BKFC no longer has a contractual agreement with James Brown, and the six-fight promotional vet has made his first public statement on parting ways with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. The man who was previously positioned as Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s number four-ranked featherweight contender now no longer fights for the Conor McGregor-helmed property, per a press release from the bare-knuckle promotion’s PR representative.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship‘s statement on the matter of ‘Get Down’ Brown no longer fighting for the federation reads as follows,
“Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) announced today that the organization and fighter James Brown have mutually agreed to part ways. BKFC appreciates James Brown’s contributions during his time with the organization and wishes him continued success in his career. After careful consideration, BKFC determined that moving in separate directions is the right decision for the organization and its continued growth.”
“The decision reflects BKFC’s focus on building a roster centered around the sport’s most entertaining, marketable, and compelling fighters, while continuing to deliver the highest level of excitement to its fans. BKFC remains focused on growing the sport, expanding its global audience, and establishing the world’s premier bare-knuckle fighting platform.”
BKFC Departure Clarified by James Brown Himself
James Brown was reached out to for a comment on this breaking news regarding him no longer being a contracted fighter under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship banner. When responding to that request to offer up his side of things, Brown stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I want to make it clear that this decision was never about turning my back on BKFC or chasing the biggest paycheck. I’ve loved fighting for BKFC, and I’m grateful for the opportunities the organization has given me. At this point in my career, though, activity and the opportunity to advance are extremely important to me. I’m a competitor. I want to fight, stay active, test myself against the best, and continue working toward becoming a world champion.”
“I’ve been ranked among the top featherweights in BKFC, and I believe I still have a lot left to accomplish in this sport. I simply had to make the decision that gave me the clearest path to staying active and continuing to move my career forward. There’s no bad blood on my end. I respect BKFC, the people there, and the fans who have supported me. This is a career decision, and I’m excited for what comes next.”
At this juncture, James Brown leaves Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after a tenure that lasted for over three and a half years. The 32-year-old kickstarted things by securing three straight wins with a unanimous decision win over Stevo Morris. Thereafter, Brown would secure back-to-back stoppages over Mike Alvarado and Bovar Khanakov, respectively.
Brown’s lone BKFC setback came against former 145-pound title challenger Howard ‘HD’ Davis in September 2024. But ‘Get Down’ would close out his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship tenure with consecutive victories over Ramiro Figueroa and Dan Chapman to post a 2-0 ledger in 2025. Both of those combatants had been unbeaten in gloveless combat, with Brown putting the first blemish on both of their bare-knuckle ledgers.
James Bown has not seen any live professional combat sports competition this calendar year, with the aforementioned Chapman win coming last October.
