BKFC Ice Wars, the hockey-fight inspired segment of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, announced its biggest fight card to date. On October 10, 2025, BKFCIW is coming to Amerant Arena (home of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers). The card, dubbed BKFC Ice Wars: Bare Knuckle Brawls, is the first-ever bare knuckle fighting event on real — not synthetic — ice. It’s also the first ever to take place under BKFC rules in an NHL arena.
Laporte headlines BKFC Ice Wars: Bare Knuckle Brawls
The Sunrise, FL, card is the third Ice Wars event since it was folded into the BKFC domain. The first two cards, in Michigan and Alberta, sold out all seats. However, Amerant Arena is by far the largest and most prominent venue to which BKFC Ice Wars has scheduled an event to date. At least two more events — dates and venues to be announced — are still pending in 2025.
Headlining the Sunrise card is match featuring BKFCIW’s heavyweight breakout star to date: 6-foot-5 former minor league hockey enforcer Nick Laporte (North Bay, Ontario). On October 1, he will battle Nordik Fight Club’s Sébastien Lafferière (Lasalle, Quebec) in the main event.
Laporte knocked out Matt Dunn in the first round on June 14 at the Battle of the Border card in Michigan. Meanwhile, Lafferiere will be making
his debut under the promotion’s banner. Laferriere played major junior hockey in the QMJHL during the 2000s. Since then, he’s had a long minor league and semi-pro hockey career primarily in Quebec’s infamously rough LNAH. A left winger in hockey, Lafferiere is used to fighting opponents of varying sizes. He’s giving up height (6-foot-2 vs. 6-foot-5), reach to Laporte. At age 38, he’s also three years older.
Undercard highlights for BKFC ice Wars: Bare Knuckle Brawls
The co-main event on October 10 is a middleweight bout. Former UFC standout Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa (Boston, MA) faces off against current British Columbia semi-pro hockey player Reid Krasowski (Wawota Flyers). Krasowski, 27, originally hails from Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Meanwhile, during his MMA/UFC career, Rosa compiled a professional 19-8 record in a 12-year career.
On the undercard, there’s a heavyweight clash between MMA combatant Corey ‘AlleyTrain’ Allen (Shelburne, VT) and First Nations fan favorite junior/minor league/semipro tough guy Catlin Big Snake (Siksika, Alberta). Big Snake packs a serious wallop when his 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame connects with a punch.
Meanwhile fighting in the first-ever BKFC Ice Wars women’s bout, professional boxer Christina ‘The Tiger’ Barry faces off against women’s hockey veteran Valerie Ruley (Evanston, IL), who played high school and HPHL hockey. Her brother, Zach Ruley, is a former U.S. collegiate hockey player.
Additional fights will be announced shortly.
“We are looking forward to hosting the first bare-knuckle fighting event on ice in South Florida at Amerant Bank Arena. We’re excited to bring this
one-of-a-kind event to Sunrise and fans should expect an unforgettable and thrilling atmosphere,” senior vice president of Live Enterainment Zane Collings said in a press release about BKFC Iced coming to the Panthers’ home rink.
Ticket and broadcast information
Advance tickets priced at $90, $60 and $30 will go on sale on Friday, August 22 at 10:00 a.m. EDT through SeatGeek. VIP Tables are also available. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with the first bout starting at 7:00 p.m. For more information visit the Amerant Arena or BKFCIW websites.
BKFC ICE WARS: Bare Knuckle Brawls will also be broadcast live in over 200 countries on LiveX, Fubo Sports, Triller/FITE TV, The BKFC App, Fight Network and the BKFC Ice Wars YouTube Channel.
