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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Bare Knuckle Fight League are making their official entry into India, marking a significant expansion into one of the world’s largest combat sports markets.
The move is being spearheaded by World League of Fighters, BKFC’s license holder, which is co-founded by Rajesh Banga, Sunil Mathew and Siraj Gill. The organization has brought in prominent film producer Parag Sanghvi and Bollywood star and martial artist Tiger Shroff to join the board alongside BKFC founder and president David Feldman and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, who became a part-owner of BFKC in 2024.
WLF previously delivered a sold-out BKFC event in Dubai last year, which the organization describes as the biggest bare-knuckle fighting event held in the Middle East.
The India expansion will introduce a team-based bare-knuckle league format – marking the first time such a structure has been implemented in the history of the sport. The format will feature six inaugural teams: Crushers, Punishers, Warriors, Phantoms, Gladiators and Infernos, transforming individual fights into a franchise-based competition.
Rahul Saxena has been appointed CEO to lead the platform. He brings experience in scaling global brands to the role.
“India is not just a market – it is the future of global combat sports,” Banga, Mathew and Gill said in a joint statement. “Together with BKFC, BKFL and WLF, we are building an ecosystem that will develop Indian fighters, create global stars and deliver world-class fight entertainment to millions of fans.”
Sanghvi positioned the venture as an opportunity to build a sports intellectual property from India with global reach. “This is where world-class storytelling meets raw, uncompromising sport,” he said. “With WLF, BKFC and Conor McGregor, we are not just launching a league – we are architecting a global sports IP from India that will command attention, talent and fandom worldwide.”
Feldman emphasized India’s longstanding position in the organization’s expansion strategy. “India has been on our roadmap for a long time,” he said. “The scale, the energy, the culture — there is no place like it. With the leadership team we have assembled and our partnership with WLF, we are bringing the purest form of combat sports to a nation ready for it.”
McGregor, who serves as a global partner for BKFC, framed the expansion as transformative. “India has warriors in its DNA,” he said. “What we’re building with BKFC and BKFL in India will be something the world has never seen before. This is not just expansion – this is a revolution.”
Shroff, joining McGregor as a board member, highlighted the cultural significance of the venture. “Honored to stand alongside Conor McGregor as we create something truly historic for Indian sport,” he said. “This is more than a fight – it’s a global movement, and history is being written. Just like cinema, sport is a celebration of talent and skill, and Parag [Sanghvi] and I are committed to turning this into a landmark moment for India.”
The first official BKFC and BKFL team-based events are scheduled for 2026, with venue and fight card details to be announced.
English (US) ·