Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
👊 BKFC 90 BIRMINGHAM PRESS CONFERENCE — LIVE FROM BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND 👊
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 10AM EDT / 3PM Birmingham
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hits Birmingham, England ahead of BKFC 90 — and before fists fly at the Utilita Arena on May 30th, the fighters are going face to face RIGHT NOW. Watch the official press conference LIVE.
🏆 MAIN EVENT | Welterweight Interim World Title
CONNOR "BRUM TOWN BOMBER" TIERNEY (9-2) vs. RICO "BON BON" FRANCO (10-3)
This isn't just a fight. This is unfinished business going back seven years.
Connor Tierney grew up in Weoley Castle, Birmingham where he battled through constant setbacks just to get a shot in the sport, nearly quitting multiple times when opponents kept pulling out. He kept going. Now he's the BKFC Welterweight UK Champion, most recently defending that belt by TKO over former Light Heavyweight UK Champion Danny "The Bastard" Christie — his second straight win. Outside the squared circle, Tierney works full-time as a quantity surveyor and is a father — a man living a double life, one fist at a time.
Rico Franco is one of the most battle-tested bare knucklers on the planet. Born and raised in North Lincolnshire, he spent years fighting MMA across the US, Thailand, Russia, and Italy before being scouted into bare-knuckle boxing — a world he hadn't even considered until 2018. He's since won the inaugural BKFC Welterweight European Title and called out BKFC World Welterweight Champion Austin Trout moments after his victory. Franco has 7 KOs on his record and a résumé built on brutal wars.
And the history between these two? Back in 2019, Franco dropped and stopped Tierney in the first round of a BKB Prizefighter tournament with a devastating left hook. That loss became the fuel in Tierney's engine. Now an interim world title will be added to the winner's career accolades — and Tierney is fighting to avenge his first-ever career loss in front of his hometown crowd. BKFC President David Feldman called it "one of the best fights in BKFC history" waiting to happen, saying the promotion is "making a complete statement" and that "bare knuckle fighting started here and now it's come full circle."
🔥 CO-MAIN EVENT | Light Heavyweight
DARREN "THE GORILLA" TILL (BKFC debut) vs. AARON "THE JOKER" CHALMERS (2-0)
One of the biggest names in British combat sports history is dropping the gloves — for real this time.
Darren Till, the former UFC welterweight title challenger, signed a three-fight deal with BKFC — a promotion of which UFC icon Conor McGregor is a part owner. Till came over after going undefeated at Misfits Boxing, including a KO win over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Why bare knuckle? "The reason bare-knuckle happened is because I couldn't turn down the offer," Till said. "It excited me. It got my juices flowing." He's already set his sights higher: "If I want to be, I'm going to be the face of this bare knuckle in three fights."
Standing across from him is Aaron Chalmers — a man who has lived more lives than most fighters combined. The Geordie Shore reality TV star turned professional fighter went 4-0 in MMA before signing with Bellator, where he went 2-2. He's one of just seven fighters to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout, and has gone 2-0 in BKFC, finishing both opponents by stoppage. Till himself acknowledged Chalmers' credibility: "He's got a lot of balls on him to fight me and fight the likes of Floyd Mayweather."
This is BKFC. No gloves. No mercy. No backing down.
🔔 SMASH THE BELL. The press conference starts NOW.
🎟️ Tickets: axs.com | 📺 Watch BKFC 90 LIVE: watch.bkfc.com
#BKFC90 #BareKnuckle #TierneyVsFranco #DarrenTill #TillVsChalmers #Birmingham #BKFC
👊 BKFC 90 BIRMINGHAM PRESS CONFERENCE — LIVE FROM BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND 👊
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 10AM EDT / 3PM Birmingham
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hits Birmingham, England ahead of BKFC 90 — and before fists fly at the Utilita Arena on May 30th, the fighters are going face to face RIGHT NOW. Watch the official press conference LIVE.
🏆 MAIN EVENT | Welterweight Interim World Title
CONNOR "BRUM TOWN BOMBER" TIERNEY (9-2) vs. RICO "BON BON" FRANCO (10-3)
This isn't just a fight. This is unfinished business going back seven years.
Connor Tierney grew up in Weoley Castle, Birmingham where he battled through constant setbacks just to get a shot in the sport, nearly quitting multiple times when opponents kept pulling out. He kept going. Now he's the BKFC Welterweight UK Champion, most recently defending that belt by TKO over former Light Heavyweight UK Champion Danny "The Bastard" Christie — his second straight win. Outside the squared circle, Tierney works full-time as a quantity surveyor and is a father — a man living a double life, one fist at a time.
Rico Franco is one of the most battle-tested bare knucklers on the planet. Born and raised in North Lincolnshire, he spent years fighting MMA across the US, Thailand, Russia, and Italy before being scouted into bare-knuckle boxing — a world he hadn't even considered until 2018. He's since won the inaugural BKFC Welterweight European Title and called out BKFC World Welterweight Champion Austin Trout moments after his victory. Franco has 7 KOs on his record and a résumé built on brutal wars.
And the history between these two? Back in 2019, Franco dropped and stopped Tierney in the first round of a BKB Prizefighter tournament with a devastating left hook. That loss became the fuel in Tierney's engine. Now an interim world title will be added to the winner's career accolades — and Tierney is fighting to avenge his first-ever career loss in front of his hometown crowd. BKFC President David Feldman called it "one of the best fights in BKFC history" waiting to happen, saying the promotion is "making a complete statement" and that "bare knuckle fighting started here and now it's come full circle."
🔥 CO-MAIN EVENT | Light Heavyweight
DARREN "THE GORILLA" TILL (BKFC debut) vs. AARON "THE JOKER" CHALMERS (2-0)
One of the biggest names in British combat sports history is dropping the gloves — for real this time.
Darren Till, the former UFC welterweight title challenger, signed a three-fight deal with BKFC — a promotion of which UFC icon Conor McGregor is a part owner. Till came over after going undefeated at Misfits Boxing, including a KO win over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Why bare knuckle? "The reason bare-knuckle happened is because I couldn't turn down the offer," Till said. "It excited me. It got my juices flowing." He's already set his sights higher: "If I want to be, I'm going to be the face of this bare knuckle in three fights."
Standing across from him is Aaron Chalmers — a man who has lived more lives than most fighters combined. The Geordie Shore reality TV star turned professional fighter went 4-0 in MMA before signing with Bellator, where he went 2-2. He's one of just seven fighters to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout, and has gone 2-0 in BKFC, finishing both opponents by stoppage. Till himself acknowledged Chalmers' credibility: "He's got a lot of balls on him to fight me and fight the likes of Floyd Mayweather."
This is BKFC. No gloves. No mercy. No backing down.
🔔 SMASH THE BELL. The press conference starts NOW.
🎟️ Tickets: axs.com | 📺 Watch BKFC 90 LIVE: watch.bkfc.com
#BKFC90 #BareKnuckle #TierneyVsFranco #DarrenTill #TillVsChalmers #Birmingham #BKFC
