Lucas Browne, a former WBA heavyweight boxing champion with experience in both boxing and MMA, has revealed the unexpected way he entered the world of bare-knuckle fighting.
Browne, who once faced UFC legend Daniel Cormier early in his career, is now preparing to challenge Gustavo Trujillo for the BKB heavyweight title on 22 November in Florida. But his arrival in bare-knuckle boxing wasn’t part of a planned career move.
He told Bloody Elbow that he initially travelled to the UK simply to help a friend, Matt Floyd, who needed someone to take part in an exhibition match after an opponent withdrew. Browne agreed, despite the huge mismatch—he weighed nearly 90 pounds more than the man he faced. What began as a casual exhibition led to a major opportunity, thanks to a connection with the person who picked him up from the airport, eventually resulting in his contract with BKB.
Browne described his first bare-knuckle experience as the most nerve-racking moment of his combat sports career, even more intense than his years in boxing, MMA, and his unexpected stint on Australian Idol in 2004. The raw danger of the sport, he said, gave him an adrenaline rush he hadn’t felt before—one that immediately drew him in.
Now fully committed, “Big Daddy” Browne is set to compete for a bare-knuckle world title, continuing his unlikely and unconventional journey through multiple combat sports.
