Bare Knuckle FC 6 Diary: The peculiar allure of loathsome violence

I arrive early, when the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Center has just opened its doors to the media. Outside, just beyond a closed gate, hundreds of fans stand simmering in the heat of the waning evening. We have all come for the same reason, and we all share the same question: the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships are in town—what the heck is bare knuckle fighting?

It is, apparently, the newest kid on the combat sports block.

What does it promise us? Punching without the polish of GLORY. Violence without the horizontal hugging of mixed martial arts.