BKB’s latest hire points less to a cosmetic rebrand than to a commercial test for bare-knuckle boxing.
Loren Mack is coming in as the promotion’s chief marketing officer and executive vice president for strategy, bringing a résumé that runs through three very different combat-sports machines: the UFC, ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League. For BKB, the value is not simply that Mack has been in major MMA offices. It is that he has worked around leagues and promotions trying to sell violent sports to broadcasters, advertisers, investors and audiences outside their original core.
That is the question around bare-knuckle boxing now. BKB already has the easy hook: short rounds, exposed hands, visible damage and a format that needs little explanation once the bell rings. The more difficult job is making that product feel reliable enough for distribution partners and sponsors while keeping the rawness that draws viewers in the first place.
Loren Mack hire signals BKB’s push beyond fight-night curiosity
Mack’s new desk will touch the parts of the business that decide whether a promotion becomes a repeat destination or remains a clip-driven novelty. BKB says his role includes shaping how the company presents itself, growing its fan base through programming and digital output, supporting television and streaming rollouts, driving ticket interest and working on sponsor campaigns. He will also be part of the group making broader company decisions.
The assignment lands at a particular moment for the company. BKB describes itself as the largest and most-watched organization in bare-knuckle boxing, and it says its events are regulated and televised internationally. Those claims create a different challenge than simply booking bloody fights. A promotion in that position has to explain its rules, its safety framework, its athletes and its business case to people who may like combat sports but still view bare-knuckle boxing as a harder sell.
What Mack brings from MMA’s biggest business models
At PFL, Mack worked as senior vice president of corporate communications while the league pursued audiences and partners beyond the United States. That job put him near messaging for investors, commercial deals, media-rights conversations and brand positioning. Earlier stops at ONE Championship and the UFC gave him experience in organizations built on very different playbooks: ONE’s push across Asia and beyond, and the UFC’s transformation into the dominant MMA brand during a major growth period.
- BKB is adding Loren Mack as CMO and executive vice president for strategy.
- His portfolio includes company positioning, audience development, content, distribution marketing, ticket demand and sponsor programs.
- Mack’s previous employers include PFL, ONE Championship and the UFC.
- Mike Vazquez and Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris launched BKB in 2015.
BKB has to sell structure, not just damage
Chief executive David Tetreault presented the move as part of building an executive group suited for a bigger platform. He cited Mack’s sports-business background, marketing experience, commercial work and relationships across the industry. Mack answered with the expected optimism, calling BKB the “biggest opportunity in combat sports today.”
The quote is polished, but the business problem is real. Bare-knuckle boxing can produce viral moments without much help. Sustained growth requires cleaner storytelling around the athletes, consistent event promotion, recognizable presentation across markets and partnerships that do not treat the product as a one-off spectacle. BKB is trying to occupy space in a crowded combat-sports market that already includes the UFC, PFL, ONE Championship, traditional boxing and rival bare-knuckle promotions.
| Business front | What BKB needs from the Mack hire |
|---|---|
| Company identity | A sharper public face for a regulated bare-knuckle product that still depends on its unforgiving style. |
| Fans and content | More reasons for viewers to follow athletes and events between the most replayed knockdowns and cuts. |
| Distribution | Marketing support for television and streaming partners that must sell the product to their own audiences. |
| Events | Stronger local demand when BKB brings shows into new or developing markets. |
| Commercial partners | Sponsor work that fits the sport’s edge without making the brand look too chaotic for mainstream buyers. |
| Company planning | Input from an executive who has seen multiple combat-sports organizations chase scale in different regions. |
BKB began in 2015 with Vazquez and Harris, the former professional fighter known as “Dada 5000,” behind the launch. The company has since grown into a regulated bare-knuckle promotion with international visibility. Mack’s arrival shows BKB wants the business operation around the ring to catch up with the attention the fights already generate.
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