Josh Barnett’s BloodSport XV set to showcase why its the ‘hardest hitting event in professional wrestling’

LAS VEGAS – The mean sports instrumentality who thinks of pro wrestling apt has nan thought successful their caput that everything successful nan manufacture is WWE-like – a four-sided, cable-roped ring, pinch 4 sides, featuring muscle-laden men and women performing highly choreographed moves pinch nary unit aliases humor involved.

While that mightiness beryllium existent for astir events that will return spot successful Las Vegas successful nan lead-up to WrestleMania 42, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV promises hard-hitting action and an arena dissimilar immoderate other.

For one, location are nary ropes astir nan ringing successful Bloodsport. Two competitors participate nan friendly venue looking to sound nan snot retired of each other. Wrestlers spell one-on-one pinch mixed martial arts-like rules. A victor is wished via knockout, referee stoppage aliases submission.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Josh Barnett stands successful nan area of Victor Henry earlier a bantamweight conflict against Charles Jourdain during nan UFC Fight Night arena astatine Rogers Place successful Edmonton, Alberta, connected Nov. 2, 2024. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Barnett helped found what nan arena is coming arsenic he took complete accumulation of nan arena nether Brett Lauderdale’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) banner. He told Fox News Digital he embarked connected a travel to create matches that whitethorn ne'er hap anyplace else.

"I deliberation 1 point astir wrestling, aliases really benignant of anything, is that erstwhile thing becomes established astatine immoderate fixed time, it starts to go nan group standard, aliases nan statement standard, wherever you find that almost wholly everyplace you spell and thing else," he explained. "And it's ever bully to person thing other to connection that still falls wrong that aforesaid class arsenic pro wrestling. So, pinch Bloodsport, it's not conscionable what is commonly referred to successful nan business arsenic a sprout aliases for illustration a for illustration an MMA aliases benignant of much realistic style, but mainly, I deliberation nan point was that it's stripping distant nan wrestling down to its rawest, most-purest form.

"For me, I want to Bloodsport to beryllium a spot that, sloppy of what you deliberation astir it, but you should astir apt effort to seizure nan fans first, but I built Bloodsport successful a way, nan astir enticing to wrestlers, to make them want to beryllium location and beryllium a portion of this, particularly because if, successful my mind, we were capable to do what I was hoping, location would beryllium wrestlers of a very precocious caliber from each complete nan world that would beryllium willing, aliases athletes successful general, that would consenting to do BloodSport, contempt america being an indie show, because it's me.

PANDEMONIUM: PRO WRESTLING KICKSTARTS WRESTLEMANIA WEEK WITH HARD-HITTING ACTION IN LAS VEGAS

Charlie Dempsey and Joe Hendry compete during NXT astatine nan WWE Performance Center successful Orlando, Fla., connected Aug. 12, 2025. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)

"And I would return advantage of that successful nan consciousness of making thing that seems truthful desirable to them that they didn't that they really conscionable wanted to do it considering that it's overmuch smaller sandbox than what they're utilized to and I figured from location that's wherever you'll get nan fans you'll beryllium capable to do things present pinch athletes and matchups that you can't find anyplace other and you won't it's conscionable ne'er going to happen. You're not going to find Masashi Takeda versus Pete Dunne. Plus, that's imaginable obscurity else. It’s ne'er going to happen. And things of that nature. But by being thing that is truthful overmuch much earthy and aggressive, We're nan hardest hitting arena successful master wrestling for a reason."

Finding a pro wrestler that fits nan mold of what Barnett is looking for isn’t easy to travel by.

However, nan arena has had occurrence astatine bringing successful wrestlers and moreover MMA fighters to nan canvas. WWE stars for illustration Dunne, Nattie Niedhart and Charlie Dempsey, All Elite Wrestling champion Jon Moxley, and moreover Barnett himself, person participated successful BloodSport successful nan show’s history.

Barnett relishes nan opportunity to let different pro wrestlers nan expertise to showcase a different broadside of themselves that fans whitethorn not person been capable to spot elsewhere.

WEST COAST PRO TO SHOWCASE WRESTLING AT ITS ‘RAWEST FORM’ WITH RISING WOMEN’S STAR HEADLINING ITS MAIN EVENT

Josh Barnett looks connected during New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 19 astatine Tokyo Dome successful Tokyo, Japan, connected Jan. 4, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

"It really is important that you person a due knowing and group of skills earlier partaking successful a type of lucifer for illustration this. And honestly, I mean that keeps nan talent excavation small, which I knew was going to beryllium an rumor starring into this, but it's OK," he told Fox News Digital. "I besides saw it arsenic an opportunity to showcase possibly wrestlers that folks haven't seen arsenic overmuch aliases weren't arsenic alert of simply because they fresh for illustration manus and mitt successful this, and possibly successful immoderate of nan different shows, aliases nan much emblematic wrestling shows, they consciousness for illustration they’re much restrained and not being capable to usage this broadside of themselves aliases it doesn’t registry arsenic good successful that different environment.

"Here, they tin beryllium thing wholly different. It's been nan lawsuit that a batch of group that person moreover come from nan WWE, you’ll spot them successful BloodSport. It’s like, ‘Wow, who is this person? I’ve ne'er seen them before.’ Well, that’s ever been there, that's portion of who they are and wherever their capacity arsenic a wrestler stems from. It besides allows america to bring successful MMA fighters astatine times, too, erstwhile possible, for illustration a Frank Muir aliases Rampage Jackson."

Barnett will beryllium among those successful action successful what promises to beryllium an unthinkable lineup.

Matt Mako vs. Angel Verduczo

Ulka Sasaki vs Joe Dashou

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ray Jaz

Erick Stevens vs. Fuminori Abe

Miyu Yamashita vs. Janai Kai

Shane Mercer vs. Royce Isaacs

Masashi Takeda vs. Pete Dunne

Timothy Thater vs. Charlie Dempsey

Nattie Neidhart vs. Shayna Baszler

Josh Barnett vs. Yuji Nagata

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Zack Sabre Jr. enters nan ringing during New Japan Pro-Wrestling astatine Edion Arena Osaka successful Osaka, Japan, connected Feb. 11, 2026. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

"I deliberation there's a batch of imaginable for immoderate breakout matches connected this paper pinch nan level of talent that's involved. And not each lucifer is gonna look nan aforesaid successful immoderate way, shape, aliases form."

Bloodsport XV is group for Friday astatine nan Horseshoe Casino successful Las Vegas astatine 3 p.m. PT.