Kings of the north: The region producing BKFC's British stars after Newcastle show

Remarkably, of the five British male fighters currently ranked by BKFC, the world’s leading bare-knuckle promotion, three (60%) come from the northernmost regions of England.

At the front of the pack is Mick Terrill, the current BKFC heavyweight champion. Terrill’s rise has seen him fight on major BKFC events on both sides of the Atlantic, most recently in a dramatic stoppage, title defending, win over Lorenzo Hunt in Los Angeles, California.

In close pursuit of Terrill is the newly crowned BKFC European Champion, Agi Faulkner. On November 2nd, in front of a record-breaking and energetic crowd in Newcastle, Faulkner claimed the BKFC European heavyweight title. Currently ranked as the #5 contender for the BKFC Heavyweight belt, Faulkner made a bold statement about his future as he exited the ring in Newcastle.

“I would love a fight overseas," Faulkner claimed. "I want to keep pushing on, climbing up the ladder, and next take on someone from within the Top 5 heavyweights in the world. I want to test myself against someone at that level now.”

In addition to Terrill and Faulkner, Carlisle’s own Danny Christie has been a prominent name on the BKFC circuit over the past two years. In October, at BKFC’s DAZN event in Marbella, Spain, Christie faced BKFC’s pound-for-pound #1 and middleweight champion, American David Mundell, but came up short in a hard-fought contest.

Despite this, and still holding the #5 rank in the light heavyweight division, Christie announced his retirement from BKFC two weeks ago via his YouTube channel, explaining. “I’ve had an incredible run… I’m in a brilliant position, I’ve done really well, and I thank God.”

Meanwhile, leading BKFC figures were keen to use the show in Newcastle as a leading indicator of the passion for bare-knuckle fighting which exists in the north of England.

David Feldman, President of BKFC said: "These regions are really showing their strength within the promotion. In addition to the individual performances and titles, just look at the recent show in Newcastle. The atmosphere was incredible. The energy in the arena was electric, and breaking our British attendance record there speaks volumes about the passion and support for bare-knuckle fighting in the area."

Marc Ramsden, Chief Operating Officer of BKFC UK, also added: “The north has always produced great fighters, and we are seeing that some of the major prospects coming through the ranks continue to represent the north.

"We are a growing sport, looking to shine a light on young, up-and-coming talent. Our prospect shows, which will return to the UK in 2025, are designed for this exact reason - to continue the growth of the sport throughout the UK, while giving fighters the chance to make a name for themselves.

"The north of England will play an important role in our expansion, and we are really pleased to see the talent coming through, and making a name for themselves on a global platform, putting the north of England on the map.”