Alan Belcher faces Roy Nelson for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title following BKFC release

Alan Belcher is going back to his roots, or at least halfway back.

Over the past few years, Belcher has made a name for himself in bare-knuckle boxing but now Belcher is going back to MMA as Wednesday Jorge Masvidal announced that Belcher will face Roy Nelson for the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight championship on Oct. 28 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.

“We’ve got both those freaking savages competing,” Masvidal said after announcing the matchup on The MMA Hour. “Bare-knuckle heavyweight championship of the world. I told you I’m bringing you f****** heat, brother.”

After a moderately successful career in the UFC, Belcher retired from MMA in 2015. Six years later, Belcher made the move to boxing and bare-knuckle boxing, putting together a 5-0 record in boxing and a 4-0 record in bare-knuckle, even claiming the BKFC heavyweight title in February with a third-round knockout of Arnold Adams. Belcher was stripped of his title in June after booking a boxing bout for Misfits, and has been released from the promotion, according to BKFC officials.

Nelson is a former IFL and The Ultimate Fighter champion and had a distinguished career in the UFC and Bellator up until 2020. “Big Country” made the transition to bare-knuckle MMA in May, making his debut with a first-round TKO win at Gamebred Fighting Championship 4.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this report.