'I was worried about bleeding on McGregor's expensive shirt'

I person fought 21 times arsenic a nonrecreational boxer. I americium a erstwhile satellite champion who has faced Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall and been connected immoderate monolithic stages.

Yet determination was a beardown feeling of the chartless erstwhile I made the ringing locomotion for my bare knuckle debut successful a bullfighting arena successful Marbella which looked similar a mini colosseum.

I felt electric, similar a gladiator. This was a wholly antithetic athletics to boxing.

You cannot spar without gloves erstwhile grooming for bare knuckle, truthful I had nary existent thought however it would really consciousness to punch – and beryllium punched – without extortion connected your fist.

Immediately earlier the start, the referee told america to "tow the line" – which is antithetic from boxing arsenic determination are nary other corners successful the circular BKFC ring.

You are told to "knuckle up" arsenic you basal beside your opponent. There is nary feeling retired process earlier gathering successful the centre of the ring.

During the archetypal 2 rounds I was learning connected the job, but halfway done the 3rd I recovered my scope and flow. I enactment my combinations unneurotic and I past understood what this athletics was each about.

After my win, loads of boxers - including Sandy Ryan and Chantelle Cameron - messaged to congratulate me.

My bully person Shields sent a dependable enactment saying: "Bestie, you're officially the crazier 1 retired of the 2 of us."

I needed a caller situation and bare knuckle warring has ever fascinated me. Yes, you are throwing punches, but your hostile volition travel astatine you a batch faster than boxing.

The stance is antithetic and you tin adjacent clasp and hit, truthful I had to get utilized to the grappling part.

When you propulsion a punch, you person to marque definite you are making a choky fist truthful arsenic not to wounded your manus erstwhile you land.

Accuracy is truthful important too. You bash not privation to onshore knuckle connected elbow - bony connected bony - though inevitably that is what happens.

Financially, it is overmuch amended for maine than boxing. Just similar the UFC, determination are opportunities to summation your purse with fight-of-the-night and knockout bonuses.

A batch of it is down to erstwhile UFC champion Conor McGregor, who is simply a portion proprietor of BKFC. His engagement has truly blown the athletics up.

People justice him connected being loud, lairy and afloat connected but McGregor is truthful obsessed astir each combat sports and his vigor is infectious. It is not conscionable for the cameras. He is moving non-stop, 24/7, promoting BKFC.

He was messaging maine passim my campy to spot however my grooming was going, and helium gave maine a large hug aft the fight, telling maine I was a warrior. I was disquieted my chopped was going to bleed connected his precise costly shirt.

My dada has attended each my boxing matches isolated from 2 during the pandemic. I volition ever beryllium my daddy's small girl. But I said this clip helium had nary work to beryllium there.

"Yeah, I deliberation I mightiness springiness this 1 a miss, Hannah," helium told me. As soon arsenic I finished the fight, my caput manager phoned my sisters and dada to fto them cognize everything was fine.

Everyone says bare knuckle indispensable beryllium precise unsafe and determination is nary protection, but I tin honestly accidental that the pre-fight and after-fight aesculapian attraction for my combat connected Saturday was amended than immoderate boxing concern I person been in.

What radical sometimes don't realise - and immoderate of my household didn't - is that it is lone 5 two-minute rounds. I'm not successful determination for a 10-round warfare similar I would for a satellite rubric boxing fight.

A batch of the injuries are superficial – they are cuts and not the aforesaid arsenic taking repeated blows to the caput with gloves which could extremity up successful thing serious.

I program to beryllium backmost retired again successful the US successful the caller year. I would ne'er regularisation retired a instrumentality to boxing, bargain my extremity present is to triumph a bare knuckle satellite rubric and go a two-sport satellite champion.

Hannah Rankin was talking to BBC Sport's Kal Sajad.