Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship at CLA

Tyler Ryan speaks with members of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

COLUMBIA SC (WOLO)- Since 2018, Bare Knuckle Fighting has exponentially, and on Friday, the Championships come to the Colonial Life Arena.

Bare Knuckle Fighting, according to organization representative Vito Thomaselli, bare knuckle fighting has it’s roots in boxing, with a few notable differences, including the lack of gloves.  The matches are fought with, as the name suggests, bare knuckles.  Another difference, according to Thomaselli is the shape of the ring, which is a squared circle, made of iron.  The iron is a major change, as with boxing, the traditional ring has some give, and you can use it defensively, however, with iron, there is no give.  He says that the sport continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in the County, because everyone can understand it, citing that it is “raw.”

Another adjective that professional fighter Taylor Starling uses is “violent.”  Starling’s roots in the competitive fighting world came from kick-boxing, MMA, and traditional boxing, but she she says that being a part of the “bare knuckle story,” in that it blew up “over night” was a motivating factor to ditch the gloves.

Starling says that it is “super awesome,” and gives her the opportunity to be “cute and super violent.”  She does point out, however, despite the roughness of the sport, she has been injured more in gloved boxing and MMA, more so than with bare knuckle.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships are coming to the Colonial Life Arena on Friday night, for an evening of raw competition.

Starling says that the events are a lot of fun for fans, with the music, lights, DJ, and of course the fighters who but on a great show.   It should be noted, that unlike other competitive sports – where off the field, or out of the rings, athletes are friends,  when asked if it is the same in bare knuckle fighting, Starling says “No – we’re not baking cookies.”

You can find ticket information for the Friday night event HERE.

Learn more about the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships HERE.

Connect with Tayler “Killa Bee” Starling HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tyler Ryan is an award winning television and radio personality, weather forecaster, writer, investigative journalist, and professional emcee.  He appears daily on ABC Columbia’s Good Morning Columbia, as well as hosting the syndicated radio program Carolina Cares on the South Carolina Radio Network, and the iHeart Radio Network.  Tyler also regularly appears as a criminal expert and journalist on regional and national crime based programs like Snapped and Killer Couples.  You can contact him directly via EMAIL Or on the socials: Tyler’s Instagram  // Tyler’s Facebook