Yari Kaganovsky Todd Atkins interview on his BKFC debut

Yari Kaganovsky Todd Atkins interview focused on a first Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship fight scheduled for October 23 in Clearwater, three earlier offers that fell through, and the Ben Rothwell fight in Colorado that convinced Kaganovsky to try bare knuckle. He also discussed how Rothwell MMA has prepared him, why he favors Tyson Fury over Anthony Joshua, and the PRIDE Fighting Championships fighters who first caught his attention.

How did Yari Kaganovsky first get into combat sports?

Yari Kaganovsky was drawn to combat sports by PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan before progressing from childhood martial arts into kickboxing and boxing. He wanted to compete on his own terms: he went ahead with Golden Gloves despite a forearm injury and his coach’s advice not to fight.

From PRIDE to the Golden Gloves

Kaganovsky told Todd Atkins that he was more of a PRIDE fan than an Ultimate Fighting Championship fan when he first followed the sport. His own training began with basic martial arts as a child, followed by kickboxing and boxing. He estimates that he had six or seven amateur fights across boxing and kickboxing, although he could not locate records for all of them.

His first Golden Gloves appearance illustrated how strongly he wanted to compete. Kaganovsky said he had torn his forearm and that his coach advised him against fighting on the day. He chose to go ahead. Nobody pushed or forced him into competition, he said; entering was always his decision.

The MMA fight that never happened

Kaganovsky also planned to have an MMA fight, but that plan changed when his daughter was born and he rolled his ankle in the same week. He did not go on to make that fight. Looking back on when athletes begin competing, he stressed the importance of the coaches and other people around them, and said he is fortunate to have good people in his corner.

What drew Yari Kaganovsky to BKFC and Ben Rothwell’s gym?

Yari Kaganovsky knew about BKFC through a supplement company that sponsored fighters including Julian Lane, but seeing Ben Rothwell fight Copeland in Colorado made the opportunity personal. It was his first live bare-knuckle event, and he left wanting to try the sport himself.

Watching Ben Rothwell in Colorado

Rothwell was local to Kaganovsky, and the two connected after a phone call about a potential sponsorship. Kaganovsky attended Rothwell’s Colorado fight, watched from close seats and came away hooked. Recalling his reaction, he said, “I got to try it at least one time.”

At Rothwell MMA, Kaganovsky found five or six fighters who compete in bare knuckle. He has coached or cornered several of them, giving him experience around BKFC events before his own debut. He said those teammates have offered guidance based on the kind of fighter he is rather than trying to turn him into someone else.

How is Yari Kaganovsky training for bare-knuckle fighting?

Yari Kaganovsky is keeping boxing at the center of his bare-knuckle training while adjusting his guard, hand position and pace. He spars in 16-ounce gloves and works with MMA gloves, but does not hit a bag bare knuckle; he uses a punch pad made for that purpose.

Adjusting the guard and distance

Large boxing gloves cover much more of the face than MMA gloves, Kaganovsky explained, while bare fists offer less cover again. He is therefore paying closer attention to turning his hand over and not relying on his gloves to absorb a shot. He said his shorter reach already requires him to get close enough to land.

The fighters at Rothwell MMA have given him different looks in training. Kaganovsky described the priorities they emphasize as getting off first, keeping his guard up and chin tucked, moving his hands and pushing the pace. He does not see himself as a fighter who circles at range, so the work is built around what he can do.

He said he rarely uses hand wraps unless he needs them to make a pair of gloves fit securely. He is not adopting unusual hand-conditioning methods or trying to remake his training wholesale: most of the work remains boxing, with changes for the smaller guard and the demands of bare knuckle.

Why did Yari Kaganovsky choose bare knuckle over boxing?

Yari Kaganovsky chose bare knuckle for its aggression and fewer rules, even though he remains a boxing fan. He expects a short bare-knuckle fight to demand action from the start, a difference that appeals to him more than the slower boxing matches he sometimes watches.

He sees room for more than one promotion in the sport. Kaganovsky said having BKFC and BKB active is good for bare knuckle as it develops, although he was less familiar with BKB. One of his teammates was due to fight there, which he expected would give him a closer look.

His interest is not limited to his own promotion. He watches BKFC partly because he knows fighters there and wants to support them, and he also follows boxing, UFC and WWE. Asked about public exchanges between Dana White and Eddie Hearn, Kaganovsky said he had seen them but cared more about the action he could watch.

What did Yari Kaganovsky say about Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury?

Yari Kaganovsky would pick Tyson Fury over Anthony Joshua if they fought, though he wants Joshua to win. He thinks Fury’s size and awkward movement would pose a difficult problem for Joshua, whom he sees as vulnerable to being hit even when he recovers well.

Joshua remains one of the boxers Kaganovsky likes to watch. He said Joshua had been training with Oleksandr Usyk and his team but questioned how much a new style was helping. In Kaganovsky’s view, Joshua had won his most recent fight without looking particularly good. He pictured Fury moving, landing and getting away while Joshua searched for a decisive right hand.

Kaganovsky also named Conor Benn, Ryan Garcia and Tank among fighters he follows. He believes Benn has the potential to become elite but needs to keep facing elite opposition. On Garcia, he noted that a strong performance can be followed by a difficult one. Kaganovsky said he especially enjoys Tank’s fights because Tank can become more aggressive if waiting to counter is not enough.

How did Yari Kaganovsky’s BKFC tryouts lead to his Clearwater debut?

Yari Kaganovsky said his first BKFC fight was scheduled for October 23 in Clearwater after three earlier offers he accepted fell through. His first offer came at BKFC tryouts in Indiana. Once a contract arrived for Clearwater, he felt the fight was finally happening.

The Indiana tryouts and earlier offers

The tryouts took place in a hot, rain-soaked garage gym. Staff mopped the floor between drills, while fighters worked pads and showed their skills before sparring. Kaganovsky recalled several people sparring in the ring at once and organizers making clear that they wanted controlled skill work, not fighters trying to hurt each other.

Ben Rothwell attended, and Chris Lytle helped run the session. Kaganovsky said Mike Davis pulled him aside and offered him a fight on an Indiana show. He accepted, but that opportunity fell through after the proposed opponent was hurt or otherwise became unavailable. Kaganovsky accepted two more offers that also fell through.

Keeping the focus on Clearwater

For the Clearwater fight, Kaganovsky said he was excited and nervous about performing on a big stage. He wanted to win, take minimal damage and appreciate an opportunity he had worked toward for a long time. With three rounds rather than five, he said he could not afford to sit back and wait.

When Atkins asked about other possible plans, Kaganovsky brought the conversation back to the date in front of him. He put his focus plainly:

“My focus is October 23rd. That's it.”

Kaganovsky named the OCC Roadhouse in Clearwater as the venue and thanked his manager, Anthony Orozco, for continuing to push for him. He did not name an opponent.

What did Yari Kaganovsky remember about PRIDE and Quinton Jackson?

Yari Kaganovsky calls Quinton Jackson his favorite MMA fighter of all time. The fighter known as Rampage stood out to him for his personality, promotion and slams; Kaganovsky also remembered Wanderlei Silva’s aggression and the ground work of the Nogueira brothers.

Jackson appealed to Kaganovsky as someone who could complain during training and still fight when the time came. He considered Jackson ahead of his time as a character and promoter, but the performances mattered just as much: the Rampage slams remain among the PRIDE moments he likes most.

Kaganovsky also liked that PRIDE allowed kicks to the head of a grounded opponent. He said he had seen some Rizin material but did not watch it regularly. PRIDE, rather than a later promotion, remains the one he identified as the first major draw in his combat-sports fandom.