Antonio Silva is set to face Alex Nicholson in September.
Antonio Silva is set to face Alex Nicholson in September. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Former UFC fighters Antonio Silva and Alex Nicholson will face each other in bare knuckle MMA.

An unexpected headliner of former UFC fighters has been added to Jorge Masvidal's bare knuckle MMA promotion, Gamebred FC.

According to 'Gamebred' himself, who broke the news during Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour, former UFC heavyweight contender Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva and fellow UFC vet and PFL contender Alex Nicholson will face each other on September 11.

Currently on a six-fight losing streak, five of them by knockout, Silva (19-13-1 NC) will look for his first win since a TKO victory over Soa Palelei, back in August 2015. Meanwhile, the 41-year-old lost to Mark Hunt, Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, Vitaly Minakov, Ivan Shtyrkov and Quentin Domingos.

Although the bout against Nicholson marks the first time the Brazilian has done bare knuckle MMA, it is not be the first time 'Bigfoot' has competed in bare knuckle fighting. Back in October 2019, Silva faced former UFC contender Gabriel Gonzaga at BKFC 8 and lost by knockout.

Ten years younger than 'Bigfoot', Nicholson (14-9) lost his last bout via unanimous decision to Francimar Barroso back in December 2019 in the PFL playoffs. However, the 31-year-old did pick up a win just before that, in August of the same year, when he knocked out Ezekiel Wily.

Ever since his UFC release in 2017, the 'Spartan' has kept busy fighting for various promotions, such as LFA, PFL and Iron Boy, among others. However, he was handed a four-year suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission for testing positive for almost all the steroids.

Now, Bigfoot and Nicholson are scheduled to headline Gamebred FC 2, on September 11. The card is expected to take place in Biloxi, Mississipi.