Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship awards thirteen world titles: ten men's divisions and three women's. The newest, Ironweight, was created in June 2026 as a 225-pound class between cruiserweight (205) and heavyweight (unlimited), and its first title fight was held in July.
The belts have moved a lot in 2026. Six of the thirteen undisputed titles changed hands or were created between January and September, and the latest change came at BKFC 94 in Manchester on 26 September. This page lists every current holder as bkfc.com shows them, with the event where each belt was won.
Who Are the Current BKFC Champions?
Checked against the bkfc.com rankings page on 27 September 2026.
| Division | Limit | Champion | Won the belt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Unlimited | Andrei Arlovski | KnuckleMania VI, Philadelphia, 7 Feb 2026 |
| Ironweight | 225 lb | Lorenzo Hunt | BKFC 91, Naples, 18 Jul 2026 |
| Cruiserweight | 205 lb | Esteban Rodriguez | BKFC 88, Denver, 17 Apr 2026 (interim title) |
| Light Heavyweight | 185 lb | Lorenzo Hunt | BKFC 84, Palm Desert, 15 Nov 2025 |
| Middleweight | 175 lb | Jack Cullen | BKFC 94, Manchester, 26 Sep 2026 |
| Welterweight | 165 lb | Dustin Pague | BKFC 86, Uncasville, 17 Jan 2026 |
| Lightweight | 155 lb | Ben Bonner | BKFC Liberty Brawl, Philadelphia, 3 Jul 2026 |
| Featherweight | 145 lb | Kai Stewart | BKFC 44, Great Falls, 9 Jun 2023 |
| Bantamweight | 135 lb | Jamel Herring | BKFC 89, Palm Desert, 22 May 2026 |
| Flyweight | 125 lb | John Dodson | BKFC 48, Albuquerque, 11 Aug 2023 |
| Women's Featherweight | 145 lb | Jessica Borga | BKFC 72, Dubai, 5 Apr 2025 |
| Women's Flyweight | 125 lb | Christine Ferea | KnuckleMania 2, Hollywood FL, 19 Feb 2022 |
| Women's Strawweight | 115 lb | Britain Hart | BKFC 29, Great Falls, 10 Sep 2022 |
Interim champions: bkfc.com lists Rico Franco as interim welterweight champion (won at BKFC 90, Birmingham, 30 May 2026) and Andrew Strode as interim flyweight champion (BKFC 78, Hollywood FL, 12 July 2025).
The cruiserweight belt is the one to watch. Alessio Sakara won the undisputed title from Chris Camozzi at BKFC 83 in Rome on 25 October 2025. Esteban Rodriguez then stopped Camozzi for the interim title at BKFC 88 in April 2026. bkfc.com's rankings now show Rodriguez as the division's champion, while some trackers still list Sakara as champion and Rodriguez as interim. Until BKFC announces how the two are resolved, treat the division as unsettled.
Lorenzo Hunt holds two belts at once (light heavyweight and ironweight) and sits first in bkfc.com's men's pound-for-pound ranking.
The Title-Defence Record
For three years the BKFC record was Luis Palomino's six straight lightweight defences, made between November 2020 and June 2023. He later vacated that belt.
Kai Stewart matched it on 29 August 2026. He beat Harry Gigliotti on a unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) at BKFC 92 at Fenway Park for his sixth featherweight defence, and he is still unbeaten in BKFC. His next successful defence would give him the record on his own.
Among the women, Britain Hart has been the only strawweight champion since the title was created. She beat Charisa Sigala for the inaugural belt in 2022 and defended it again at BKFC Liberty Brawl in July 2026.
The 2026 Title Changes
- Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski stopped Ben Rothwell in the third round at KnuckleMania VI (7 February, Philadelphia).
- Welterweight: Dustin Pague beat Julian Lane at BKFC 86 (17 January, Uncasville, Connecticut). The fight was scored a draw after five rounds and Pague won the extra round.
- Cruiserweight (interim): Esteban Rodriguez knocked out Chris Camozzi in the fourth round at BKFC 88 (17 April, Denver).
- Bantamweight: the former WBO super featherweight boxing champion Jamel Herring beat Michael Larrimore on a unanimous decision for the vacant title at BKFC 89 (22 May, Palm Desert).
- Lightweight: England's Ben Bonner knocked out Austin Trout in the second round for the vacant title at BKFC Liberty Brawl (3 July, Philadelphia). It was Trout's first bare-knuckle loss.
- Ironweight (new): Lorenzo Hunt knocked out Walter Pugliesi to become the first ironweight champion at BKFC 91 (18 July, Naples).
- Middleweight: Jack Cullen beat the long-reigning David Mundell on a split decision at BKFC 94 (26 September, Manchester). It was only Cullen's third bare-knuckle fight, and the decision came after an extra round.
How BKFC Championships Work
Every BKFC bout, title fight or not, is scheduled for five two-minute rounds, fought in a circular pit with hands wrapped short of the knuckle. When a title fight is level on the scorecards after five rounds, the recent Pague and Cullen fights show that it can go to an extra deciding round. The full ruleset, including where each weight class cuts off, is on our BKFC rules page.
BKFC's weight limits follow its own table rather than the unified-rules table the commissions use for other bare-knuckle promotions: its welterweight limit is 165 lb, and the Ironweight class exists only in BKFC.
At the 2025 Champions Summit, BKFC and co-owner Conor McGregor said champions and long-tenured fighters would be offered equity stakes in the promotion valued between $100,000 and $3 million. More on the ownership side is on our McGregor and BKFC ownership page. The $25 million heavyweight tournament announced at the same summit has not started. Its status is tracked on our $25 million tournament page.
BKFC Title History: Key Milestones
- 2018: BKFC holds its first sanctioned card in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Arnold Adams becomes the first heavyweight champion at BKFC 3 in October 2018.
- 2020–2023: Luis Palomino wins the lightweight title in July 2020 and makes six straight defences. In June 2022 he also takes the welterweight belt from Elvin Brito at BKFC 26 and becomes the first fighter to hold two BKFC titles at once.
- 2024: Austin Trout, a former WBA super welterweight world champion in gloved boxing, beats Palomino for the welterweight title at BKFC 57.
- 2026: Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski wins the heavyweight belt, Ironweight becomes the thirteenth division, and Kai Stewart matches Palomino's defence record.
Why BKFC Championships Matter
Former world champions from gloved boxing and the UFC now fight for these belts: Arlovski, Herring and Trout all had BKFC title fights in 2026. For the rest of the promotion, see our BKFC organization guide. For how BKFC compares with the UFC, see BKFC vs UFC.
For the women competing at championship level, see our BKFC female fighters guide. The BKFC 2026 schedule lists upcoming cards. For what the belts are worth in cash, see how much BKFC fighters make. The official source for results and rankings is bkfc.com, and full fights and highlights are on the BKFC YouTube channel.
