BKFC allows fighters to wrap and tape their wrist, thumb, and mid-hand, but no gauze or tape can be placed within one inch of these areas. Only closed-fist punches are permitted. Referees stop fights if fighters fall down and don’t get back up within 10 seconds.
Rounds last 2 minutes each, and bouts last five rounds. Boxing trunks, boxing or wrestling shoes, a groin protector with a cup, and a mouthpiece are all part of the attire. The fight takes place in a circular ring, often referred to as the squared circle.
Joe Rogan was baffled that bare-knuckle fighters do not use gloves. He said, “It’s kinda crazy that the one thing that’s padded [the hands]… you’re kinda padding it because it’s vulnerable.”
Joe Rogan question Mike Perry about the reasons behind BKFC fighters not wearing gloves. Instead, they just encase their hands, leaving the knuckles exposed. Rogan added, “It [the gloves] definitely protects the fighter, and it’s definitely safer for the fighter. But is it realistic? Why is this one thing encased? Why are your hands encased?”
“It seems barbaric to be able to hit someone with bare-knuckle, but that’s the real thing,” he added.