MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Derek Brunson, a longtime UFC middleweight, will try bare-knuckle fighting for the first time next month in Myrtle Beach. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship said Saturday it has signed the 42-year-old and will put him on its Fight Night card here on Nov. 20.
No opponent has been named. The promotion also has not said what weight the bout will be contested at or how many fights his deal covers.
The show is booked for the Myrtle Beach Sports Center with an 8 p.m. start. Keith Richardson and Joshua Oxendine top the card, with Evan Pierce facing Diego Romo at middleweight and Austen Coleman meeting Alex Eliam at bantamweight also on the bill.
Brunson, a Wilmington, North Carolina, native, carries a 24-9 professional MMA record. His last outing came in November 2023 in the PFL, where he beat Ray Cooper III by unanimous decision in his first fight after leaving the UFC.
The switch strips away the wrestling that carried much of his career. Bare-knuckle rules allow closed-fist punches only, with no kicks, knees, elbows or grappling, and no strikes on a fighter who has been knocked down.
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