The Ken Shamrock brand of bare knuckle will make its long awaited return as the company eyes the month of October to host VBK 2. Jacksonville, Florida, is to host the night of fights.
Ken Shamrock’s Valor BK is Back, Eyes October for Date
The MMA legend and co-owner of Valor BK hosted his first and only event in September of 2021. Shamrock’s brand of bare knuckle lends a unique twist to the gloveless boxing environment as the fighters engage in combat on a ropeless, cageless mat called the Bout Circle. Valor BK says the Bout Circle, “. . .is designed to promote engagement while leaving adequate space for good footwork” and because of the Bout Circle’s design, “. . .the audience gets a clear and unobstructed view of each VBK Athlete as they compete to win each round!”
Unlike its BKFC counterpart, Valor BK utilizes zero hand protection whatsoever, opting to leave their fighters without wraps. Fighters wear red and blue tape on their wrists to indicate their respective corners.
Valor BK Faces Major Roadblock
After an immensely successful first event, Valor BK would look to improve upon its platform, but would also face some roadblocks, of which the greatest was the COVID-19 pandemic. Forcing to halt all operations, Shamrock would hop on to the Dan and Don’s Toxic Masculinity Podcast in July of 2021 and would detail the relaunch of Valor BK.
Valor BK Tryouts, Gym Tour, and Return
In April, Valor BK launched fighter tryouts for a prospective upcoming event. The “Road to VBK 2” was announced and a gym tour of combat sports gyms was set. Fight fans can watch the highlights from this tour on Valor BK’s YouTube.
In a recent episode of the Couch Warrior Podcast, host Mike welcomed Charalampos Grigoriou, who recently won a contract during season 7 of Dana White's Contender Series after knocking out Cameron Smotherman one minute into the fight. The conversation delved into Grigoriou's martial arts journey, his feelings on representing Cyprus and Greece, and future plans.
