MMA

BKB CEO calls for Matchroom, Zuffa Boxing, and Golden Boy co-promotional efforts

Published

2 months ago

August 31, 2026

BKB CEO calls for Matchroom, Zuffa Boxing, and Golden Boy co-promotional efforts

BKB CEO David Tetreault is making waves since onboarding with the promotion but also has desires to foster cross promotional agreements with boxing organizations. Mentioning a desire to co-promote with leagues like Zuffa Boxing and Matchroom Boxing whilst explaining why that would make sense considering the roster that BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing has, Tetreault said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

â€œYeah, A big charge that I implemented inside the company was I really wanted to go after some very skilled boxers. When I joined BKB and I was able to go to the UK as much as I did because they were staging fights there, I saw a skill level in those fighters that was a little bit different. Because all of the heritage in the UK really comes from the boxing tradition. In the US, we were recruiting a lot of MMA fighters from PFL, UFC, Bellator, etc. Very, very good fighters.â€

â€œBut I really upped the game with our matchmaker Mel Valenzuela. Explained to him, I really want to go after natural strikers from the MMA category, and I want to go after some very, very skilled boxers in the boxing category. With that being said, we've been fortunate enough to sign Lee Selby, Victor Ortiz, the Vargas brothers, Yuriorkis Gamboa. That's kind of the start.â€

â€œThen just recently, Aspen Ladd, and then most recently, Sharif Rahman. So, that's our ethos. That's our charge. It really differentiates us in our category. We are the best bare-knuckle organization on the planet with the way that we're moving and the way that we're running.â€

Referencing the Ortiz camp and a clip that was going around of Tetreault explaining the importance of the clinch while competing inside of the BKB Mighty Trigon, Tetreault stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

â€œYeah, well, I mean when you spent as much time as I did at Golden Boy. Been in and out of gyms and really Oscar [De La Hoya] and I would talk about his fights and all of that, you really get a good understanding. I was always before I transitioned into boxing from entertainment, I was a huge boxing fan from a very young age. Sugar Ray Leonard was my hero. So then I moved into [Mike] Tyson and then Oscar and then here we are, you know. It's kind of unbelievable.â€

Considering his Golden Boy, is Tetreault interested in working with Oscar De La Hoya too?

With Tetrault's documented history working with Golden Boy, when asked if there was an interest in also co-promoting with Oscar De La Hoya, Tetreault quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

â€œOh, I mean, interestingly enough, that door would always be open to co-promote with Oscar [De La Hoya]. Oscar and I back in 2020 had conversations with Mike Vazquez and BKB. We were looking at it. We were looking at adding it to our Facebook Watch distribution, which we had a license fee for. At that time, him and I agreed that maybe it was a little premature, but our eye was on that.â€

â€œHe's got great fighters. We have great fighters. There's a lot of opportunity to potentially do that. Oscar is one of the greatest promoters out there, and he knows what he's doing. Was one of the greatest fighters ever in the history of the sport.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

MMA

16-0 Farid Basharat confirms UFC exit after seven straight wins

Published

5 hours ago

October 31, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

16-0 Farid Basharat confirms UFC exit after seven straight wins

Farid
Basharat has addressed his departure from the
Ultimate Fighting Championship in a statement on social
media.

Basharat (16-0) completed his contract with a victory over John Garza
in July and wasn't offered a new deal despite going unbeaten in the
promotion. In his statement, Basharat reflected on his UFC tenure
and questioned the organization's direction.

Farid Basharat says the UFC never offered a new contract after
his unbeaten seven-fight run

Basharat went 7-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series, with six of those victories
coming by decision. He confirmed his departure on Instagram, saying
he competed under unfavorable circumstances and never declined a
fight.

â€œThe news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC,â€ Basharat
wrote on Instagram. â€œI've had an incredibly successful time in the
organization. I'm proud and happy with what I've accomplished
inside the Octagon. I leave with a stainless record. Holding the
longest active win streak in my weight division and the fourth
longest in the entire UFC. I feel I'm the best bantamweight in the
world. I always turned up and fought regardless of injuries and
weight deficits. And I always asked for the toughest opponent to
get me closer to the title.â€

While grateful for his time with the promotion and its staff,
Basharat questioned the UFC's direction and said he had not
received a contract offer since his last bout.

â€œBut my departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting
capabilities,â€ Basharat added. â€œUnfortunately, the organization
just isn't what it used to be. They're heading in a different
direction from what we all grew up loving. I want to clarify that
since my last fight, I was never offered a contract or an opponent;
I waited, but it never came. I've certainly never declined a fight
during my whole tenure.â€

MMA

UFC Vegas 123 ‘Moicano vs. Nolan’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Published

17 hours ago

October 31, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

UFC Vegas 123 ‘Moicano vs. Nolan’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog’s live
UFC Vegas 123 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The
event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 292.