World's Baddest Man is an informal combat-sports title for whoever is considered the most dangerous fighter alive. Since July 2025 it has also been the name of a specific BKFC project: a tournament bracket announced with a $25 million prize pool, now scheduled to run as a competition series on FOX Nation premiering in summer 2027.
Origins and Usage
The phrase has deep roots. It was attached to Mike Tyson during his heavyweight reign in the late 1980s and has since been used loosely, and without any governing body behind it, to describe whichever fighter is currently regarded as the most feared. It carries no lineage, no sanctioning and no formal criteria. That is precisely why promotions like it: the phrase is available.
The BKFC Tournament
BKFC attached the name to a bracket competition announced by Conor McGregor and BKFC president David Feldman at the promotion's Champions Summit in Hollywood, Florida on July 10-11, 2025. As announced, it was a 32-fighter, open-weight field from 185 lbs to 265 lbs with $25 million in total purses and a March 2026 start.
That start did not happen. Feldman confirmed in early June 2026 that the tournament had moved to 2027, and on July 14, 2026 FOX News Media announced that FOX Nation would carry it as a documentary competition series premiering in summer 2027, hosted and executive-produced by McGregor. The FOX release describes the prize only as "an eight-figure prize pool" rather than restating the $25 million figure.
No bout has been fought under the tournament banner, no bracket has been published and no entrant has been confirmed. The corrected record is set out on our status page: the $25 million BKFC tournament.
Related Terms
- Tournament Bracket — the elimination format announced for the competition
- KnuckleMania — BKFC's flagship annual event, which does run
- Super Fight — a one-off marquee matchup, distinct from a bracket
- Bare Knuckle — the format itself
See Also
- BKFC — the promotion behind the tournament
- BKFC lands on FOX Nation — the July 2026 broadcast deal