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 the thought successful their caput that everything successful the manufacture is WWE-like – a four-sided, cable-roped ring, with 4 sides, featuring muscle-laden men and women performing highly choreographed moves with nary unit oregon humor involved.

While that mightiness beryllium existent for astir events that volition instrumentality spot successful Las Vegas successful the lead-up to WrestleMania 42, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV promises hard-hitting enactment and an lawsuit dissimilar immoderate other.

For one, determination are nary ropes astir the ringing successful Bloodsport. Two competitors participate the intimate venue looking to sound the snot retired of each other. Wrestlers spell one-on-one with mixed martial arts-like rules. A victor is determined via knockout, referee stoppage oregon submission.

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

Barnett helped found what the lawsuit is contiguous arsenic helium took implicit accumulation of the lawsuit nether Brett Lauderdale’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) banner. He told Fox News Digital helium embarked connected a travel to make matches that whitethorn ne'er hap anyplace else.

"I deliberation 1 happening astir wrestling, oregon truly benignant of anything, is that erstwhile thing becomes established astatine immoderate fixed time, it starts to go the acceptable standard, oregon the enactment standard, wherever you find that astir wholly everyplace you spell and thing else," helium explained. "And it's ever bully to person thing other to connection that inactive falls wrong that aforesaid class arsenic pro wrestling. So, with Bloodsport, it's not conscionable what is commonly referred to successful the concern arsenic a sprout oregon similar a similar an MMA oregon benignant of much realistic style, but mainly, I deliberation the happening was that it's stripping distant the wrestling down to its rawest, most-purest form.

"For me, I privation to Bloodsport to beryllium a spot that, careless of what you deliberation astir it, but you should astir apt effort to seizure the fans first, but I built Bloodsport successful a way, the astir enticing to wrestlers, to marque them privation to beryllium determination and beryllium a portion of this, particularly due to the fact that if, successful my mind, we were capable to bash what I was hoping, determination would beryllium wrestlers of a precise precocious caliber from each implicit the satellite that would beryllium willing, oregon athletes successful general, that would consenting to bash BloodSport, contempt america being an indie show, due to the fact that it's me.

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

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

"And I would instrumentality vantage of that successful the consciousness of making thing that seems truthful desirable to them that they didn't that they truly conscionable wanted to bash it considering that it's overmuch smaller sandbox than what they're utilized to and I figured from determination that's wherever you'll get the fans you'll beryllium capable to bash things present with 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 the hardest hitting lawsuit successful nonrecreational wrestling for a reason."

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

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

Barnett relishes the accidental to let different pro wrestlers the quality to showcase a antithetic 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 truly is important that you person a due knowing and acceptable of skills earlier partaking successful a benignant of lucifer similar this. And honestly, I mean that keeps the endowment excavation small, which I knew was going to beryllium an contented starring into this, but it's OK," helium told Fox News Digital. "I besides saw it arsenic an accidental to showcase possibly wrestlers that folks haven't seen arsenic overmuch oregon weren't arsenic alert of simply due to the fact that they acceptable similar manus and mitt successful this, and possibly successful immoderate of the different shows, oregon the much emblematic wrestling shows, they consciousness similar they’re much restrained and not being capable to usage this broadside of themselves oregon it doesn’t registry arsenic good successful that different environment.

"Here, they tin beryllium thing wholly different. It's been the lawsuit that a batch of radical that person adjacent travel from the 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 capableness arsenic a wrestler stems from. It besides allows america to bring successful MMA fighters astatine times, too, erstwhile possible, similar a Frank Muir oregon Rampage Jackson."

Barnett volition beryllium among those successful enactment 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

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Zack Sabre Jr. enters the 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 with the level of endowment that's involved. And not each lucifer is gonna look the aforesaid successful immoderate way, shape, oregon form."

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