History will be made on Cinco de Mayo with Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA in South Florida
He always brought it strong as a fighter, whether on the streets or in UFC, and now he looks to do the same as a promoter, giving hungry fighters (of various styles) opportunity in his unique version of combat sport.
Recently retired MMA superstar Jorge Masvidal, a Miami hometown hero, created the first and only professional bareknuckle MMA league in the United States. He will host the first-ever sanctioned bareknuckle MMA fight in Florida on Friday, May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) at FLA Live Arena, home of the NHL Florida Panthers in Sunrise.
There is a veritable Who’s Who of professional MMA veteran fighters and up-and-comers (from Bellator, PFL and UFC) across the lineup, headlined by co-main events.
Former UFC vet and Bellator heavyweight star Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. heavyweight knockout artist Dillon “Bad Boy” Cleckler, and former UFC vet and PFL light heavyweight world champion Emiliano “He-Man” Sordi vs. UFC veteran Markus “Maluko” Perez lead the stellar list of fighters/fights.
Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster (https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D005E8BBA3EC2D6), with doors opening at 5 p.m. on Friday. Fans will also be able to tune in via PPV, with the first fight starting at 6 p.m. and the main card beginning at 8 p.m.
Here is my video interview with Jorge Masvidal, who discusses his final UFC fight recently at UFC 287 in his hometown Miami with 19,000-plus fans cheering and chanting for him, President Trump one of those supportive fans seated ringside for his fight, South Florida as a fighting destination, creating Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, his fight card for May 5 at FLA Live Arena and more.
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fights will follow the Unified Rules of MMA with virtually the same rules as other major MMA leagues, but without the gloves. Each fight will consist of a three five-minute rounds.
The full lineup includes:
Roy Nelson vs. Dillon Cleckler
Emiliano Sordi vs. Markus Perez
Donovan Beard vs. Handesson Ferreira
Joe Penefeil vs. Irwin Rivera
Jamahl Tatum vs. Carl Seumanutafa
Sean Soriano vs. Ago Huskic
Anthony Njokuani vs. James Freeman
Darion Abbey vs. Frank Tate
Charles Bennett vs. Keith Speed
Fidel Paulino vs. Alexander Schenk
Juan Alvarez vs. Chris Wingate
Ryan Kuse vs. Drew Morais
Masvidal said in a release: “I came up fighting in the streets and backyards of Miami with nothing but my fists; so this is really about me getting back to my roots as a fighter. Putting two competitors in there with no gloves and nothing standing between one another, that to me is pure fighting.
“That’s what I’m aiming to do with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. Strip the sport down to its primal essence. And we’ve got some great fighters on this card. So, tune in on Cinco de Mayo to get a taste of what’s to come as we’re planning to bring a lot more bareknuckle action in the future.”
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA is the first and only bareknuckle MMA league in the United States.
About Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA is the first and only professional bareknuckle MMA league in the United States. The league draws its inspiration from founder Jorge Masvidal’s background fighting bareknuckle in the backyards of Miami before going on to a storied professional career across UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, and World Victory Road.
Masvidal, a Miami native and Cuban American who trained at American Top Team in (South Florida) Coconut Creek, is the UFC’s inaugural and only “BMF” Champion, having won the belt at UFC 244. He also holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history, at five seconds.
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