BKFC president Dave Feldman has confirmed that Connor Tierney is definitively returning to bare-knuckle competition after the Brit retired following a brutal broken jaw suffered in his interim world welterweight title loss to Rico Franco at BKFC 90. Feldman told Bloody Elbow that the promotion plans to ease Tierney back with a manageable opponent and will discuss which weight division he competes in. Tierney himself had expressed a desire to return after posting a video reflecting on the difficult aftermath of the injury.
Dave Feldman has confirmed that Connor Tierney will return to bare-knuckle boxing, ending the retirement the British fighter announced after suffering a broken jaw in a grueling interim world welterweight title defeat to Rico Franco at BKFC 90.
The BKFC president told Bloody Elbow that the promotion intends to ease Tierney back into competition by pairing him with a manageable opponent, with discussions still ongoing about which weight division he will compete in when he returns.
Tierney's comeback had been signaled by the fighter himself before Feldman's public confirmation. The Brit posted a video reflecting on the difficult physical and emotional aftermath of the jaw injury, expressing a desire to lace up again despite what had been a brutal ending to his title challenge against Franco.
Why it matters
- Tierney's return adds a known name back to BKFC's welterweight picture after his interim title-fight exposure at BKFC 90
- The choice of weight division for his comeback could reshape where he fits in the promotion's rankings structure
- Feldman's commitment to a careful matchmaking approach suggests the promotion is managing Tierney's health and trajectory with longer-term plans in mind
The broken jaw Tierney sustained against Franco had made retirement seem a genuine conclusion to his bare-knuckle run, making Feldman's confirmation a notable reversal. No timeline for the comeback bout has been announced, and the opponent and division remain undecided pending further conversations between the fighter and the promotion.
