Ben Rothwell is set to potentially become a two-division champion as Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) holds its first-ever event in Australia.
BKFC officially announced that their inaugural Australian show, scheduled for July 18th, will feature a main event pitting Rothwell against Alex Simon for the brand new BKFC Super Heavyweight Championship. Rothwell, who boasts a 37-14 record in MMA, previously secured the BKFC Heavyweight title in January with a swift 36-second knockout victory over Mick Terrill.
This upcoming bout marks Simon`s bare-knuckle debut, giving him an immediate opportunity to claim gold fighting in his home country. Primarily known as a powerlifting competitor, Simon has participated in combat sports sporadically since 2018, holding an MMA record of 1-1 and experiencing a fifth-round TKO loss (due to retirement) in a boxing match in August 2023.
In the co-main event, Australian fighter Bec Rawlings will face Jade Masson-Wong in a flyweight contest. Rawlings, a seasoned veteran of MMA, recently snapped a three-fight losing streak in the BKFC ring by winning a unanimous decision in January. Masson-Wong enters the fight with a 3-2 BKFC record, coming off a recent split decision defeat to Christine Ferea.
The event, officially designated as BKFC 79, is scheduled to take place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on July 18th.
