Philadelphia doesn’t need an excuse to show up loud, loyal, and hungry for a main event—but KnuckleMania VI is the kind of night that turns the volume up on the whole city. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is bringing its flagship spectacle back to South Philly on Saturday, February 7, 2026, taking over Xfinity Mobile Arena with a card that feels built for our kind of winter: cold outside, hot inside, and absolutely unapologetic.
After BKFC’s KnuckleMania V set a local, modern-day combat sports attendance record of 17,762 on January 25, 2025, the impact is clear—this isn’t a novelty stop. This is a Philadelphia proclamation, and KnuckleMania VI is positioned to be bigger, meaner, and more cinematic from the opening bell to the last walkout.
KnuckleMania VI: A Philly-First Combat Week, Not Just a Fight Night
KnuckleMania V is not being treated like a single Saturday night brawl—it’s being framed as a multi-day Philly experience that celebrates BKFC’s roots in the city while building momentum right into fight night. The week kicks into gear with a public press conference on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 2 p.m., with the location to be announced, setting the tone for what BKFC promises will be a full-throttle weekend.
On Friday, February 6, the official weigh-ins take place at 7 p.m. at Stateside Live!, and the energy doesn’t stop there—Stateside Live! also hosts “Night of Champions” at 8:30 p.m., honoring Eddie Alvarez and bringing fans face-to-face with top fighters in a meet-and-greet environment that feels tailor-made for anyone who wants the full backstage-to-spotlight journey.
Then comes the moment the city has circled in permanent marker: KnuckleMania VI fight night, Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 7 p.m., inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. And if you want to lock it in the way BKFC intends, the simplest move is to grab tickets directly through BKFC.com and treat it like a proper winter outing—part sports theater, part Philly pride, and part raw combat truth.
KnuckleMania VI: The Main Event Muscle and a Co-Main With Teeth
At the top of the bill, KnuckleMania VI brings a heavyweight clash that’s equal parts history, ego, and unfinished business. ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell defends his BKFC Heavyweight World Title against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski, and the storyline has real bite because Rothwell isn’t pretending this is a fresh rivalry.
He put it bluntly: “I’m fighting a guy who has two wins against me on the MMA circuit. This is a fight that I wasn’t sure was going to happen, but here it is, it’s happening. I have some big words to back up, but I sincerely mean what I’ve said. When you come to do bare knuckle, it’s a different animal, and it’s something that I know passionately. I’m going to prove that I’m the best heavyweight in the world.” That’s not polite promotion—that’s a man telling you he’s here to rewrite a record with his fists.
Arlovski answered in the only way Arlovski does, with a dose of chaos and a direct promise to show up sharp: “(Expletive) you guys. I’ll prove you wrong, again. Feb. 7 in Philadelphia. Stay healthy and train hard, my friend.” Even through the swagger, you can hear the veteran edge—he knows what a hostile arena can do to momentum, and Philly isn’t exactly known for cheering quietly.
The co-main is a different kind of tension—more personal, more venomous, and potentially more explosive. BKFC Fighting Legend and Current Light Heavyweight Champion Lorenzo ‘The Juggernaut’ Hunt meets Cuban MMA Legend Yoel ‘Soldier of God’ Romero in a non-title matchup at a catchweight of 210lbs.
Hunt didn’t come to play diplomat: “I’m coming here to get rid of this guy. He’s been spoiled. He’s been taken care of. He’s been playing the ‘paper champ game.’ I’m the real deal, and I’m getting rid of this guy. Let’s go, Philly.”
And when Hunt explains the difference between worlds, he makes it clear why KnuckleMania VI matters: “This is a different sport. This is different. You don’t get to grapple and hold on until the ref stops. A lot of the garbage you got taught in MMA, you don’t get to do here. And who better to teach them than me? And where better to teach them than Philly?” That’s the pitch in one breath: bare knuckle isn’t MMA with less padding—it’s a new rulebook for pain and composure.
Romero, true to form, brought a spiritual calm that somehow feels even more ominous: “Thank you, BKFC, for being here one more time. BKFC is an amazing company. God gave me talent and opportunity, and everything is possible when you believe. God bless everyone.” In Philly, that kind of calm can read like confidence—or the quiet before something violent.
KnuckleMania VI: Rivalries, Philly Favorites, and the Card’s Real Flavor
A great combat event needs more than two headliners—it needs stakes throughout the night, and KnuckleMania VI is loaded with the kind of matchups that produce grudges, highlight reels, and that hoarse voice you wake up with the next morning. In the feature fight, #2 Ranked lightweight Ben ‘The Bomber’ Bonner faces #3 Ranked Tony ‘Loco’ Soto in a rivalry rematch that’s already proven it can deliver chaos.
Their first fight on June 21, 2025, was labeled a sure-fire Fight of the Year candidate, and Soto is returning with a promise that’s as subtle as a brick: “I’m going to (expletive) him up. I’m going to beat the living (expletive) out of him, because this is the first time that I’m fighting with BKFC close to where I’m from, Brooklyn, and we’re going to knock these (expletives) down.” That’s a man trying to turn proximity into power.
On the women’s side, KnuckleMania VI gives fans a long-awaited rematch between elite lightweights as #1-ranked Jade Masson-Wong meets Crystal ‘The Rugged Beauty’ Pittman, the kind of matchup that tends to deliver skill first and violence second—but never skips either.
Then there’s the part that makes Philly events feel like Philly events: hometown fighters with real neighborhood energy. John Garbarino Jr., Pat Brady, Pat Sullivan, Joey Dawejko, Lex Ludlow, and Zedekiah Montanez are listed among the local favorites, adding that “this is our house” electricity to the undercard, and the quotes coming out of the launch press conference show exactly how personal these nights can get.
John ‘Johnny Cannoli’ Garbarino said, “I just want to say that I appreciate everybody from the bottom of my heart. I’m going to avenge my guy, Pat Sullivan, and I’m 100 percent now, and I’m working my butt off. I’ve had a lot of time to be prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually, and I’m going to (expletive) him up.” Pat ‘The Irishman’ Sullivan added, “We might steal the show that night. He’s a legend. We’re going to put on a show, and it’s going to go however I want it.”
Patrick ‘The Brick’ Brady went straight to the point: “This (expletive) is going to be fireworks. We’re both 2-0. He’s a big boy. It’s going to be fun. This is a fight that I liked and wanted. I plan to always push myself and fight the best guys.”
And Lex ‘The Grizzly Bear’ Ludlow delivered a Philly-flavored mix of humor and threat: “I know this guy needs a good paycheck. Let’s get him off the streets and give him a good paycheck. I’m going to bless Zach Calmus by knocking him out on Feb. 7 in front of everybody, and then I’m going to call Chris Camozzi out again, and we’ll see if he’s man enough to step into the ring with me.”
BKFC’s Founder and President David Feldman framed the whole weekend like a promise, and it’s hard not to believe him when Philly’s involved: “We have a lot of fireworks that we’re going to announce in the next couple of weeks. Thank you to the fans and the fighters. This is going to be the biggest and best event that we’ve put on in the history of BKFC.”
Then he distilled the brand philosophy into one line that’s basically the unofficial motto of anyone who buys these tickets: “This is the baddest, purest combat sport on the face of Planet Earth. People want real, and this is as real as it gets.” Add in Golden Ticket winners Matt Semelsberger and Christian Fayne—selected from more than 60 fighters at tryouts—and you’ve got a card designed to feel stacked from top to bottom, not just top-heavy.
Ding! Ding!
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