BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, founded as BYB Extreme Fighting Series , is a bare knuckle fighting organization founded in 2015 by former MMA fighter Dhafir Harris and Mike Vazquez, former owner of NASCAR team HRT Motorsports. Harris rose to fame from his staging of backyard bare knuckle fights which went viral online and subsequently became the subject of the Billy Corben documentary, Dawg Fight. BYB is an abbreviation of "Back Yard Brawl", a nod to the company's origins. BYB's fights are held in its patented Trigon ring or cage, which it touts as the smallest fighting surface in combat sports.
In March 2025, Front Office Sports reported that BKB signed a multi-fight deal with Vice to carry live fights, becoming the channel's first live programing as it moved into a heavy sports focus. In August 2025, NBC Universal announced that it would carry BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing live in Spanish as a cornerstone program on Telemundo Deportes Ahora.
In June 2023, beIN SPORTS announced it secured an exclusive media rights deal with BYB in North America to broadcast "Best of BYB" archive shows as well as five live events, making it the first bare knuckle fighting to air live on linear television. In 2024, BYB announced expanded coverage to Fight Network and Fuse.
History
BYB announced that its premiere event, Battleship I – originally scheduled to take place aboard the deck of the Resorts World Bimini Superfast – would air on June 5, 2015, shortly after Dawg Fight premiered on Netflix. The event was scrapped from the cruise ship with the organization citing inclement weather, and subsequently held indoors at an undisclosed location in Miami.BYB went on hiatus following Dada 5000's return to the ring at Bellator 149 in February 2016 where he his infamously poorly received fight with Kimbo Slice. The promotion would host BYB 2: Brawl for it All in Cheyenne, Wyoming on April 5, 2019, at Cheyenne Ice & Event Center. That event started the current run of numbered BYB events in states including Florida and Mississippi, as well as internationally in London.
Partnership with BKB
In November 2021, BYB announced a talent exchange partnership with UK-based BKB in which each promotion sends fighters overseas to be featured on the other's cards. The series kicked off at BYB 8 with BKB's Barrie Jones knocking out BYB's Luis Melo in the first round. Through 2022, the companies have hosted 15 trans-continental bare knuckle matchups.On October 16, 2022, the event featured a mix of BYB vs. BYB, BKB vs. BKB, and BYB vs. BKB fights. The show featured a number of firsts including the first sanctioned professional female bare knuckle fight in UK history, the first female title match in UK history, and Seth Shaffer defeated Carlos Guerra to win the inaugural BYB Welterweight title as well as the Police Gazette Diamond Belt. The event was broadcast live on Stadium.
Acquisition of BKB
On May 8, 2024, it was announced that BYB Extreme had acquired BKB. Founded in 2015 by Jim Freeman and Joe Smith-Brown, BKB had hosted 40 events prior to the acquisition, some which featured fighters from BYB Extreme. Despite BYB acquiring BKB, both Freeman and Smith-Brown will stay with BYB Extreme in an executive capacity and will oversee the continued expansion of BYB Extreme into Europe.First event in England
BYB Extreme held its first event in England, BYB 12: London Brawl, on October 26, 2022. Aside from being the promotion's first event in the United Kingdom, BYB 12 also featured the first-ever women's bare-knuckle fights, highlighted by a title fight between Jozette Cotton and Miranda Barber for the BYB Women's Super Welterweight Championship.First UAE event
BYB hosted the first-ever bare-knuckle fighting event in the Middle East with BYB 16: Desert Brawl on March 18, 2023. The event was held at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, headlined by a Police Gazette Diamond Belt title fight between Jarome Hatch and Marko Martinjak.Rebranding to BKB
On February 26, 2025, it was announced that BYB Extreme would rebrand to BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing. BYB Extreme had acquired the Coventry, UK-based promotion BKB in May 2024.Events
Weight classes
Current champions
Men's
As of| Weight class | Champion | Date won |
| Featherweight | Harold McQueen | February 10, 2024 |
| Lightweight | Jarod Grant | May 31, 2025 |
| Super Lightweight | Harry Gigliotti | October 12, 2024 |
| Welterweight | Javon Wright | January 11, 2025 |
| Super Welterweight | Rolando Gabriel Dy | December 5, 2025 |
| Middleweight | LT Nelson | May 10, 2024 |
| Super Middleweight | LT Nelson | December 2, 2023 |
| Light Heavyweight | Cub Hawkins | November 22, 2025 |
| Cruiserweight | Cub Hawkins | January 18, 2024 |
| Super Cruiserweight | Marko Martinjak | November 9, 2024 |
| Bridgerweight | Marko Martinjak | October 18, 2025 |
| Heavyweight | Gustavo Trujillo | July 13, 2024 |
Women's
As of| Weight class | Champion | Date won |
| Super Flyweight | Agnesa Kirakosian | April 4, 2024 |
| Featherweight | Helen Peralta | July 13, 2024 |
| Lightweight | Paty Juarez | December 2, 2023 |
| Super Lightweight | Khortni Kamyron | August 17, 2024 |
| Welterweight | Jamie Driver | December 6, 2024 |
Police Gazette World Diamond Belt
As of| Weight class | Champion | Date won |
| Women's Lightweight | Monica Medina | September 16, 2023 |
| Women's Super Welterweight | Jozette Cotton | October 16, 2022 |
| Middleweight | Desmond Green | November 19, 2022 |
| Super Middleweight | LT Nelson | August 17, 2024 |
| Light Heavyweight | Cub Hawkins | January 18, 2024 |
| Heavyweight | Gustavo Trujillo | July 13, 2024 |
Men's championship history
Heavyweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  Bridgerweight Championship
|
nowrap|1. def. Martin Reffell at BKB 40: Cardiff Brawl III on April 19, 2025