Sam Shewmaker is back.
The long-time, fan-favorite heavyweight returned to the Squared Circle on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. The Gravois Mills, MO product was triumphant in his return, earning a unanimous decision over Josh Burns in their highly anticipated rematch in the BKFC 63 Co-Main Event in Sturgis, SD.
That was the longest layoff of Shewmaker’s impressive combat sports career. Now that he’s back, he’s geared up to make up for lost time.
“We had some negotiations going on, some opponents fell out, fights got pushed back – those are the main reasons for the layoff, and those are the things that prevented us from lining up everything how we wanted,” he says.
“But, moving forward, it sounds like they’re going to get me another fight quickly, so we’re ready to get right back to work, ideally in the fall.”
Shewmaker is a true pioneer of bare knuckle fighting. He fought on all of the first five BKFC events in 2018/2019. He challenged Joey Beltran for the BKFC World Heavyweight Title in the Main Event of BKFC 18 in 2021, and has shared the Squared Circle with future BKFC World Heavyweight Champions Mick Terrill and Arnold Adams.
BKFC is the world’s fastest growing combat sports promotion and has grown exponentially since Shewmaker began fighting for the organization six years ago.
“It’s been amazing to see BKFC grow from its infancy to where it is now, as a leader in the combat sports industry,” Shewmaker says. “BKFC leads the pack, and I want to be a part of this organization for years to come.”
