Lorenzo Hunt slaps Mike Richman, setting off a brawl at KnuckleMania 3 presser.

Before their BKFC title match, Lorenzo Hunt and Mike Richman are already clutching one another by the hands. Things got heated up during the KnuckleMania 3 presser on Thursday as Hunt and Richman got involved in a scuffle during a harsh exchange of words.

The duo immediately became agitated when responding to interview requests, and after sparring on opposite sides of the dais at the press conference in Albuquerque, they became physically aggressive.

When BKFC President Dave Feldman tried to step in, Hunt was the first to make contact, smacking Bellator veteran turned bare-knuckler Richman across the chin. Hunt almost poured over the dais as Richman lunged below and fired for a tackle. While Feldman, security, and other BKFC combatants struggled to restore order, they hauled the media background. Hunt and Richman later split apart, and the BKFC event was resumed once again after everything was under control.

“It’s not something that we want – we don’t want to have these kind of antics up here,” Feldman said after the skirmish. “But at the end of the day, you have two guys that are A personalities, that think they’re the baddest man on the planet, that go face-to-face and don’t really like each other. Sometimes, this type of thing is going to happen.

“Unfortunately, it happened here. But on the same respect, I think it’s just a little preview of what you’re going to see here. ... You’re going to find out who the best 185-pound bare-knuckle fighter in the planet is.”

A fight to unify the light heavyweight title will feature Hunt and Richman. The competition will be the headline of BKFC KnuckleMania 3, which will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 17.

Hunt is regarded as one of the most prolific athletes under BKFC, having won championships in two separate weight classes. Hunt has triumphed over well-known opponents like Hector Lombard, Joe Riggs, and Quentin Henry.

While Richman is a longtime former Bellator featherweight and bantamweight athlete who has amassed a 4-0 record after signing with BKFC. In his last outing, Richman crushed Isaac Doolittle in a knockout last October 2023 to clinch the BKFC interim light heavyweight championship.