Original subtitles

♪ ♪

ANNOUNCER: Johnson pressing forward, landing short punches.

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: The allure of fighting is nothing new.

♪ Have you ever been hurt... ♪

COMMENTATOR: And he goes down.

Goes in on him now.

♪ Hurt me away... ♪

MARIANA: Over the last century,

boxing, wrestling, and MMA

have all made billions of dollars

through live events and TV deals.

Hollywood too knows what we like.

Rivals spilling blood is irresistible,

no matter how mismatched

or otherworldly.

But my beat has always been the underground.

And we could just hear gunshots.

And, recently,

a more savage brand of fighting

has been gaining steam.

Professional bare-knuckle fighting

is only legal in less than half of US States.

Punches are being thrown every day and night

in backyards, and parking lots,

and homemade rings from coast to coast.

♪ ♪

Oh, wow. I actually see a ring here.

This is the story of how a forbidden brand of combat...

Oh, my God.

...is trying to find its way out of the shadows.

MAN:

MARIANA: And a young American fighter

who's banking his future on it.

MAN: It's a big risk, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.

The opportunity is massive. I just can't pass it up.

♪ ♪

(man speaking Thai)

MARIANA: I guess this is where the fight is happening tonight.

Somewhere on this street.

They told us to knock when we see a big gate.

Like, knock on the door and, uh, the fight promoter,

the underground fight promoter guy called Jonathan

will be waiting for us.

This looks like a big gate.

(knocking)

-Hello? -MAN: Hello?

MARIANA: Hi. I'm Mariana.

MAN: Mariana? Oh, okay, okay.

-MARIANA: Can I come in? -MAN (off screen): Okay. Okay.

MARIANA: Jonathan?

Jonathan? JONATHAN: Hi, Mariana.

-MARIANA: How are you? -JONATHAN: How are you?

MARIANA: Nice to meet you. Can I come in?

JONATHAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come inside.

-MARIANA: Amazing space. -JONATHAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MARIANA (off screen): So this is where the fight is happening tonight?

JONATHAN:

MARIANA: Wow.

JONATHAN:

MARIANA: Thailand has long been a mecca

for fighters and fans of martial arts.

But it's taken me months to get access

to illegal fights like this one,

organized by a man we'll call Jonathan.

JONATHAN:

MARIANA: Great. Thank you.

So, yeah, so it's about to start.

JUDGE (in Thai):

JONATHAN (in Thai):

JUDGE (in English): Fight!

♪ ♪

(spectators clamoring)

MARIANA: Oh, my goodness.

(spectators cheering)

MARIANA: This is the first bare-knuckle bout

that I've ever witnessed,

and it's even more brutal than I imagined.

(spectators cheering)

But it's not new.

Back in the 19th century,

as the sport of boxing became more formalized,

there were two camps:

one pushing for bare-knuckle and the other for gloves.

Ultimately, gloves, which were thought

to attract a better class of patron,

became the standard,

and the bloodier bare-knuckle was banned.

(Trip Gong dings)

If busted, Jonathan could face a year in jail

or a hefty fine.

He tells me that in the past,

they've also paid off cops or just ran away.

But he doesn't seem too concerned.

If the police came here, what would happen? If the police come?

JONATHAN:

MARIANA: So you would say that you're filming

-a movie basically? -JONATHAN: Yeah.

MARIANA: The fights are lined up

one after another after another.

It's ruthless,

and that's part of the appeal.

Here, you have the two guys that, uh, were hurt.

They're both being treated.

Spectators are lured in with the promise of blood.

But not everyone here is just a spectator,

and that's the real reason I've come,

to meet this guy.

(spectators cheering)

I saw you giving money to some of the fighters.

What was that about?

MAN: When you see a kid like that,

he gets up three times

after getting knocked down with a bare fist,

I just feel like I wanna do something

to show him my appreciation.

The heart that kid had

was worth paying him a little bit of money for.

MARIANA: So, tell me, what do you do exactly?

MAN: I'm the CEO of Bare Knuckle Fighting in Thailand.

MAN: I put these bones to domes, baby!

MARIANA: BKFC is actually an American company

with global ambitions.

It's hoping to follow in the footsteps

of the Ultimate Fighting Championship,

which recognized the growing appeal of mixed martial arts

and packaged it into a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut.

CONOR MCGREGOR: They're all trying to talk like me.

They all wanna be me.

Everyone in the game wants this fight.

MARIANA: Unlike the fights I just watched,

BKFC is legal in Thailand.

That means it follows guidelines for fighter safety,

including pre-fight physicals

and the presence of medical staff during the bouts.

What do you do when you come to these fights,

these underground fights?

MAN: Honestly, I'm looking for talent.

Like, I'm scouting to see guys

that I can potentially give an opportunity to.

I tell you, when you come down to this level,

this is where the real tough guys are, the real hard nuts,

and that's what I'm looking for.

I found one here that I wanna sign now.

That guy there. I liked his demeanor.

He's mean-looking. He looks the part.

But when he went fighting, he was calm, he was powerful.

I-- I want that guy on my show. I can pay him good money.

MARIANA: Fights like this are happening all over Thailand

every week, every night?

MAN: All the time.

MARIANA: It was insane.

You could feel it in your body.

-The crowd was yelling. -MAN: Yeah.

MARIANA (off screen): And you could hear the punches.

You actually hear them.

It felt like every time they were punching me.

-I was going like this. -MAN: It was brilliant.

Uh, I just love to see these guys showing heart.

(both speaking Thai)

MARIANA: If BKFC is trying to become

the next UFC, it needs fighters.

Lots of fighters.

And since bare-knuckle fighting isn't a recognized sport

in many places around the world,

including the majority of the US,

one major source of new bare-knuckle talent

is in illegal fight clubs like this one.

MAN: Human beings have always loved fighting, you know,

like, from the gladiator days.

It's in us. It's in our nature.

If I see someone in the underground scene

that has potential,

absolutely I'll recruit them, you know?

If I can take 'em away from that, it's a win-win.

I get a guy that can fight and loves what he does,

and he gets a new career chance, so.

I think most people love to see a good fight,

especially when it's bare-knuckle

and there's gonna be blood and someone's gonna get knocked out.

That's what people wanna see.

MARIANA: So BKFC is an American organization

-started by an American man? -MAN: Yeah.

MARIANA: Why Thailand? Why is BKFC in Thailand?

MAN: So when I come to Thailand,

I realize that most people in Thai society

have this deep-rooted appreciation for the striking arts,

and it's so ingrained in their history and their culture.

It'd become apparent to me

that there's this massive

underground thing going on.

MARIANA: Nick saw an opportunity and reached out to BKFC

to sell them the idea of opening shop in Thailand.

NICK: I started looking at social media.

This guy's got like millions of followers.

And then I went on YouTube,

and I could see these fights that were happening.

I kinda got in touch with the guys that run these events,

and that's how it happened from there, really.

MARIANA: Bare-knuckle or not,

this thirst for brawling isn't just a Thailand thing.

MAN (off screen): Go! Go! Go! (bleep)

MARIANA: If you jump down the rabbit hole

of fight clubs online,

the search will take you all over the world

and into some murky legal waters.

♪ ♪

To know if any of these fights is 100% legal,

you'd have to know a litany of specifics

that differ by country and states.

These can include: Is the fight on tribal land?

Are they selling tickets?

Is there gambling?

Are there medics?

Are the fighters paid?

Are they in good health?

Are they wearing gloves?

In most cases, these regulations exist

to try and protect the safety of the fighters.

But that doesn't stop promoters

and participants from breaking the law.

(siren wailing)

I want to find my way inside the American fight club scene

and eventually to the bare-knuckle bouts

where I'm told the BKFC is recruiting.

We just arrived in Detroit.

We hear that there is a lot of illegal activities

that happen surrounding the fights, such as illegal betting.

And we've been trying to get access to people

who will tell us and show us how it's being done.

And we finally got the green light

to go meet with a couple of people

who we believe are involved

in some of these illegal activities.

We don't know a lot about what we're gonna walk into,

but we've been trying to get this access for some time,

so I'm excited

and nervous, as always.

(tense music playing)

(knock on door)

That's him.

Hi. Taliban?

TALIBAN (off screen):

MARIANA: Taliban, tell me where are we?

Uh, what is this place?

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: What do you stash?

TALIBAN:

-MARIANA: Oh, is this heroin? -TALIBAN: Yes.

-MARIANA: Can I see it? -TALIBAN: Yes.

MARIANA: Where do you get your heroin from?

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: Oh, so Cash, he's the one carrying the gun, usually?

Ooh. (chuckles)

Don't point it at me or at him. Can I see it?

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: It's loaded? Holy (bleep).

So definitely be very careful with it.

So, Taliban,

we connected

because we have a friend in common, right?

They know that I've been trying to get access

into one of these underground fight clubs.

And he told me that you actually knew

a thing or two about these fights.

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: And so you go there to bet?

So there's gambling in these fights?

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: Do you think that we'd be able to go to one of these fights?

TALIBAN:

MARIANA: You know people that could let us in?

TALIBAN:

♪ ♪

MARIANA: My source connected me to an underground fight

at a location northwest of downtown.

(knocking on door)

Hi. How are you?

Is this-- I'm Mariana, by the way.

SECURITY:

MARIANA: Is that okay? Can I go in? Thank you.

Thanks.

♪ ♪

MAN 1: I got your boy from the red corner. Anybody wanna bet?

Bro, beat his ass, bro.

MAN 2: We got a hundred on blue.

MARIANA: I'm told that by day,

this place is a soup kitchen for the homeless.

But at night, it turns into

a secret fight club and gambling ring.

♪ ♪

-MAN 1: Goes to the red corner. -(all cheering)

MARIANA: I'm truly shocked about how open all of this, the betting,

which is obviously illegal.

There's what is considered as unsanctioned fight.

In Michigan, an event like this, clearly staged for an audience,

would need a license to operate legally.

That license requires the promoter

to follow a host of safety measures,

like giving medicals and HIV tests for fighters,

and having an ambulance and two paramedics on site,

none of which we spotted.

FIGHTER: You're gonna see more of me.

MARIANA: Are you hoping to be noticed in one of these fights

-by someone from the big leagues? -FIGHTER: Definitely.

MARIANA: Is that why a lot of people come and fight here?

FIGHTER: Yes. Yes.

MARIANA: The dream of hopping from obscurity to the big time

may sound improbable,

but it's happened before.

(spectators clamoring)

(bleep)

MAN (off screen): There's the champ.

MARIANA: In the early 2000s,

Kimbo Slice became a viral sensation

as fans passed around online clips of his street fights.

ANNOUNCER (off screen): Kimbo Slice!

MARIANA: That led to a much-hyped jump to the UFC,

where he earned up to half a million dollars per bout

and garnered the kind of glory

that most backyard fighters can only dream about.

KIMBO SLICE: I started out, you know, as a street fighter.

We went from the streets, from the backstreets to the front streets,

from the front streets to the main streets.

And it's a big opportunity for myself and for all the fighters.

MARIANA: That's the same dream

that BKFC is selling to the hungry bare-knuckle fighters.

♪ ♪

But bare-knuckle rings are much harder to find.

The stigma has forged an insular culture.

So it took me a bit of time to find the invite I was looking for.

I actually see a ring here.

See that ring?

-MARIANA: Hi. -MAN: Hey. Yes.

MARIANA: How are you? Mariana.

-MAN: Nice to meet you. -MARIANA: Nice to meet you.

Thanks, uh, thanks for having-- So this is it?

MAN (off screen): Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. This is it.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: This fight club, called American Prize Ring,

draws fighters and fans from all over the Southeast.

It's not an easy scene to break into,

but after weeks of back and forth,

the promoter finally allowed us to film.

MAN: Hey, who's fighting over here? Who wants to fight over here?

FIGHTER 1: I'm-- I'm up, if you-- if you need it.

FIGHTER 2: Yeah, I'll fight if you all got a fighter.

MAN: Y'all good with fighting each other?

MARIANA: It can be argued

that mutual combat laws protect an event like this,

which is why this fight appears to be legal,

assuming there's no gambling involved

and that no fighters are being paid to fight.

Why do you think it's illegal in so many parts?

Why is it not allowed? Why is it underground?

MAN: It's crazy how many people do MMA

but say, like, (bleep) that to bare-knuckle.

Like, I can kick another man in the head

with no shin guard, that's fine.

I can knee him in the head, a-okay.

But if I am gonna hit somebody with bare-knuckle,

people are like, "Whoa!"

People just automatically assume,

like, bare-knuckle fighting is just,

like, illegal, uh, dudes gambling

and doing all sorts of things, which, of course, that goes on.

MARIANA (off screen): How much of that do you think we'll be able to see?

MAN: I don't know. Can't answer that.

MARIANA: I-- It's my job to ask you.

MAN: Yeah. Yeah. No, no, it's perfectly fine.

I don't know. I just ref the fights.

♪ ♪

(indistinct chatter)

MARIANA: Looks like we're minutes away from the fight starting.

Uh, it's, uh, Keaton over there with the red shorts.

He's fighting Tyler.

MAN: Fighters! Corners!

MARIANA (off screen): Okay. It's starting.

MAN: All right? All right.

Ready?

Fight.

-WOMAN (off screen): Tyler! -MAN (off screen): Come on, Ty!

MARIANA: When gloves come off, there's no leeway.

You have to strike at exactly the right angle

to avoid shattering your hand.

Oh, my God!

MAN (off screen): All right. Down.

Get to your corner. Get to your corner.

MARIANA (off screen): This hurts me.

MAN: Ten seconds, get to your scratch line.

All right, boys, you ready?

Fight.

♪ ♪

MAN: All right. Get to your corner.

Get to your corner. Get to your corner.

Hey, that's bare-knuckle.

(spectators cheering)

Winner by knockdown default, Tyler Sammis.

(spectators cheering)

Okay.

WOMAN (off screen): It happens. Good job, boys!

-MAN: Boom! -MARIANA: That was amazing. You're really good.

-TYLER SAMMIS: Thank you. -MARIANA: How did you feel?

SAMMIS: I feel great. I feel like I can do it again.

MARIANA: It looked like you were ready. You wanted to fight more, right?

You weren't ready for it to be over.

SAMMIS: Yeah. I enjoy doing it. I just wanna keep going.

MARIANA: What's the next step for you? What do you think?

SAMMIS: Do it professionally, you know?

-MARIANA: Yeah? -SAMMIS: Yeah.

MARIANA: There aren't many legal ways to get paid

to fight bare-knuckle in the US,

and only one has the platform to make you a star, BKFC.

ANNOUNCER: Live, worldwide!

It is time to knuckle up!

MARIANA: But the rise of BKFC has been anything but smooth.

ANNOUNCER (off screen): From the United States of America,

Justin Thornton!

MARIANA: It's a controversial path.

And the tragic death of BKFC fighter Justin Thornton

in Mississippi, in late 2021,

brought the promotion under even more scrutiny.

DANA WHITE: First of all, is anybody shocked?

I mean, in-- in bare-knuckle fighting,

I-- I get, I guess I would call it, concerned

when I see some of our people when they leave here

and go there and it's like, "Oh, my God."

MARIANA: Matching a fighter with an opponent

of the same skill level is a crucial part of any combat sport.

An uneven match can put a fighter's life in jeopardy.

BKFC faced criticism from fighters and regulators alike

for allowing Justin Thorton,

a fighter with five straight losses,

in the ring with Dillon Cleckler,

who had won his debut BKFC fight

as well as 11 of his last 12 MMA matches.

MAN: Fighters know when they get in the cage

or-- or in the ring that this could be an outcome.

And that's where the ABC comes in to make sure that's a fair fight.

MARIANA: Mike Mazzulli is the president

of the Association of Boxing Commissions.

It's his job to set regulatory standards for combat sports.

The nonprofit organization was so alarmed by Thornton's death,

that they issued a "proceed with caution" warning

to states considering hosting bare-knuckle events.

MIKE MAZZULLI: Each state has their own minimum medical requirements

set by the-- the government.

In Mississippi, I think they require

a physical and blood, and that's it.

BKFC go to Mississippi because of that reason 'cause it's easier?

That's debatable.

Did they go to Wyoming because there's less medicals?

Did they go to Montana because there's no regulation?

ANNOUNCER: ...was tagged when he's backing up.

MARIANA (off screen): How did you feel that day?

MAN: It was death. It was-- it was hard for me.

It was really hard because I've been in this my whole life.

And to see that happen under our watch

was-- It was-- It was awful.

MARIANA: This is Dave Feldman,

the founder and president of BKFC.

DAVE FELDMAN: When you're hitting someone in the head

with a bare fist or a gloved fist, it's not safe.

But bare-knuckle, it's no more dangerous

than any other combat sport on the planet.

We have the data that backs up that we are no more dangerous.

We have less injuries than boxing or mixed martial arts.

MARIANA: I found the data that Feldman was referencing.

It's a study that was led by a ringside physician

who now works for BKFC.

Its conclusion suggests

that bare-knuckle fights lead to more lacerations

but fewer concussion symptoms.

♪ ♪

But that doesn't make me any less nervous

for 18-year-old Tyler Sammis,

the fighter I met in Florida.

Fighters like Tyler are essentially breaking new ground.

I can see people who think that what you do is crazy

because it's so risky and dangerous and--

Why would you wanna do this?

SAMMIS: It's a very risky sport.

One punch can hinder my entire career.

MARIANA: Do you have health insurance right now?

SAMMIS: No.

MARIANA: Your parents think you're crazy

for doing this with no insurance?

SAMMIS: They don't know I don't have insurance.

MARIANA: Tyler was invited to try out for BKFC

after a recruiter saw footage

of one of his underground fights.

MAN (off screen): Stay on him, Jackson!

-SAMMIS: It's a big step, for sure. -MARIANA: Yeah.

SAMMIS: Now I've got the opportunity to go pro

for something massive.

It's-- It's very surreal.

MARIANA: Nervous?

SAMMIS: Yeah. It's pretty fair to say.

MARIANA: Yeah, what does this moment mean for you?

SAMMIS: I wanna say it means the world to me,

but, um, you know,

I've got another meaning to that now.

Um, I have a little son on the way,

so, you know, that's-- that's-- that's my world now.

-MARIANA: Your girlfriend is pregnant? -SAMMIS: Yes.

-MARIANA: Wow. How far along? -SAMMIS: I think 18 weeks.

MARIANA: Does that change anything for you

in terms of what's about to happen?

SAMMIS: Yeah.

It--

Oh, my God.

(sniffling)

It's-- It's an eye-opener.

I was bullied from kindergarten all the way to seventh grade.

I was really small always,

and I had a really high-pitched voice.

I was just picked on and bullied a lot.

I'm just gonna use it to push harder.

(line ringing)

Hey! Well, how'd the appointment go?

WOMAN: It was good.

SAMMIS: Said he was all healthy and all?

WOMAN: Yup, healthy

and curled up in there like a pretzel.

MARIANA: And your girlfriend, how does she feel about it?

SAMMIS: Doesn't like watching me get hit,

but she's as supportive as can be.

As supportive as I can ask for.

She's my rock.

She's what motivates me,

and now my son.

They both motivate me to push it harder than ever.

WOMAN: I would say good luck, but you don't need it.

You got this.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

-MARIANA: Huh, weird. -MAN: Can you hear me?

MARIANA: I can, but for some reason, you're now like this.

Yeah. Huh. Oh, there you go. Perfect.

I see that you're surrounded by some, uh, champion belts?

JOSH MAYO:

MARIANA: Josh Mayo is an amateur

who has fought in sanctioned MMA and boxing matches,

as well as illegal bare-knuckle bouts.

He has plans to go pro.

MAYO:

MARIANA: Because BKFC isn't legal in most US states,

Josh relies on underground circuits to get his name out there.

MAYO:

MARIANA: Oh! Are you serious? Forever?

MAYO:

MARIANA: At what point do you, sort of, draw the line

and realize, "You know, I can really hurt this person"?

MAYO:

MARIANA: Fighters who compete in the underground

are well aware of the risks.

MAN 1: So the bare-knuckle's tough

because it only takes one fight, you know?

And you have a head injury, and then you're a disposable hero.

MAN 2: But I hated it because they encourage you

to smash people after they're KO'd,

which is so disgusting to me.

MAN 3: I think bare-knuckle is more brutal because it's bloody.

I mean, as soon as you get hit, boom, your eye's exploding.

MARIANA: But for many with dreams of going pro,

the danger of bare-knuckle fighting is part of the allure.

It's almost a badge of honor.

SHAD SMITH: My finger got ripped backwards.

There was-- The bone was exposed,

and I still kept fighting the whole time.

MAYO:

♪ ♪

MARIANA: I've come to this gym outside of New Orleans to meet Tyler

on one of the most important days of his life,

his pro tryout with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

MAN (off screen): Y'all ready? Two minutes.

Ready? Begin.

♪ ♪

Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds.

MARIANA: So what's happening is, uh,

you see these guys are all basically trying out.

They're punching, and Nate, he's over there in the red shirt

he's basically looking at them and seeing which are good fighters,

who he likes, who can possibly then join BKFC.

How many people do you think will get a contract today?

NATE: So today, we had about 70 people register,

but only 24 made it out.

We'll sit down and we'll interview.

And from there, we'll probably pick two to three of 'em.

But the guys that came down here really are impressing us.

MARIANA (off screen): We've been filming with Tyler.

What do you think are his chances today?

NATE: He's young. He's 18 years old.

I saw some of his videos, and he looks impressive.

So I'm eager to see what he can do as well.

MAN (off screen): He goes, "Swing, Jack, swing."

NATE: Time!

Time. Clear the floor. Next group.

-MARIANA: Tyler. Hi. How are you? -SAMMIS: How's it going?

-MARIANA: How do you feel? -SAMMIS: I'm sweaty. I'm great.

MARIANA: You are sweaty.

Scott, how are you? Mariana.

-SCOTT: Nice to meet you. -MARIANA: Nice to meet you too.

-You're his manager, right? -SCOTT: Yes.

NATE: Begin.

MARIANA: How do you think, uh, Tyler is gonna do today?

SCOTT: I think he's gonna do great.

You know, he's just an awesome kid.

And I think that's the big thing that BKFC is gonna push,

is that he's the youngest.

The average age in BKFC is 36 years old.

So I said, "Well, I got a kid

that's 18 that wants to do it," you know?

"So let's promote that."

SAMMIS: So my name is Tyler Sammis.

I see myself in two years fighting for a title in BKFC.

That's what my long-term goal is.

So, uh, in two years, title, for sure.

MARIANA: If Tyler makes the cut,

he'll be the youngest fighter on the BKFC roster,

but he won't leave here with an answer.

He'll have to wait in suspense for BKFC's call.

SAMMIS: Hello.

MAN (over speaker phone): Hello, is this Tyler?

SAMMIS (off screen): Yes, sir.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

MARIANA: The day has finally come

when Tyler finds out if he's made the cut.

With no job, no health insurance,

and a baby on the way,

there is a lot riding on this.

-They're going to call you today? -SAMMIS: Yeah, yeah.

MARIANA: Kayla, how do you feel?

-KAYLA: I'm excited for him. -MARIANA: Yeah?

KAYLA: He's doing big things.

So I'm excited to be by his side

while he does it all, so.

MARIANA: And, wait, we've got the belly.

KAYLA (off screen): Yes.

-MARIANA: Is it okay? -KAYLA: Of course, yeah.

MARIANA: It's the best when they start kicking, right?

-KAYLA: Yes. -MARIANA: You can feel it.

-(phone ringing) -Oh, is that him?

-SAMMIS: Must be Nate. -MARIANA: Yeah.

-Can you put it on speaker for us? -SAMMIS: Yeah.

Hello?

MAN (over phone): Hello, is this Tyler?

SAMMIS: Yes, sir.

NATE SHOOK: Hey, buddy. Nate Shook with BKFC.

- How you doing? -SAMMIS: Not too bad.

SHOOK: Hey, I'll-- I'll just cut to the chase here.

We were really excited when we saw you come out to the tryouts.

You did really well. You impressed everybody.

So, you know, I want to extend an offer,

you know, and offer you a multi-fight deal with BKFC.

SAMMIS: Mmm! Hm.

(chuckling)

KAYLA: You gotta answer him. (chuckling)

SAMMIS: Yes. Yes.

SHOOK: All right, buddy. I'll talk to you soon.

SAMMIS: All right. Thank you so much.

MARIANA: Wow. Amazing.

KAYLA: Good job!

SAMMIS: It's...

It's so much to take in right now.

I just-- I'm extremely excited and-- and blessed

to be able to have an opportunity

to support my little one and my growing family.

MARIANA: Tyler, you're getting emotional.

SAMMIS: Trying not to. Um...

MARIANA: I'm getting emotional.

♪ ♪

Despite the risks, I can't help but feel excited for him.

A contract like this could bring in much-needed winnings.

(all laughing)

SAMMIS: I got the phone call, uh,

and I now have a multi-fight contract with BKFC.

(all cheering)

WOMAN (off screen): That's awesome, Tyler.

Protect the knuckles. Protect the knuckles.

Aw, congratulations.

I'm nervous.

TYLER'S MOM (off screen): He's gonna bleed.

I mean, that's gonna happen. He's gonna bleed.

Mom's gonna have a fit trying to watch the fight.

GRANDMOTHER:

MARIANA: You don't like to see your grandkids get hurt, I know.

The fact that he is now going to fight for the BKFC,

make you guys feel better

about the fact that he doesn't have to go

into those other more underground fights?

ERIC SAMMIS: Yeah. They're-- They're better organized

and they got better safety,

obviously, protocols built in place.

But I don't really know about the longevity of a BKFC fighter,

18 years of age.

You can tell, the MMA guys

that have weathered the storm,

they may get three, four fights, and they're gonna call it.

Like, "I've had a career. I'm done."

This is new ground, you know?

MARIANA: Fighting isn't a lifelong gig.

There's only so much punishment your head

and, in bare-knuckle, your hands can take.

BKFC may be safer than backyard brawling,

but at this point, there's no telling how long Tyler's career will last,

or what long-term impact it will have

on his growing family.

(indistinct chatter)

♪ ♪

Most pros only last a few years,

and during that time, only fight

two or three times per year.

For the BKFC, that becomes a numbers problem.

If they're hoping to mimic UFC's success

and hold 40-plus events a year,

each showcasing a dozen or more fighters,

they'll need to find dozens of Tylers every year.

♪ ♪

BKFC bouts are fast and brutal.

Many fighters believe that the shorter rounds

and the fact that you can't punch as hard with a bare hand

as you can with a protective glove,

actually makes it safer than most combat sports.

But others are not convinced.

MAZZULLI: You're getting hit in the head

every single round of your whole career,

and they're looking for the big knockout.

And the bigger the knockout,

the more money they'll make next time.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: Tyler has only six weeks to prep for his BKFC debut.

♪ ♪

SCOTT: Get those elbows up, forearms up.

You don't wanna take those punches on your wrist.

Don't get caught up in thinking you're a rock star.

You know, you're there to do a job.

This is the hurt game.

When you get there, and you're in person,

and you can smell blood, and you see teeth on the mat,

and you see people laying in the back moaning or throwing up,

it's different.

So you just gotta prepare for that now.

Good.

MARIANA: As Tyler prepares for his BKFC debut,

half a world away,

the first generation of BKFC fighters in Thailand...

(crowd exclaiming)

...prepare for theirs.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: It's the day before the BKFC Thailand event

and Nick Chapman invited me to see the weigh-ins.

ANNOUNCER (off screen): 60 kilograms.

66.5 kilograms.

73.9 kilograms!

MARIANA: One match is particularly heated.

(crowd exclaiming)

Oh, my God!

These two young men, Naeem and Maseng,

are from rival illegal fight clubs.

This footage is from a prior head-to-head bout

which went viral on YouTube.

Nick saw the potential for a rematch and signed them.

He says it's one of the most highly-anticipated fights

on their title card.

That was intense.

There's real sort of rivalry and hate

between these guys.

They can't wait to fight.

You couldn't even get them together.

They immediately started punching each other.

It's super intense.

If they win, fighters can make over a thousand dollars

which, in Thailand, can go a long way.

But the real winner is BKFC.

They've cherry-picked an existing rivalry,

complete with built-in fan bases,

from the illegal fight club scene.

It's a smart business model,

but it could encourage other fighters

to put themselves into risky situations

without proper medical support

with the hopes that BKFC might come knocking.

NICK CHAPMAN: The reason BKFC is so popular

is because of how popular underground fighting is.

MARIANA: It's interesting because, in-- in a way,

they're sort of feeding off each other, right?

Because BKFC is giving the underground guys

a-- a dream and a goal for the future

and BKFC is using the underground for recruitment.

CHAPMAN: You gotta think these guys are fighting for free.

They're in the street.

All of a sudden, they're in the limelight.

They're on a global stage.

ANNOUNCER (off screen): Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to BKFC Thailand!

-CHAPMAN: Here we go! -MARIANA: Oh, my God.

CHAPMAN: I get less nervous when I'm fighting!

MARIANA: The next night, I'm ringside with Nick.

COMMENTATOR: Two superstars from Thailand's

underground street fighting circuit.

Round number one!

Big right hand lands from Naeem!

MARIANA: Sitting this close to the action,

it's sometimes hard to watch,

but at the same time, it's hard to look away.

COMMENTATOR: There's that entry left hook.

Lands big from Naeem. Another left hook!

MARIANA: The drama of the fight is that compelling

and that's what BKFC is counting on.

COMMENTATOR: Naeem running into the pocket.

Damage to the eye.

FELDMAN: We have BKFC Thailand, BKFC Russia, BKFC Mexico.

We're in the process of launching a big worldwide tournament

called the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship World Grand Prix.

All the winners are gonna get a million dollars.

ANNOUNCER: Maseng Sornchai!

MARIANA: A lot of the people that started fighting in BKFC

came sort of from the underground world.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

FELDMAN: I think that all different combat sports,

boxing, mixed martial arts, kickboxing,

it all started from the underground.

That's the roots of it.

But I would say 99% of the fighters that I sign

have professional combat sports experience.

It's very rare that we'll sign a guy strictly from the underground--

MARIANA: But Tyler was in this case.

FELDMAN: Tyler was. Tyler was good.

MARIANA: We saw him actually fighting

in some of these unsanctioned fights.

I think one of the criticisms that exists out there

is that you are incentivizing these underground fights.

Fighters know that if they're seen there,

there's a chance for them to join BKFC.

FELDMAN: As the sport grows, right?

And as it gets bigger and bigger

and more and more people watch it,

then more and more people wanna be involved with it.

And if that's them doing underground bare-knuckle fights,

then I guess you could say, in that way,

we would encourage them to do those kinda fights.

WOMAN (off screen): Let's go, Tyler!

MARIANA: Where do you think Tyler is gonna go?

FELDMAN: Look, if he's got that star power,

we'll match him right and we'll make sure

that he, you know, can-- can climb that ladder.

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,

we are set for the next fight of the night.

Scheduled for five two-minute rounds

in the featherweight division.

(spectators cheering)

(tense music playing)

SAMMIS: She told me that he can hear now.

So I started talking to him a little bit before bed.

I told him I'm-- I'm gonna make it big.

I'm gonna do this so I can support you all, you know?

This is what I'm gonna do.

This is what I wanna do.

And, uh, I'll make it happen.

COMMENTATOR: 18-year-old Tyler Sammis.

This is his BKFC as well as pro-combat sports' debut.

A full 19 years younger than his opponent, Phil Ramer.

MARIANA: After six weeks of intense training,

Tyler's pro bare-knuckle debut has arrived.

COMMENTATOR: This is the BKFC debut for Phil Ramer.

MARIANA: It's also the first time

that his opponent, ex-MMA fighter Phil Ramer,

has stepped into the BKFC ring.

COMMENTATOR: Phil Ramer said, "I think Tyler Sammis

is going to try to stay long, work off of the jab."

Round number one!

MAN (off screen): Come on, Tyler!

COMMENTATOR: White trunks for Tyler Sammis.

Black trunks for Phil Ramer.

Big shots! Impressive stuff from the 18-year-old Tyler Sammis.

Counter shot. Big left hand and a right hand!

Now circles out Ramer.

Twenty seconds gone in round number one.

Huge right-hand and down goes Phil Ramer.

Sammis is fired up.

He's waving him on. "Get up," he says.

MARIANA: Ramer was an MMA fighter in the early 2000s,

but he had a poor record.

This is only his third professional fight

in the last 16 years.

COMMENTATOR: Ramer with a right and a left hand, eluded by Sammis.

1:05 remaining in a ferocious and furious round number one.

Another big right-hand. We might be done!

And we are! Game, set, match!

Welcome to BKFC, 18-year-old Tyler Sammis.

And Ramer's been knocked out on his feet.

You can see that right there.

He's pushed into the ropes, knocked out.

He made his pro-combat sports' debut

with a first-round finish

in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Shawn, you don't see a knockout like that very often

where you hit a guy and he's on his feet

and he's paused, you know, most of the way.

What a knockout! What a debut!

Sometimes your reaction time is not quite there

but you continue to throw punches like that,

you're opening yourself up and that's exactly what happened.

Tyler Sammis saw that, waited for the right time,

continued waiting for that opening

and he landed the big punch.

ANNOUNCER: At one minute of round number one,

for your winner by KO,

Tyler "Cat-5" Sammis.

TYLER'S MOM (off screen): Yeah! That's my boy!

He did it. He did it. He did it. He did it!

KAYLA: Oh, my gosh.

MARIANA: Would you say that you, you sort of have

a little pact with the devil?

You are dipping your toes in the unsanctioned illegal world

so that you could then make it legal and book the BKFC.

FELDMAN: I mean, in life, everything is risk/reward, right?

We took a risk, I mean,

I bet the livelihood

of everything in my life on this thing.

MARIANA: But I think what the critics

would say was that, yes, you risked a lot

but you risked your investment, um, your money

but the biggest risk came at the expense of the actual fighters.

What do you say to that?

FELDMAN: I would say that generally,

that's probably the truth.

But when I have a guy that his coach or his manager says,

"This kid is the real deal,"

then I'm gonna give him a shot.

-MARIANA (off screen): Got it. -FELDMAN: They were calculated.

TYLER'S MOM: That's my boy! (clapping)

TYLER'S BROTHER: Good job, buddy.

SAMMIS:

KAYLA: Hi, baby.

Babe!

SAMMIS (off screen): I love you.

Will you marry me?

KAYLA:

SAMMIS: Can't open this.

KAYLA: You can't open it?

SAMMIS:

KAYLA: What is wrong with you?

(people laughing, cheering)

MARIANA: There's no doubt that BKFC

is helping Tyler's dreams come true.

But I wonder about the young kids

watching these BKFC events at home.

In most places in the world,

there's only one option for the wannabe bare-knuckle fighter

and that's to step into an underground ring.