Fighting at the top level of MMA is a cutthroat business. In 2023, nothing happened to help make fighters feel better about their futures if life in the UFC doesn’t work out. When the Professional Fighters League purchased Bellator, it left many fighters without an alternative for work.

However, some outside-the-box thinkers are trying to keep fighters working. How fruitful their endeavor will be remains to be seen. Jorge Masvidal, a former UFC welterweight challenger, started his combat sports career competing in street fights in Miami. Eventually, he worked his way up to the top of the MMA world.

Masvidal became famous after setting a UFC record by knocking out Ben Askren with a flying knee in eight seconds. While he never became a UFC champion, Masvidal developed a strong following due to his personality and high-profile knockouts.

Masvidal has founded his own MMA circuit, with the twist being that the competition is bare knuckle. Gamebred FC will crown its first heavyweight champion on March 2 at the Kia Center in Orlando when Junior Dos Santos and Alan Belcher meet.

Former UFC Fighters Have Flocked to Promotion

GameBred FC hosted its first three events in 2023. All three featured several notable names. One of the men who fought on those cards, dos Santos, will be ready to pursue gold in March. At the March event, there will be 11 former UFC fighters involved.

That is good for name recognition, but eventually, Gamebred FC will have to develop its own stars and personality to succeed in the long term. There has been some major competition in the bare-knuckle fighting space. The Bare Knuckle Fight Championship has also signed several top MMA stars.

Online boxing news shows that some state athletic commissions need to be faster to recognize the sport, but that could change as more events are held. A recent BKFC event that was held in Hollywood, Florida, sold out the arena. While the sport may not be ready to fill out larger venues, filling small to midsize arenas may be a good place to start, according to the best MMA news sites.

Who is Junior dos Santos?

Dos Santos, 40, spent a long time in the UFC title picture. He won the championship at a UFC fight night card in November 2011. Dos Santos picked up a surprising knockout win over Cain Velásquez.

He would defend the title once against Frank Mir before dropping the belt to Velásquez in 2021. While dos Santos would get two more attempts to regain the belt against Velásquez and Stipe Miocic, he would never recapture gold. Dos Santos would get cut from the UFC after suffering four consecutive knockouts.

In 2022, dos Santos competed in Eagle FC, owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov. He would lose due to a shoulder injury in the third round. Dos Santos turned things around at Gamebred Fighting Championship 5 in September 2023.

Belcher Has More Varied Combat Experience

Belcher last fought in the UFC in 2013 when he lost to Michael Bisping. Injuries rendered Belcher unable to compete. He thought the eye injury would keep him out of combat sports forever.

However, online boxing news shows that Belcher took seven years to get back into fighting. He would immediately get back into the ring, but this time with bare-knuckle boxing. Belcher has spent the past few years battling through various organizations.

Belcher has won 10 straight bouts between gloved boxing, bare-knuckle boxing, and bare-knuckle MMA. Last time out, Belcher beat Roy Nelson by split decision.

Social Media Has Spurred on Sports With Viral Moments

There has been a trend where many younger sports fans prefer to watch clips and highlights of events instead of sitting through an entire contest. What some fight promoters have thought is that they need to create combat sports with more ferocious finishes.

Bare-knuckle boxing has been sanctioned in 25 states in the United States as of the middle of 2023. There was also a major push, backed by UFC CEO Dana White, to get slap fighting sanctioned. The response to slap fighting has been negative in the media.

However, ahead of the most recent Super Bowl, ticket sales at an event shows there may be some appetite for slap fighting. But it is difficult to judge how much that will register with the regular public. Many people who came in early for the Super Bowl may have been looking for something else to do in Las Vegas. Holding one of those events may not fly during a less busy time of year in the desert.

Only Nevada has sanctioned the event so far. While bare-knuckle boxing and MMA are brutal, the state athletic commissioners sanctioning the bouts have the mechanisms in place to make the fights as safe as possible. Having safety in mind is important to keep politicians from interfering.

Masvidal Has Passion for the Sport

If bare-knuckle fighting is going to survive the early days of the sport, having Masvidal involved is the right way to go. He embodies the atmosphere of the sport. Masvidal has connections within the MMA community and can help lure top talent to his promotion.

The question is, will Gamebred FC be able to sell enough tickets to survive? Many companies in the United States often debut with a lot of fanfare. For some reason, people thought it was necessary to have two spring professional football leagues.

What happened this offseason was the USFL and XFL were forced to consolidate in order to survive. There is a chance as Gamebred FC expands, there may be talks of a merger or joint promotion with BKFC. Businesses in the United States want to make money.

Eventually, profits win out over passion. Masvidal needs to try and walk the fine line between the two ideals.

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By Dean McHugh.