BKFC has announced three fights for its KnuckleMania 6 card on February 7, 2026.
The event is set to take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia and will feature three UFC veterans, including Ben Rothwell, Andrei Arlovski and Yoel Romero.
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Rothwell won the BKFC heavyweight title by brutally stopping Mick Terrill in January at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo CenterCredit: BKFCBen Rothwell vs Andrei Arlovski headlines BKFC KnuckleMania 6
Rothwell will defend his BKFC heavyweight title in the main event against former UFC champion Arlovski.
Arlovski has already defeated his fellow ex-UFC heavyweight twice in MMA, but now has the chance to compete for bare-knuckle boxing gold at the promotion part-owned by Conor McGregor.
Rothwell fought 17 times in the UFC between 2009 and 2021, the 44-year-old winning the BKFC heavyweight title in January by scoring a swift knockout win over Briton Mick Terrill.
‘Big’ is 4-0 in the sport, having built up a remarkable MMA record of 37-14 since he first entered the sport as a professional in January 2001.
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Arlovski, meanwhile, was the UFC heavyweight champion in 2005, and his fight against Rothwell will be his second with bare fists.
The 46-year-old faced off with Rothwell in the BKFC ring after a successful debut in June, and enters the bout having knocked out reality TV star Kelechi Dyke under the Misfits Boxing banner in his last fight.
Also at KnuckleMania 6, former UFC middleweight title challenger Romero faces former BKFC light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Lorenzo Hunt.
Romero has fought Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Luke Rockhold during his UFC career.
He takes on Hunt for his second bare-knuckle bout in a catchweight fight at 210lbs.
Middlesbrough native Ben Bonner is set to make his return on the Philadelphia card to fight Tony Soto, too.
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Rothwell and Arlovski fought for the second time at UFC San Antonio in July 2019Credit: Getty
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Arlovski won the bout via unanimous decision after three roundsCredit: Getty
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The former UFC champion also defeated Rothwell in 2008 under the Affliction banner, stopping the American in the third roundCredit: Getty
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The heavyweights went to war in both bouts, and fans can expect more of the same at KnuckleMania 6Credit: Getty
Bonner shockingly defeated Soto in June via unanimous decision to win the promotion’s lightweight title, but lost a narrow split decision to Franco Tengalia in his subsequent bout.
Bonner vs Tengalia was one of two semi-finals as part of BKFC’s lightweight title tournament, with Luis Palomino set to fight Tengalia in the final in 2026.
Conor McGregor brought more eyes to the sport
Speaking to talkSPORT.com in June, Bonner discussed the impact McGregor has made since he joined forces with BKFC last year.
“Conor is a phenomenal athlete: a world champion, who was at the top of his sport when he was competing,” Bonner said.
“When he came into the company, it brought eyes to the sport and brought more money.
“Him, like a lot of other people, respects what I do… Conor knows a superstar when he sees one, and I’m one.”
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McGregor has been involved with BKFC since April 2024 and has played a key role in building up hype for some of the promotion’s biggest cardsCredit: BKFC
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Briton Bonner fought his way to a title in the promotionCredit: BKFC
BKFC is set to continue the momentum in 2026 through its sixth rendition of KnuckleMania.