BKFC, Rizin Announce Partnership for Fighter Sharing, Co-Promoted Events

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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is expanding its reach to the Far East.

During an appearance on "The MMA Hour” on Wednesday, BKFC president David Feldman and Rizin Fighting Federation boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that the organizations have agreed to a talent-sharing partnership with plans for co-promoted events in the near future.

“Today we get to announce the official partnership with BKFC and Rizin to produce Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship shows in Japan and all over the southeast Asia region, as well as assist Rizin with whatever else they need from around the world,” Feldman said. “We’re really super excited about this partnership and to partner with such a legend like Sakakibara.”

The arrangement will begin with Rizin fighters competing under the BKFC banner at an upcoming event on July 12 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. There, Rizin’s Tatsuki Shinotsuka will face Cary Caprio in a bare-knuckle boxing match.

Then on July 28, BKFC talents Tai Emery and Charisa Sigala will lock horns at Super Rizin 3. Additionally, BKFC flyweight champion John Dodson will face an as yet to be named opponent on the same card in another bare-knuckle contest. Dodson has previously competed for the Japanese promotion in MMA fights on three separate occasions.

Rizin has partnered with Bellator MMA for co-promoted events in recent years, but that was due in large part to the relationship betwene Sakakibara and Scott Coker. Coker is no longer with Bellator after the organization was purchased by Professional Fighters League late last year.

Sakakibara believes adding bare-knuckle fights to Rizin cards will draw interest from Japanese fans.

“We truly feel the potential of BKFC,” Sakakibara said. “I do believe this is happening all over the world in the combat sports industry, is that everything is kind of being still and all the fans are looking for a new movement. They’re looking for new action. Exactly what’s happening in Japan. Obviously stateside they’re doing Power Slap and all that kind of stuff is starting to take off, but same thing here in Japan, a lot of people are wanting new things. They’re wanting more excitement.

“We do believe that BKFC has everything it takes to deliver that new excitement over here. The Japanese fans, they like it, and more so we do believe that David and his team are extremely professional and we believe they know what they’re doing. It just only made sense for us to partner with them.”

The talent sharing arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future, but Feldman confirmed that the goal is to eventually take an entire BKFC show to Japan while co-promoting with Rizin.