Sheffield, England (Nov. 10, 2026) Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), The World’s Fastest Growing Combat Sports Promotion, has announced another monumental event, BKFC-99 set for Saturday, February 13 at the Utilita Arena, in Sheffield, England.
Fighting in the main event at BKFC-99, Two-Time World Champion Ben ‘The Bomber’ Bonner, (6-2), of Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, UK defends his BKFC Lightweight World Title against long-time Bare-Knuckle Warrior Rico ‘Bon Bon’ Franco’, (11-3), of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, UK. Co-featured Bare-Knuckle Fighting Legend, Jimmy ‘The Celtic Warrior’ Sweeney, (30-6), of Dublin, Ireland battles Former World Title Challenger James ‘Lights Out Lilly, (10-3-1), of Swansea, Wales for the Vacant BKFC European Lightweight Title.
Tickets for BKFC-99 are Now On-Sale and can be purchased online at BKFC.com. The Utilita Arena is located at Broughton Lane, Sheffield, S9 2DF. BKFC-99 will also be streamed live internationally as part of the BKFC+ Subscription for $7.99 per month on the BKFCApp.
“Over the last four years we’ve promoted outstanding sold-out events all over the continent and we’re thrilled to bring an explosive card headlined by these two can’t miss fights to the Utilita Arena in Sheffield on February 13,” said David Feldman, Founder and President of BKFC. “These two title fights feature four of the toughest bare-knuckle warriors in the world and promise intense action from the opening bell.”
“We just sold-out in Manchester with almost 16,000 in attendance and last Saturday night we sold-out Glasgow with over 10,000 so I strongly encourage fans to purchase tickets in advance for our first event in Sheffield.”
In his last fight, Ben Bonner earned world title glory, traveling to Philadelphia, PA and stopping Undefeated Two-Division BKFC World Champion Austin Trout in the second round of the Liberty Brawl main event on July 3, 2026, at the sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena. Bonner also holds two epic Fight of the Year candidate victories over Tony Soto on June 21, 2025, and February 7, 2026, the first victory earning him the Interim BKFC Lightweight World Title.
The hard-hitting Bonner also holds knockout victories over Lewis Keen (KO1 at BKFC-68), Ray Putterill (KO-1 at BKFC-60) and Jamie Oldfield (KO-1 at BKFC-60). Bonner’s only loss over the last four years came against Franco Tenaglia at BKFC-83, losing a hotly contested split decision.
Rico Franco returns to the Squared Circle following his most impressive victory; a blistering second round stoppage of hometown favorite Conor Tierney on May 30, 2026, in Birmingham, UK. Prior to that win, Franco defeated Jimmy Sweeney in a sensational performance which included a sixth and deciding round. Franco also holds knockout victories over Kaleb Harris (KO-5 at BKFC-48), Axel Birbes (KO-2 at BKFC-40) and Darren Godfrey (KO-2 at BKFC-37).
Among the most accomplished international bare-knuckle fighters, Jimmy Sweeney returns following a second-round knockout of Nicholas Vescio at BKFC-91 on July 18, 2026. Sweeney and Rico Franco met in a memorable six round clash at BKFC-73 on April 26, 2025.
James Lilley enters the clash with Jimmy Sweeney after a second-round stoppage of Fran Suarez at BKFC-77. Challenging for the BKFC Lightweight World Title, Lilley lost a closely contested fight against champion Luis Palomino on June 23, 2023, in Hollywood, FL. Lilley also holds impressive victories over Bobby Taylor (BKFC-36), Tyler Goodjohn (BKFC-27) and Adam Pellarano (BKFC Fight Night Fort Lauderdale).
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