The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is set to decide the World’s Baddest Man through a tournament in 2027.
Next summer, the bare-knuckle league, which is co-owned by Conor McGregor, will launch a bracket-style format to crown the World’s Baddest Man, partnering with Fox Nation to document the series.
Applications are already open for a chance to get a place in the tournament, with the promotion stating ‘you do not need to be a professional or experienced fighter’ to enter.
The winner is expected to bag a whopping $15m from a total $25m prize pot, after a series of try-outs before working through winner-stays-on ‘one-round wars.’
It will then end with a live event where the toughest fighters battle for their share of the prize pool.
How BKFC Baddest Man tournament will work
To explain how exactly the tournament will unfold, BKFC founder Dave Feldman sat down with talkSPORT.com.
He said McGregor is ‘absolutely going to be a big part’ of the series and will even help decide which combatants progress through the rounds.
“What we’re going to do is, on the first day, it’s a two-day tryout process,” Feldman said.
“The first day is hitting the pads, hitting the bag, doing all kinds of stuff like that, running little drills, athletic stuff, and then a very important interview.
“Because we want to see who you are, what your story is, and what you’re about.
“The next day, they will fight what we call one-round wars. They will fight one round. If they win and we like them, they move on. If they lose, then they go home.
“So yes, there is fighting involved. There’s interviewing involved, and there’s a bunch of athleticism involved as well.
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“So we’ve had a really, really good response so far, and we expect after the video and everything goes out that we’re going to get an overwhelming response.”
McGregor to return to BKFC soon
Feldman added that it will be himself, McGregor and someone from the FOX network deciding who progresses to the next rounds.
“Conor’s going to be one of the hosts of the show. He’s absolutely going to be a big part of it,” Feldman said.
“It’s not a show without Conor.”
McGregor played a big part in promoting BKFC during his hiatus from the UFC.
He then took time away from promotional duties to make a fighting comeback last July against Max Holloway at UFC 329.
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The Irishman injured himself seconds into the main event and underwent surgery last week for ACL and meniscus damage in his right knee.
With BKFC heading to Boston’s iconic Fenway Park at the end of this month, McGregor is set to get back on track with his role in the bare-knuckle league.
“We had a good conversation last night,” Feldman concluded.
“I’m pretty sure he’s coming to Fenway. He’s just going to see how his leg is feeling.
“If not, he’ll be at the show we have two weeks later at the Hard Rock Casino. But he’s 100 per cent back on board.
“Look, I had to leave him alone. I had to let him train. I had to let him focus. And then he got injured. So he was a little down.
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“Now he’s more motivated than ever to get back to where he was, both promotionally for us and as a fighter, as the star that he always has been.
“I can’t say enough good about Conor, just as when he hooks onto something, he hooks onto it, and it’s a rocket ship.
“And he’s helping this thing become a rocket ship. So he’s in great spirits. Everything’s great with him. And I do expect to see him at Fenway Park. Yes.”
An announcement with more details from the promotion of the tournament is expected on Monday.
