BKFC heavyweight champion Chase Sherman defends his title against Joey Beltran at BKFC 9. He’s making his legacy as a bare-knuckle fighter.
It’s easy for spectators of combat sports to assume that it’s a glamorous life. Fighters like Canelo Alvarez and Conor McGregor enjoy riches and fame, but for most, that’s not the case. BKFC heavyweight champion Chase Sherman fights for his legacy, and it a tougher road than many would expect.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, Sherman defends his title against Joey Beltran at BKFC 9. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is a newer organization, and it’s giving combat sports veterans a second, and sometimes third chance and redemption is a sport that’s often unforgiving.
Sherman entered combat sports later in life. He was a college football player at Delta State University, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science. Sherman is an athlete to the core, and he wanted to stay involved with sports after his time as a player.
“Exercise Science is my degree,” Sherman told FanSided. “I really wanted to coach athletes. The ultimate goal was to be a coach. Just help develop younger athletes or athletes that are already on the next level or trying to get to the next level. My whole life revolves around athletics. That was my whole mindset was trying to stay in the realm.”
When his football career ended, Sherman felt like something was missing. Sherman is a massive man at 6-foot-4 and nearly 250 pounds. His friends suggested that he pick up MMA. He started training and realized that his athleticism transitioned well to combat sports.
“When I got done playing football in college, I just wanted to stay competitive in something, so I started training with a few buddies of mine in a little garage in north Mississippi in the Delta,” recalled Sherman. “Eventually, I moved back home and finished up my schooling down here at Southern Miss. and started training under Alan Belcher. The rest was history.”
Under Belcher’s guidance, Sherman quickly made a name for himself as an MMA fighter. After 10 professional MMA bouts in two years, he signed a contract with the UFC. Signing a contract with the most prominent MMA company in the world is a significant accomplishment, but it wasn’t an easy path.
Sherman lost his first bout in the UFC via a decision against Justin Ledet in 2016. In seven fights with the company, Sherman went 2-5 and wasn’t re-signed after his contract expired in 2018. It wasn’t the experience Sherman envisioned. At one point, he lost three fights in a row. Sherman briefly lost confidence in himself and wondered if he had a future in combat sports.
“Obviously, I didn’t think I was going to fight anymore because it was back to the drawing board after putting in all those years of putting in work,” explained Sherman. “You have a family and bills, and it’s like going back to making a few hundred dollars a fight, maybe a $1,000 a fight. I couldn’t go out like that. I couldn’t let that be my legacy. I couldn’t be one of those guys who’s like yeah, I fought in the UFC once, and I didn’t do s**t with it. I didn’t want to be that guy.”
With his fighting future in question, Sherman attended an early BKFC bout. The thought hit him that he could give this a try.
“I went to one of the first shows down here at the Colosseum and I was sizing up the competition and I asked my manager, why not look at what they’re paying and see what we could do,” said Sherman.
The BKFC was interested and signed Sherman. He made his debut against Sam Shewmaker, which ended as a split-draw. Sherman enjoyed the experience and learned from his first fight in the new promotion. BKFC is a different game than MMA, but one that suited his stand-up talents better than MMA.
“I enjoy the bare-knuckle because you feel it when you land that good shot,” described Sherman. “It’s just flesh on bone whereas in MMA you might land a good shot but not really know it because you’ve got a little padding on your hand. If your opponent has got a good poker face, you might get a little discouraged thinking maybe I’m not landing as crisp of a punch as I thought I was.”
Just one fight later, Sherman became the BKFC heavyweight champion by defeating Arnold Adams. He takes his responsibilities as a champion seriously. It’s validation to Sherman that his efforts in combat sports weren’t in vain.
Despite being a champion, Sherman isn’t a millionaire. While training for the BKFC, Sherman works full-time as a firefighter for the Gulfport Fire Department. It gives him stability in life that doesn’t necessarily come with combat sports.
“It’s [firefighting] something you wake up for and you want to go to work for,” said Sherman. “The schedule is great, one day on two days off. The benefits for my family were great. It’s a career I will have for 30 years.”
Bare-knuckle fighting provides Sherman with income, but it’s more about pride. He values his legacy. Sherman wants to make his family proud. He’s a hero in their hearts, and his accomplishments in combat sports are as much for them as they are for him. Sherman enjoys being a hero in the eyes of his two young sons.
“I do it for them,” revealed Sherman. “Even more for than my legacy, for them to have a name to live up to. As they get older they can say my dad did this. My dad stood where most men will never stand. At the end of the day, my kids and my family don’t care about wins and losses. But they’re going to be proud of me regardless.”
You can see Sherman’s attempt to defend his title at BKFC 9. The bout is pay-per-view and can be purchased on TV or through several streaming services including FITE TV for $29.99. The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET.