BYB Extreme Fighting Series

BYB Extreme Fighting Series (BYB) is a bare knuckle fighting organization founded in 2015 by former MMA fighter Dhafir ("Dada 5000") Harris and former NASCAR team owner Mike Vazquez whose HRT Motorsports was NASCAR's first Hispanic team.[1] Harris rose to fame from his staging of backyard bare knuckle fights which went viral online and subsequently became the subject of the Billy Corben documentary, Dawg Fight.[2] BYB is an abbreviation of "Back Yard Brawl," a nod to the company's origins.[3] BYB's fights are held in it patented[4] "Trigon" ring or cage, which it touts as the smallest fighting surface in combat sports.[5]

BYB Extreme Fighting Series
IndustryBare-knuckle boxing
Founded2015 (2015)
Founder
Headquarters
Miami, Florida
,
United States
Key people
  • Gregory Bloom (CEO)
  • Mel Valenzuela (Matchmaker)

Mike Goldberg (Play-by-Play) Paulie Malignaggi (Analyst)

Websitebybextreme.com

History

BYB announced that its premiere event, Battleship I – originally scheduled to take place aboard the deck of the Resorts World Bimini Superfast – would air on June 5, 2015, shortly after Dawg Fight premiered on Netflix.[6] The event was scrapped from the cruise ship with the organization citing inclement weather, and subsequently held indoors at an undisclosed location in Miami.[7]

BYB went on hiatus following Dada 5000's return to the ring at Bellator 149. The promotion would host BYB 2: Brawl for it All in Cheyenne, Wyoming on April 5, 2019, at Cheyenne Ice & Event Center.[8] That event started the current run of numbered BYB events in states including Florida and Mississippi, as well as internationally in London.

Events
Event Date Location Notes
BYB Battleship I June 5, 2015 Miami, Florida
BYB 2: Brawl for It All April 5, 2019 Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne Ice & Event Center
BYB 3: Brawl at the Rock March 7, 2020 Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
BYB 4 December 3, 2020 Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
BYB US vs. Russia April 10, 2021 Miami, Florida, BYB Arena
BYB 5 May 15, 2021 Miami, Florida, Tamiami Park Fairgrounds
BYB 6 July 16, 2021 Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
BYB 7: Brawl by the River September 11, 2021 Miami, Florida, James L. Knight Center Jomi Escoboza def. Rene Rodriguez (Cruiserweight)
BYB 8: Tis the Season to Brawl December 18, 2021 Miami, Florida, James L. Knight Center
BYB 9: Tampa Brawl March 22, 2022 Tampa, Florida, Florida State Fairgrounds Jose Fernandez def. JD Burns (Super Middleweight)
BYB X: Biloxi Brawl May 28, 2022 Biloxi, Mississippi, Mississippi Coast Coliseum Tony Lopez def. Jordan Mitchell (BYB Heavyweight); Paty Juarez def. Monica Medina (PG Diamond)
BYB 11: Brawl in Doral August 27, 2022 Doral, Florida, Trump National Doral Miami
BYB 12: London Brawl October 16, 2022 London, England, Indigo at The O2 Seth Shaffer def. Carlos Guerra (BYB Welterweight, PG Diamond); Jozette Cotton def. Miranda Barber (BYB Super Welterweight, PG Diamond)
BYB 13: Tampa Brawl For It All November 19, 2022 Tampa, Florida, Florida State Fairgrounds Desmond Green def. Scott McHugh (BYB Middleweight, PG Diamond); DJ Linderman def. Tony Lopez (BYB Heavyweight)
BYB 14: Carolina Brawl December 9, 2022 Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill Sports & Event Center First BK fight in SC history; Sam Liera def. LT Nelson (BYB Interim Super Middleweight)
BYB 15: Broward Brawl February 3, 2023 Miramar, Florida, Miramar National Guard Armory
BYB 16: Desert Brawl March 18, 2023 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium First BK fight in UAE/Gulf Region history; Jarome Hatch def. BKB's Marko Martinjak (PG Diamond)
BYB Trigon Combat April 27, 2023 Costa Mesa, California, The Hangar at OC Fair & Event Center First gloved event in BYB history
BYB 17: Brawl at Rock Hill May 13, 2023 Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill Sports & Event Center Mark Irwin def. Joshua Oxendine (BYB Lightweight); Jozette Cotton (c) def. Jamie Driver (PG Diamond)

Current champions

Men's

As of 18 May 2023

Weight class Champion Date won
Lightweight Mark Irwin May 13, 2023
Middleweight Desmond Green November 19, 2022
Interim Super Middleweight Sam Liera December 9, 2022
Super Middleweight Jose Fernandez March 22, 2022
Heavyweight DJ Linderman November 19, 2022

Women’s

As of 18 May 2023

Weight class Champion Date won
Lightweight Paty Juarez May 28, 2022
Super Welterweight Jozette Cotton October 16, 2022

Police Gazette World Diamond Belt

As of 18 May 2023

Weight class Champion Date won
Women’s Lightweight Paty Juarez May 28, 2022
Women’s Super Welterweight Jozette Cotton October 16, 2022
Middleweight Desmond Green November 19, 2022
Cruiserweight Jarome Hatch March 18, 2023

Partnership with BKB

In November 2021, BYB announced a talent exchange partnership with UK-based BKB in which each promotion sends fighters overseas to be featured on the other's cards.[9] The series kicked off at BYB 8 with BKB's Barrie Jones knocking out BYB's Luis Melo in the first round. Through 2022, the companies have hosted 15 trans-continental bare knuckle matchups.[10]

On October 16, 2022, the event featured a mix of BYB vs. BYB, BKB vs. BKB, and BYB vs. BKB fights. The show featured a number of firsts including the first sanctioned professional female bare knuckle fight in UK history (Jamie Driver def. Sonya Dreiling),[11] the first female title match in UK history (Jozette Cotton def. Miranda Barber for the BYB Super Welterweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt),[12] and Seth Shaffer defeated Carlos Guerra to win the inaugural BYB Welterweight title as well as the Police Gazette Diamond Belt.[13] The event was broadcast live on Stadium.

Trigon

In 2015, BYB and its parent company Lights Out Productions filed for a patent on its triangular shaped ring and cage, which they note is the smallest in combat sports. The patent was granted on December 19, 2017.

In 2021, Triller announced that it would host Triad Combat in a triangular ring.[14] BYB in turn filed a lawsuit against alleging copyright infringement.[15]

Staff

BYB boasts and number of high profile personalities on its broadcast team including former UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, 2-time boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi, Benny Ricardo, Claudia Trejos, Al Bernstein and Dave Ryan. Former fighter Erin Toughill serves as a digital host.[16] Longtime WWE producer Nelson Sweglar is BYB's broadcast producer.[17] In September 2019, BYB announced the hiring of Gregory Bloom as CEO.[18]

Vazquez, Harris and matchmaker Mel Valenzuela were each inductees into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame's class of 2022. BYB champions Tony Lopez and Paty Juarez were also honored during the 2022 celebration.[19]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Pat (April 5, 2019). "BYB Extreme Hopes to Usher Bare Knuckle Boxing Back to Prominence". Front Office Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  2. Wolf, Colin. "Dawg Fight, the insane documentary about Florida backyard fighting, is now on Netflix". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  3. Simon, Zane (April 5, 2021). "Dada 5000 returns!? Former Bellator fighter heading to bare-knuckle boxing". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  4. Stumberg, Patrick L. (November 19, 2021). "BYB files suit against Triller over Triad Combat's triangular ring". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  5. "Former Bareknuckle Star Dada 5000 Returns To Combat Sports at BYB 13 in November". MiddleEasy. October 24, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  6. Series, BYB Extreme Fighting. "Back Yard Brawl (BYB) Extreme Fighting Series Presents Battleship 1 The First Ever Bareknuckle Fighting Event To Air Online". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. "BYB 1: Extreme Battleship 1 | Event". Tapology. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  8. Holland, Jesse (February 19, 2019). "DaDa 5000 back from the dead (literally) for 'Back Yard Brawls' inside triangle cage". MMAmania.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  9. KickboxingZ (November 8, 2021). "Bare Knuckle: BYB and BKB Announce New Partnership". KickboxingZ.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  10. "BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Announces Full Card for BYB 11: Doral Brawl at Trump National in Miami". Doral Family Journal. August 9, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  11. "Pennington bare knuckle fighter to make history in the UK". Trentonian. October 14, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  12. "Miranda Barber vs. Jozette Cotton, BYB 12 | Boxing (Bare Knuckle) Bout". Tapology. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  13. "Carlos Guerra vs. Seth Shaffer, BYB 12 | Boxing (Bare Knuckle) Bout". Tapology. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  14. Holland, Jesse (October 18, 2021). "Triller steals 'Trigon' from Dada 5000, announces 'Triad Combat' for Nov. 27". MMAmania.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  15. Marrocco, Steven (November 19, 2021). "Triller reportedly sued by Dada 5000-fronted BYB Extreme for alleged Trigon ring ripoff". MMA Fighting. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  16. "Talk Tough with Erin Toughill". Spotify. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  17. Mike Vazquez, Nelson Sweglar talk BYB Bare Knuckle Fights, Dada 5000, Kimbo Slice, WWF, WrestleMania. jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel). August 26, 2022. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via YouTube.
  18. "On the Move". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  19. BKB Hall of Fame [@BKBHOF] (June 16, 2022). "Soooo EXCITED!!!! Please join us for the 14th Annual Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame Induction July 2 in Belfast, New York!!! t.co/VYxQRrSMXs" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Twitter.
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