Felice Herrig signs with BKFC after retiring from MMA

Felice Herrig during weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 56. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Herrig is joining the BKFC roster weeks after retiring from mixed martial arts. 

Felice Herrig is joining Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).

The ex-UFC fighter left her gloves in the Octagon and retired from mixed martial arts following her loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC Vegas 56 this past June. Herrig said in her post-fight interview with Paul Felder it was “time to move on to something else” after 20 years of fighting. That something else was recently revealed, and it is bare-knuckle boxing.

Damon Martin of MMA Fighting reported on Tuesday that Herrig signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC. The promotion confirmed the report via press release.

“BKFC is very excited to announce this major signing today,” said BKFC President David Feldman. “Felice was one of UFC’s most popular fighters during her eight years with the company and now sees an opportunity to succeed in bare-knuckle fighting. We have a wealth of talented and tough female fighters and look forward to watching her compete in the squared circle.”

Welcome to BKFC @feliceherrig pic.twitter.com/vZSPzFXC48

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) July 5, 2022

Details regarding a date or opponent for Herrig were not given.

Herrig retired with a record of 14-10 as a professional. The ‘Lil’ Bulldog’ fought for several promotions including Bellator MMA and Invicta Fighting Championships before signing with the UFC after a stint on The Ultimate Fighter over eight years ago. She went 5-5 in her UFC tenure with wins over Lisa Ellis, Kailin Curran, Alexa Grasso, Justine Kish and Cortney Casey among her highlights.

The final stretch of her UFC career was difficult for Herrig, who dealt with a torn ACL that required two surgeries and suffered four consecutive losses. She now has an opportunity to return to her winning ways in her first foray into bare-knuckle boxing.

“I’ve watched closely what Dave Feldman and his team at BKFC have built and truly want to test myself in bare knuckle,” said Herrig. “At this point in my career, I’m ready for a new challenge, and there is nothing bigger and better than BKFC.”