BYB Bare Knuckle Boxing has scored a multi-year broadcast deal to air events on Vice TV with the first card debuting on the network on Feb. 22.
The bare-knuckle fighting outfit becomes the first major sports acquisition for Vice TV as the company shifts to a more sports-first focus moving forward.
“We look forward to adding live BYB Bare Knuckle Boxing, our first live event series, as a mainstay of the Vice TV schedule as Vice Sports continues to fill its programming slate with compelling sports-themed docuseries, programs, live events, and podcasts,” Vice TV President Pete Gaffney said in a press release. “BYB is a combat sport surging in popularity, and having it on Vice TV helps us fulfill our mission of featuring provocative sports programming that our audience now expects.”
The deal between BYB and Vice TV calls for 13 live events to air in prime time in 2025 with the expectation that most cards take place on Saturday night.
The first fight card airing on Vice TV takes place on Feb. 22 with BYB 34 from Denver where super lightweight champion Harry Gigliotti defending his title against Jon Barnard. The co-main event features featherweight champion Helen Peralta taking on Lailane Mota for a vacant super featherweight title
BYB Bare Knuckle Boxing has continued to expand its footprint in recent years with fights taking place in the company’s three-sided trigon ring, which is touted as “the smallest fighting surface in combat sports,” resulting in a 90 percent knockout rate during fights.
Bare-knuckle fighting has exploded in popularity in recent years with BKFC becoming an industry leader while promoting marquee events with fighters like as Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez and Jeremy Stephens leading the way. BKFC inked a broadcast deal of its own with DAZN in 2024 and now BYB looks to join the fray after signing a deal with Vice TV.
