IBA Bare Knuckle is set to make its United States debut on July 18th at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. Further announcements regarding the official fight card, ticket sales and fight week activities will be released soon. Representing a significant milestone in the IBA's global expansion, the event will feature MMA legend Jon “Bones” Jones on the sidelines as the official ambassador and host for the evening. IBA Bare Knuckle aims to bring together elite athletes from various combat sports disciplines, champions from multi-sport backgrounds, world-class coaches, and prominent combat sports personalities onto a single unified global stage.
Since its inception in 2025, IBA Bare Knuckle has staged four events in the CIS region, generating widespread international engagement, selling out venues, and accumulating more than 500 million digital views and engagements across its media platforms. The latest iteration, IBA Bare Knuckle 4, which was headlined by former UFC champion Yoel Romero, achieved, according to IBA, over 120 million views and interactions worldwide. The upcoming Miami event brings this momentum directly into the American market. The premium fight night at the James L. Knight Center will blend elite bare-knuckle competition with high-end sports entertainment, capturing the unique energy of Miami.
Chris Roberts OBE, IBA Secretary General and CEO, expressed his confidence in the significance of hosting the event in the USA: “Our entry into the United States represents a pivotal moment in the global expansion of the IBA. We are not just bringing a world-class sport entertainment platform to Miami; we are establishing a sustainable pipeline for elite combat sports athletes on a truly international scale. The American market has an immense appetite for high-calibre, authentic combat sport events, and IBA Bare Knuckle is ready to deliver exactly that.”
The US debut signals IBA Bare Knuckle’s global ambitions and its commitment to introducing its fighter-first model to the Western combat sports market. The organisation plans to steadily continue its international expansion throughout 2026 and beyond, with the Miami event serving as the primary launchpad for American audiences, athletes, media, and industry partners.
