MMA talk - PFL, Bellator, KSW, ONE...

[pawel7777]

Surprisingly, Romero did not participate in RAF, when he should be there like fish in water with his numerous medals in wrestling and silver on Olympic Games. Instead he prefer to risk health and go full distance in dirty boxing and bare knuckle. It might be that they pay him a lot, but if RAF allows to pay Tsarukyan, Chimaev, Sadulaev and other highly paid combat sport stars, then I find it weird if RAF would offer Romero less than he get in bare knuckle and boxing.

You made me check as I was sure I've seen him in RAF before and I was right. He had two fights in RAF, one win and one loss:
https://www.realamericanfreestyle.com/athletes/yoel-romero

Both fights were very close to each other: Dec 2025 and Jan 2026. I'm not sure why he decided not to continue, or maybe it was RAF's decision. Perhaps BKFC was simply a more profitable option, or maybe it's actually less physically demanding to have a striking exchange as opposed to a wrestling match. He's 49 after all.

(...)
It is much easier for fighters to lose their health compared to fighting with gloves.

That's not necessarily true though. While bare-knuckle fights look way more brutal, getting punched repeatedly by a fist wrapped in a heavy glove (as in boxing) is said to be much more damaging long term. A deep cut is still better than Parkinson's disease or similar.

[TopTort777]

Forgot to check Romero RAF appearance myself, thanks for good catch. I am not sure if bare knuckle boxing is less physically demanding. After all, I think he still trains daily or do something as stretching and weigh lifting to be in shape. It is surprising that his bread and butter were wrestling for long period of time, and Romero has chosen boxing over it. What might be a real reason for going into boxing are his family and nationality. He is Cuban. Cubans were always good in boxing, and some of his family members do boxing (I think in some interview he has told that all of his family men did boxing but he decided to try something different and picked wrestling what makes him from boxing family )

That's not necessarily true though. While bare-knuckle fights look way more brutal, getting punched repeatedly by a fist wrapped in a heavy glove (as in boxing) is said to be much more damaging long term. A deep cut is still better than Parkinson's disease or similar.

Boxing only give chance to get a Parkinsons disease but bare knuckle give 99% chance of broken fists, bones and facial damage. Professional boxers career last for how long? 10 years minimum maybe. Never saw a bare knuckle boxers whos career was longer than 3-5 years in addition having less fights.

[eaLiTy]

~
Both fights were very close to each other: Dec 2025 and Jan 2026. I'm not sure why he decided not to continue, or maybe it was RAF's decision. Perhaps BKFC was simply a more profitable option, or maybe it's actually less physically demanding to have a striking exchange as opposed to a wrestling match. He's 49 after all.

It was not even a close match. He lost against a much younger wrestler without much name recognition. Yoel Romero missed weight when he was supposed to wrestle against Bo Nickal, which would have been a huge contest. But since he missed weight, he was stripped of the title and suffered a humiliating defeat, as he could not score a single point.

Forgot to check Romero RAF appearance myself, thanks for good catch. I am not sure if bare knuckle boxing is less physically demanding. After all, I think he still trains daily or do something as stretching and weigh lifting to be in shape. It is surprising that his bread and butter were wrestling for long period of time, and Romero has chosen boxing over it.

I already mentioned the exact reason for the preference. He is 49 years old and has been competing at the top of sports for over 35 years. He is bound to have multiple injuries, which might not give him the complete strength and agility to wrestle at this age—especially against much younger, elite wrestlers.

What might be a real reason for going into boxing are his family and nationality. He is Cuban. Cubans were always good in boxing, and some of his family members do boxing (I think in some interview he has told that all of his family men did boxing but he decided to try something different and picked wrestling what makes him from boxing family )

The only reason is his competitive drive to even compete at this age. Yes, his own brother was an IBF Cruiserweight Champion for four years, and he has been around boxers his whole life, even though he is an Olympic medalist in wrestling.

[pawel7777]

(...) Never saw a bare knuckle boxers whos career was longer than 3-5 years in addition having less fights.

That's because the sport itself is like 2 years old haha
I'm not saying bare-knuckle boxing is safe or healthy. But you can put stitches on cuts, and you can heal broken bones, and Parkinsons (and other similar conditions) is permanent.

If my memory serves me right, I think, strangely enough, American football is even worse than boxing in this matter.

[notblox1]

That's not necessarily true though. While bare-knuckle fights look way more brutal, getting punched repeatedly by a fist wrapped in a heavy glove (as in boxing) is said to be much more damaging long term. A deep cut is still better than Parkinson's disease or similar.

You do know that gloves are used for protection of hand and opponents head right?
People have Parkinson even they never boxed a day in their life, and I know other combat sport athetes have serious health issues.
Barenuckle is much more brutal for health and there is no science on earth that can say anything different.

[TopTort777]

(...) Never saw a bare knuckle boxers whos career was longer than 3-5 years in addition having less fights.

That's because the sport itself is like 2 years old haha
I'm not saying bare-knuckle boxing is safe or healthy. But you can put stitches on cuts, and you can heal broken bones, and Parkinsons (and other similar conditions) is permanent.

If my memory serves me right, I think, strangely enough, American football is even worse than boxing in this matter.

If you do boxing, you might even never get a Parkinson, might even never get any health damage except bruises. But punching anything and anyone with a bare hand or unprotected (wrist wrapping does not count), its a 99% injury, major or minor for a hand. Those boxers who have Parkinson, were boxing for many years. In bare knuckle, it is 1 fight enough to become crippled for end of life.

Btw, once little bones in hand are broken, not every surgeon want and can put them together. Fighter with protection on hands also have breaks in fists, but the inside damage is less harmful. Its broken bones vs smashed into pieces bones.

[pawel7777]

You do know that gloves are used for protection of hand and opponents head right?

You do know that a fist wrapped in a glove weighs more than an unwrapped fist, and while the glove will provide some protection for the outside of the head, it won't prevent your brain from bouncing inside of the skull?

People have Parkinson even they never boxed a day in their life, and I know other combat sport athetes have serious health issues.

And people who have never had a bare-knuckle fight also get cuts, bruises and broken bones. I'm not sure what you're trying to do here.

[TopTort777]

Does anyone has an experience of punching punching bags for more than few punches or landing a punch to head ? I dont want to brag or try to look cool, but I did all of them While you can punch standard bag for a long period if you wear gloves, or do hundreds of bare hands punches (which is stupid, as fists would hurt later a lot), you can land 10-20 punches to a heavy bag until your knuckles turn into a mess. Or you can make 1 or 3 real punches to a head (usually they are landed to a random area...) and next day your hand would look like a pumped balloon. FFS first hurt so much next day... With full gear, I would step in the ring, but I will never go bare knuckle

(...) Never saw a bare knuckle boxers whos career was longer than 3-5 years in addition having less fights.

That's because the sport itself is like 2 years old haha

Btw I think that is not correct. First UFC/MMA fights were without gloves. Brazilian Vale Tudo was also gloveless. Pancrase was also gloveless, but they were smart not to allow punches to face, but replaced that with palm strikes to face

I think we can speculate endlessly about open fist, gloves or having only wrapping on the wrist. However, history reveal that there are deaths among professional boxers after getting hit to head during their career, but there are 0 deaths in MMA or bare knuckles due to having less protection on their hand (I havent heard at least for a laud and big cases).

[pawel7777]

That's because the sport itself is like 2 years old haha

Btw I think that is not correct. First UFC/MMA fights were without gloves. Brazilian Vale Tudo was also gloveless. Pancrase was also gloveless, but they were smart not to allow punches to face, but replaced that with palm strikes to face
(...)

I was joking. I know bare-knuckle boxing is nothing new and even modern boxing originated as a bare-knuckle version before they invented gloves.
The modern rehash of it is fairly new and there aren't that many organisations that operate for longer than few years.
I think Michael Perry is the most famous bare-knuckler out there. He started in 2022 and I think he's still active, although he might have moved to mma.
There's also a Polish organisation called Gromda that had their first even in 2020. They have an undefeated champion who is still active after 6 years. Mateusz Kubiszyn is the name. Their first event was actaully a tournament, so the winner (Kubiszyn) had to fight 3 fights in one night, which is insane. They moved away from that format after realising not many people, even if victorious, would be able to continue for more than one fight due to cuts and other injuries.

[pawel7777]

KSW 122 is coming up this weekend.
The card is as follows:
V. Yakymenko  vs.  M. Morelli   135 lbs
Laïd Zerhouni  vs.  A. Grzebyk   185 lbs
M. Makarowski  vs.  Adam Soldaev   155 lbs
M. Ziółkowski  vs.  Wilson Varela   155 lbs
Sergiusz Zając  vs.  S. El Ouassaidi   205 lbs
Welisson Paiva  vs.  I. Włodarczyk   155 lbs
Szymon Bajor  vs.  K. Paczóski   265 lbs
A. Karkula  vs.  K. Korzeniowski   155 lbs
K. Boguzs  vs.  Kacper Cholewa   155 lbs

KSW's former star, Roberto Soldic, made a successful debut in the UFC last weekend. He defeated Kalinn Williams, who was 16-5 before that fight. Solidic, who is now 22-4 didn't get a KO, despite landing a lot of shots, but left a good impression and hopefully the UFC will schedule his next fight early next year.

[notblox1]

KSW's former star, Roberto Soldic, made a successful debut in the UFC last weekend. He defeated Kalinn Williams, who was 16-5 before that fight. Solidic, who is now 22-4 didn't get a KO, despite landing a lot of shots, but left a good impression and hopefully the UFC will schedule his next fight early next year.

Somehow I completely missed that information, and I didnt know he signed up for UFC. 
I remember he was fighting in KSW and ONE Championship, but now I have to watch recording of his fight against Khaos Williams.
It was looking to me like a boring card sod I didnt notice Soldic was listed there as well as Johnny Walker.

[TopTort777]

Anyone ever heard about King of the Streets? https://kingofthestreets.com/ or search on YouTube for videos.

Mix of bare knuckle with any combat sport fighter is good at. Kind of mix martial arts without rules and rounds. These fighters really are killing themselves in such fights. If boxing can cause Parkinson disease, then participation in King of the Streets can cause more than cuts, broken bones and bruises.

[jahead]

Anyone ever heard about King of the Streets? https://kingofthestreets.com/ or search on YouTube for videos.

Mix of bare knuckle with any combat sport fighter is good at. Kind of mix martial arts without rules and rounds. These fighters really are killing themselves in such fights. If boxing can cause Parkinson disease, then participation in King of the Streets can cause more than cuts, broken bones and bruises.

What makes these event interesting is that they are connected to organized crime or similar structures, its all a kind of shaddy... Just recently, there was a documentary here in Germany about KOTS and the people behind running the events. They dont just attract hooligans, which would be one thing and totally ok, but also Neonazis and their networks. The whole thing is done purely to make money, they ofc even sell their own clothing brand. It has almost nothing to do with actual "sport."... 

[pawel7777]

https://x.com/SStricklandMMA/status/2107946336758997347


Sean Strickland is yet another UFC star who is not happy with what he is making and is publicly declaring that he might leave the UFC after his contract is fulfilled.
It didn't take Jake Paul long to react. He said he would welcome Sean in MVP and pay him a fair share.
In his other posts, Strickland said it is not only about the money but about how physically demanding mma is. So who knows, maybe soon we will see him fighting for a different organisation or maybe he will switch to boxing.

[notblox1]

Anyone ever heard about King of the Streets? https://kingofthestreets.com/ or search on YouTube for videos.

This is the first time I am hearing about them.
Like I said before, I am not a fan of bare knuckle competitions, so I am sticking to MMA, kickboxing and boxing only.
With this rate I am expecting to see gladiators in arena again soon, and that is not a good thing.

Sean Strickland is yet another UFC star who is not happy with what he is making and is publicly declaring that he might leave the UFC after his contract is fulfilled.

I am on his side.
He started talking a lot against people who own UFC, so I think they shadowbanned him.

[cygan]

KSW 122 is coming up this weekend.
✂️

and at this event, the main fight of the evening will feature a showdown at the top of the bantamweight division, in which Vitalii Yakymenko will defend his title for the first time against Marcello Morelli, who is known for his spectacular fights!
you've already posted all the other cage fights

[TopTort777]

Sean Strickland is yet another UFC star who is not happy with what he is making and is publicly declaring that he might leave the UFC after his contract is fulfilled.
It didn't take Jake Paul long to react. He said he would welcome Sean in MVP and pay him a fair share.
In his other posts, Strickland said it is not only about the money but about how physically demanding mma is. So who knows, maybe soon we will see him fighting for a different organisation or maybe he will switch to boxing.

What is peak age for a middleweight division fighter and at what age do fighters from that division retire? I dont know how many fights are left under Stricklands contract but it seems one thing, if he leaves UFC for MVP or boxing, how often will he fight? In UFC he has 1-3 fights per year. Not sure if MVP or boxing matches will give him same chances to earn and fight. Maybe single fight payment will be higher, but frequency of those fight will be lower.

Anyway, it is a huge reputation hit for UFC, if their champions think about leaving because they are underpaid. Many years ago it was a huge honor to fight in UFC and get a belt there. Today it is all about commerce. Fighters dream to get the belt not to claim they are the best, but to earn more Sad.

[pawel7777]

I am on his side.
He started talking a lot against people who own UFC, so I think they shadowbanned him.

He's pretty vocal when it comes to jews and Israel, and I believe the CEO of TKO, the company that owns the UFC, is Ari Emanuel, who is Jewish, so it's not surprising that Sean is not getting the best treatment.
I don't think Strickland is even asking for that much; he would probably be happy with something around 2 million. I think he deserves at least one big-money fight. He earned it by defeating Adesanya and Chimaev in their prime.

What is peak age for a middleweight division fighter and at what age do fighters from that division retire? I dont know how many fights are left under Stricklands contract but it seems one thing, if he leaves UFC for MVP or boxing, how often will he fight? In UFC he has 1-3 fights per year. Not sure if MVP or boxing matches will give him same chances to earn and fight. Maybe single fight payment will be higher, but frequency of those fight will be lower.

Peak age largely depends on genetics and also on the fighting style and intensity of the training (+ on how much you have to cut down for each fight).
I think that's the point. Strickland doesn't want to fight 3 times a year if he can get much more for fighting Jake Paul in a single boxing fight, which would not require as intense preparation as mma fights. So a single boxing fight could set him up financially for life better than all his potential UFC fights. Any additional fight would be a bonus.
I hear Strickland was ranting about that for like 8-9 hours straight on X.
I think he only has one fight left on his contract but I'm not sure.

Anyway, it is a huge reputation hit for UFC, if their champions think about leaving because they are underpaid. Many years ago it was a huge honor to fight in UFC and get a belt there. Today it is all about commerce. Fighters dream to get the belt not to claim they are the best, but to earn more Sad.

Yeah, it's not a good look. Everybody knew new fighters don't get paid well, but the expectations were that if you make it to the top, you would get rewarded properly. But if you have more and more champions and top guys hinting at leaving, that should be a red flag for any fighter considering joining the UFC.

[pawel7777]

Regarding KSW 122 event, three fighters missed weight, those are:
Adam Soldaev - despite moving up the weight class, he still missed it by 0.9kg and, as a result, 30% of his purse goes to his rival. He will also start the fight with a negative point.
Sergiusz Zając - the most controversial one. He missed weight by 2.6kg and did not show up for ceremonial weigh-ins, instead posting a photo of himself eating pizza. He loses 50% of his purse and will start with a negative point.
Laid Zerhouni - weight missed by over 1kg. Loses 40% and will also start with a negative point.

If you're planning to bet on those fights, this is something that has to be considered. Given the penalty points, those fighters will be more pressed to search for an early finish. Weight disproportions also make KOs a bit more likely.

[TopTort777]

0.9-2.6kg missed weight? That is very disrespectful and unprofessional. I would understand if it is impossible to cut 100-300g because you cant squize any more liquid from your body. But nearly a kilo? Such amount you cant cut in sauna and by cardio in hours before official weigh-ins. Professionals should control themselves in off-season and should not turn into hogs. Eating everything non-stop is no good if you a pro.

Strickland doesn't want to fight 3 times a year if he can get much more for fighting Jake Paul in a single boxing fight, which would not require as intense preparation as mma fights.

I think is a big misjudgment of Jakes boxing skills. People think that he is newbie. But he has been in professional boxing for 6 years, had 14 pro fights. Even thought fights were controversial, he has gained experience. He trains regularly and can hire best coaches. He is no longer a boy for beating. Moreover, he is gaining with every fight when his opponents (old) are far from peak form.