A stadium full of folks enjoying free ice cream sammies and cheering like maniacs for whoever is next. Talk to Gold Bar, they used to make the WWE Ice Cream Sandwiches. Sponsor tie-in and headlining fighter, put my check in the mail Bare Knuckle FC. Make it payable to cash. 🙂

Roy Jones Jr. & Shannon Briggs

Yes, I want to see the guys like Roy Jones Jr. come out and give this a try. Roy Jones has shown that he’ll do interesting things for cash. He’s still a talented fighter and could provide some interesting match-ups as well as a huge name to sell tickets and PPVs. Also, you want to see someone who can bring the crazy, promote a fight and bang, it’s Shannon Briggs. Briggs is 46, still in shape and has a respectable 60-6 professional record. He’s a former world champion and can be billed as such. Plus, let’s be honest, he could use a break from following Klitschko around. Plus, Briggs fought one K1 fight and needed only a minute to dispatch heavyweight Tom Erikson. He’s a draw, trust me.

WWE Wrestlers: Baron Corbin – real name Tom Pestock & Wade Barrett – real name Stuart Bennett

Baron Corbin: First off, the dude is big. He’s six-foot six and a half inches tall and weighs in around 275 pounds. He has some boxing credentials as well. He is a two-time golden gloves regional Missouri champion. He boxed for nearly five years. He put together a 6-1 record as an amateur.

Wade Barrett: Another big guy standing six-foot seven and weighing around 250-260. He also has extensive bare-knuckle boxing experience. In his early 20s, he lived in Liverpool, England and earned his living fighting in bare-knuckle boxing events. The guy is legitimately tough as well. After a major fight, he took the cash prize and left the arena looking for a cab. While in an alley he was stabbed by an eight-inch blade and the man attempted to rob him of his winnings. Suffice it to say, despite major blood loss, Bennett walked out of the alley with money in tow, and his unlucky attacker, stayed sleeping in the alley. The attack left a 12-inch scar on Bennett’s back. He also has the gift of gab and could sell the fight like a professional.