Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is heading back Down Under.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, BKFC returns to Australia for BKFC Fight Night Australia, which takes place at the Eatons Hill Hotel in Queensland. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Australian favorite Haze “The Huntsman” Hepi and longtime BKFC veteran Sam “The Hillbilly Hammer” Shewmaker.
The card marks BKFC’s second trip to Australia after the promotion made its debut in the country earlier this year.
Hepi enters the main event with a 3-1 bare-knuckle record and will once again have the hometown advantage. The Gold Coast, Queensland, heavyweight last competed at BKFC’s Australian debut on April 18, when he stopped Krzysztof Wisniewski in the second round of their rematch.
The victory continued a strong run for Hepi, who also scored a first-round knockout of Steven Banks at BKFC 73 in April 2025 in Florence, Italy. In addition to his bare-knuckle experience, Hepi has compiled a 7-2-1 professional boxing record.
However, his next opponent has been around BKFC almost as long as the promotion itself.
Shewmaker carries a 5-4-1 BKFC record into the Oct. 3 clash and made his promotional debut all the way back at BKFC 1 in June 2018. The Missouri heavyweight announced his arrival with a first-round knockout of Eric Prindle and has since picked up victories over Maurice Jackson, Joel Paredes, Bobo O’Bannon and Josh Burns.
Shewmaker has also competed for BKFC gold. He challenged Joey Beltran for the BKFC heavyweight championship at BKFC 18, but came up short by unanimous decision.
Now, Shewmaker will make the long trip to Queensland looking to derail Hepi’s momentum and potentially work his way back into the heavyweight title picture.
“The response from our first show in Australia in April of this year was tremendous, and we’re very excited to return on October 3,” BKFC founder and president David Feldman stated in a press release. “Haze Hepi looked sensational stopping Krzysztof Wisniewski in their rematch, but Sam Shewmaker is a true BKFC battle-tested legend. He fought on our first show eight years ago and is coming to Australia to show he’s ready for another world title opportunity.”
While Hepi and Shewmaker occupy the main-event spotlight, BKFC Fight Night Australia will also feature a strong lineup of fighters from Australia and New Zealand.
At welterweight, Australia’s Josh “Kamikaze” Kuhne looks to build on his 1-0 BKFC record when he welcomes New Zealand’s Elaiah Bishop to the promotion.
Another Australia-versus-New Zealand matchup will see Jay “The Dingo” Tonkin make his BKFC debut against Asher Jack in middleweight action. Jack enters the contest with a 1-0 bare-knuckle record.
Australian welterweights Brentin “No Name” Mumford and Shaun “The Fighting Irish” Curran will both make their BKFC debuts when they square off in another featured matchup.
At lightweight, Brisbane’s Mick “Warhorse” Whitehead will attempt to pick up his first BKFC victory when he faces undefeated Gold Coast fighter Ryan Winnett. Whitehead enters at 0-1, while Winnett brings a 1-0 promotional record into the matchup.
The middleweight division will feature another Australia-New Zealand battle when Mario Loga faces Alvin “Aychpapi” Kanahaiua. Both fighters will be making their BKFC debuts.
Rounding out the announced lineup is a featherweight clash between Melbourne’s Hunter “Coco Samoa” Ioane and Hawaii’s Nicholas “One Shot” Saragosa. Both men enter with 1-0 BKFC records.
BKFC Fight Night Australia takes place Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Eatons Hill Hotel in Queensland, Australia. Doors open at 5 p.m. local time.
The event streams live internationally on BKFC+ beginning at 5 a.m. ET.
Tickets are currently on sale through BKFC.