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Paulie Malignaggi won’t be the only former world champion on the June 22nd Bare Knuckle FC show, as 44-year-old Randall Bailey has reportedly joined the promotion and, according to a press release, will face 24-year-old Brazilian MMA fighter Daniel Santos in his 155-pound debut.
Official Press Release for #BKFC6 @PaulMalignaggi @RusHammerMMA will headline @bareknucklefc BKFC 6
— FITE (@FiteTV) May 28, 2019
Stars like Randall Bailey, Elvin Brito, Jim Alers, Abdiel Velazquez and many more!
June 22 on #FITETV ️ pic.twitter.com/t8KnrxUSpA
Bailey (46-9, 39 KO) retired from the sport in 2016 after a loss to Jeff Horn, capping a 20-year pro career that saw him win titles at super lightweight and welterweight. “The KO King” was forever held back by stamina and durability issues, but remains one of the most ferocious punchers to enter the squared circle in recent memory. Even if this turns out to be more a sideshow attraction than a genuine effort, the idea of eating one of his right hands bare-knuckle is nightmare-inducing.
I’d talk about Daniel Santos here, but I’m not actually sure which Daniel Santos it is. My best guess would be 6-1 Daniel “Willycat” Santos, who is the correct age, but Santos normally fights at 135 pounds and is already booked for a June 28th MMA fight in Sao Paulo. This was probably a more lucrative option, though.
BKFC 6, headlined by Malignaggi’s bout with Conor McGregor protege Artem Lobov, also features UFC veteran Chris Leben and the finals of the promotion’s lightweight tournament.