Former Scotland light-middleweight boxing world Hannah Rankin recently switched to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and enjoyed her very first bout in just a triumph over Deborah Melhorn on October 12 in Marbella.
Reasons for switching from boxing to the bare-knuckle fight were somewhat due to genuine needs of new challenges and interesting fighting styles which differentiate them from one another. Rankin, who has an impressive record in the ring, having fought Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall, among others, described his BKFC experience as “electric” and “[away] from boxing” for the lack of gloves and the direct, intense engagement of the opponents.
Another motivating factor was the move to BKFC, which also had financial benefits since she now had a chance at fight bonuses along with UFC; this developed due to Conor McGregor, who is part-owner of BKFC and an active supporter as well as promoter of the sport. Conor’s input has really lifted the profile of the sport, and he indeed gave Rankin firsthand encouragement during her prep work and following the bout.
Rankin aims to write her name in BKFC by going for the world title, hoping to be a world champion in two sports. She admitted that people consider bareknuckle fights more dangerous but claims that bareknuckle fighting has fewer sustained head injuries than gloved boxing and most injuries associated with it are skin cuts, not damage from repeated impacts inside the head.