MMA and kickboxing legend Bas Rutten claims bare knuckle boxing may be safer than UFC as combat gloves were only invented as people ‘were breaking their hands and couldn’t defend their titles”.
As well as Anthony Joshua’s eagerly anticipated rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, a historic evening of fighting will also see UFC278 take place and the first legally sanctioned bare knuckle boxing prize fight in the UK for 155 years. The rings are different shapes, the gloves, when some are used of course, are different, and the number of rounds is, perhaps mercifully, different.
Those unfamiliar with the BKFC division would only need one look at the blood and lacerations to get a feel of what it is all about. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion believes bare knuckle boxing is actually safer, when it comes to brain injuries in combat sports.
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“If you have a striking match with each other with MMA gloves and then you add elbows and everything else, or you have a bare knuckle boxing fight, then bare knuckle boxing is safer,” Rutten said exclusively to Daily Star Sport
“Once you put the gloves on, you can hit way harder, that’s why they invented the gloves. A lot of people still don’t know that gloves were invented to protect the hands.
“It’s not to protect the head, because people were breaking their hands and couldn’t defend their titles. So they said ‘hey we need to come up with something’.“Then they opened up the floodgates because now suddenly the hands are protected, now they can hit as hard as they want.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
The United Kingdom will be able to get their first real look at sanctioned bare knuckle boxing at BKFC27 which is headlined by a titanic tussle between British MMA star Michael Venom Page and UFC brawler ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry. But while their bout will be nothing short of fierce, brutal, and, of course bloody, Rutten insisted they are competing in the safer event.
“In bare knuckle boxing you can’t hit the head, well you can, but if you hit it wrong and hit the skull or the forehead, you’re going to break your hand,” Rutten continued.
“Yes you might see more lacerations and cuts, but that’s way better than CPE like a brain trauma.”
Bas Rutten will be back in action next Saturday, where he will be joined by fellow MMA legend GSP in the commentary booth for Karate Combat 35 in Orlando, Florida.
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