SUNRISE, Florida – The complete undercard has been announced for Jorge Masvidal‘s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event this Friday, May 5, in Florida’s first-ever bareknuckle MMA event, topped by an explosive battle between hard-hitting former UFC and Bellator heavyweight star Roy “Big Country” Nelson and dangerous knockout artist Dillon “Bad Boy” Cleckler.
The 12-fight event broadcasts live at 8 p.m. ET via Jorge Masvidal’s Youtube and Facebook pages, plus the Gambred Promotions YouTube and Gamebred FC Facebook pages. The jam-packed night of fights takes place from FLA Live Arena, with tickets to the live event available through Ticketmaster.com.
The broadcast will be helmed by well-known commentator, rock star and former MMA pro Robin Black, UFC star Marlon “Chito” Vera and MMA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
In the night’s three-round light heavyweight co-main event, Rio Cuarto, Cordoba, Argentina’s former PFL light heavyweight champion Emiliano “He Man” Sordi (23-12-1) will take on UFC veteran Markus “Maluko” Perez (14-6) from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The 32-year-old Sordi has also competed in UAE Warriors, Bellator and Dana White’s Contender Series. Perez, also 32 years old, is a former competitor for Jungle Fight and the Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he is the former middleweight champion. Perez was last seen scoring a boxing TKO over fellow UFC vet Joe Riggs at the Gamebred Boxing 4 event in April of this year.
In a three-round welterweight bout, Jonathan “Super Saiyan” Tuck (11-5), the first Chamorro native from Guam to be signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will face Brazilian Handesson “Boy Doido” Ferreira (18-5-1), a former 1RoundCombat, Max Fight, Gemeos Fight and Jungle Fight Champion.
In a three-round heavyweight slugfest, Orlando, Florida via Guayaquil, Ecuador’s Joseph “The Party” Penafiel (11-5) will do battle with Eagle Fighting Championship, UFC, and Titan FC vet Irwin “The Beast” Rivera (11-5) of Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico.
In another three-round heavyweight battle, undefeated 265-pound Jamahl Tatum (5-0) of Louisiana will face Samoan Bellator, Strikeforce, ShoXC, EliteXC, Tachi Palace Fights, King of the Cage, M-1 Global, and PFL veteran Carl “Badwater” Seumanutafa (12-14).
Also scheduled is a welterweight three-rounder between Nigerian American UFC, WEC, and ONE Championship veteran Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani (16-13), currently of Garland, Texas, taking on Pensacola, Florida’s James Freeman (6-6), a longtime veteran of the Island Fights organization.
Another three-round heavyweight matchup will feature 6-foot-6 and 265-pound Bellator alumnus Darion Abbey (4-3) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa taking on 6-foot-3 and 257-pound BKFC No. 5-ranked heavyweight and Bellator/Island Fights vet “Big” Frank Tate (6-7 MMA) of Birmingham, Alabama.
In a lightweight battle, MMA legend Charles “Felony” Bennett (30-44), a popular veteran of PRIDE Fighting Championships, Rizin FF, EliteXC, King of the Cage, World Extreme Fighting, ShoXC and, most recently, BKFC, will bring his unpredictable and explosive fighting style back to MMA to face Westerville, Ohio’s Keith Speed (5-6) over three rounds.
And in the opening bout of the main card, Jacksonville, Florida’s Fidel Paulino will make his professional MMA debut (5-2 amateur) against karate specialist Alexander “Pretty Boy” Schenk (3-2) of Clarksville, Tennessee.
In a pair of preliminary bouts, Pensacola’s Juan “Wildchild” Alvarez (1-0) will fight a featherweight three-rounder, while Miami featherweight Ryan “Third Street Savage” Kuse (6-1) will go three bareknuckle rounds against an opponent that is TBA.
