Event with MMA, boxing, bare-knuckle fighting set for June 6 in Kansas
A hybrid event featuring MMA, boxing, kickboxing, and bare-knuckle fighting has been set for June 6 in Topeka, Kansas, the promoter told ESPN's Steve Kim.
"We're going to have a ring and a cage side by side," said John Carden, the CEO of Carden Combat Sports.
No bouts have been finalized for the card. Carden has been in talks with promoters and managers about their athletes potentially competing at the event.
As of now, fans will not be allowed to attend due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kansas' stay-at-home order expired May 3 but gatherings of more than 10 people remain banned.
Adam Roorbach, the executive director of the Kansas Athletic Commission, told Kim on Tuesday that the commission plans to follow the governor's guidelines and won't hesitate to cancel the event if 10-person gatherings are still banned in June.
"Us as an agency are not going rogue on this," Roorbach said. "We have been in constant communication with our superiors."
He added: "As long as they are approving it, we want to get these guys back to work and get our industry going again - and in a safe manner."
As of now, it's unclear whether competitors will be tested for COVID-19, Roorbach said.
The card will be streamed live as a pay-per-view.