Ben Rothwell is set to potentially become a two-division champion (“champ-champ”) when the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) promotion makes its first appearance in Australia.
BKFC announced on Tuesday that their inaugural event in Australia, scheduled for July 18, will be headlined by a fight between Rothwell and Alex Simon. They will compete for the newly created BKFC super heavyweight championship. Rothwell, who holds a 37-14 record in mixed martial arts, previously claimed the BKFC heavyweight title this past January by securing a knockout victory over Mick Terrill in just 36 seconds.
This upcoming event marks Alex Simon`s debut in bare-knuckle boxing, offering him a chance to win a title in his home country immediately. Simon, known for his background as a prominent powerlifter, has competed in combat sports intermittently since 2018. He currently has a 1-1 record in MMA. His most recent combat sports appearance was in a boxing match in August 2023, which he lost by fifth-round TKO (retirement) to Bryce Jones.
The co-main event will feature Australian fighter Bec Rawlings taking on Jade Masson-Wong in a flyweight bout. Rawlings, a veteran of MMA, ended a three-fight losing streak in the BKFC ring in January, securing a unanimous decision win against Taylor Starling. Masson-Wong holds a 3-2 record in BKFC and is coming off a split decision loss to Christine Ferea.
The event, designated as BKFC 79, is scheduled to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on July 18.
