Former BKFC Champ Signs With PFL, Debuts at PFL Madrid in March

"A bare-knuckle brawler with sneaky jitz skills has joined the ranks of the Professional Fighters League. The promotion announced on Thursday that it had picked up former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship lightweight beltholder Franco Tenaglia (5-2 MMA, 5-1 BK). The Argentina-born 155er will be debuting with the organization at PFL Madrid on March 20 at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain, which also serves as his home city. His opponent has yet to be announced."

"The Spanish combatant leaves behind the bare-knuckle ranks for the time being, although the PFL did not state the contract was exclusive as fighters on its roster occasionally can compete elsewhere. With BKFC, Tenaglia never lost a match, winning all five of his appearances that culminated in his picking up a title. When planned on putting it on the line in 2025 in a rematch with the man in Tony Soto whom he won it against, visa issues forced him out of the pairing."

"Starting his pro MMA career a few months after a pair of bare-knuckle stints, "El Rey de la Calle"-which translates to "King of the Street"-has picked up five victories thus far. All five of his wins have come against opponents with records of .500 or lesser, and he has notched four finishes across those five triumphs. On the other hand, the two men to defeat him entered with pro records of 4-0 and 3-0, and both stopped him inside the distance."

Franco Tenaglia (5-2 MMA, 5-1 BK) will debut with the Professional Fighters League at PFL Madrid on March 20 at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid; his opponent has not been announced. The PFL contract is not stated as exclusive, leaving open occasional competition elsewhere. Tenaglia recorded five BKFC wins that culminated in a lightweight title, but visa issues prevented a planned 2025 rematch with Tony Soto, causing BKFC to strip the belt and require tournament entry to reclaim it. He also fought at Dogfight Wild Tournament and in a mixed-rules Wotore bout, and his MMA résumé includes four finishes and two stoppage losses to previously undefeated opponents, plus recent first-round rear-naked-choke wins at War MMA in Spain.

Read at Sherdog