Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, aka “The Most Violent Show on Earth,” returns to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 10. CEO and original BMF champion Jorge Masvidal now has UFC veterans Roy Nelson and Alan Belcher taking center stage in a heavyweight title eliminator.
For those who missed it, Masvidal’s last show at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. featured former UFC heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum — ultimately resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the 39-year-old Dos Santos. Either Nelson or Belcher will go on to face JDS next for the inaugural Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title in early 2024.
“[JDS v. Nelson/Belcher] will be for the heavyweight championship of the world,” Masvidal said following Dos Santos v. Werdum. “Hard Rock Stadium in January. That is our plan. Hopefully, on that card Joel Bauman will be facing somebody for the [middleweight] championship as well.”
Nelson, who was a fan favorite in the UFC heavyweight division for close to a decade, has taken 16 of his 24 professional MMA wins by knockout including a TKO over Dillon Clecker at Gamebred FC 4 in May. Win or lose, the 47-year-old better known as “Big Country” always find a way to deliver non-stop action.
“Fight of the night,” Masvidal guaranteed of Nelson v. Belcher. “It’s going to be that type of heat. Both guys are pressure fighters. [Belcher] moves a lot more, and [Nelson] is coming forward and fucking creating action the entire time. It’s a movie when [Nelson] fights.”
On the other hand, Belcher competed in the UFC from 2006-2013 and went on to become the Bare Knuckle FC heavyweight champion via knockout back in February. Now the 39-year-old talent aims his sights at a second bare knuckle title to add atop his mantle of savagery.
Belcher also knows what lies ahead regarding a potential matchup against the legendary Dos Santos, but all attention remains on the task at hand of Nelson given he has to defend home turf on the Mississippi coast first.
“I’m focused on Roy Nelson right now,” Belcher reiterated during an in-cage interview in Jacksonville. “I’m going to knock him out. I’ve got to get him out of the way, and then I’m going to fight [JDS].”
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA’s Nov. 11 card in Biloxi, Miss. will also play host to bouts such as Curtis Millender v. Joel Bauman, Joe Penafiel v. Brandon Davis, Chris Sarro v. Hector Lombard, Chase Sherman v. Carl Seumanatafa, Jason Knight v. Randy Costa, Alex Nicholson v. Dillon Cleckler and more.