“The Savage” has run roughshod on BYB Extreme since debuting in 2022, and he’s just getting started.
Considering how brutal of a sport it is, rarely can a fighter make a bare knuckle look easy and even less often are they able to make it look fun. Somehow, Cub “The Savage” Hawkins (5-0, 5 KO’s) is able to do both. The current BYB Extreme Light Heavyweight Champion has absolutely decimated everyone who has stepped into the Trigon with him since debuting in 2022, and at just 26 years old, he’s well on his way to being one of the best in bare knuckle.
Despite his age, Hawkins is a veteran of the combat world, having started wrestling at age four and has competed in over a dozen MMA bouts throughout his career, including four since during his time in bare knuckle. He originally found success in amateur MMA, posting an 8-3-1 record from 2017 to 2022, before making the transition to both pro-MMA and bare knuckle. While he has proven himself as a solid competitor in the octagon, it’s been bare knuckle where he’s truly excelled.
In his first three bouts with BYB from 2022 to 2023, Hawkins absolutely demolished his opponents, stopping each of them in the first round while barely breaking a sweat, and smiling through most of it. It wouldn’t be until his match against two-time BKB Middleweight World Champion, Daniel Lerwell (8-3, 7 KO’s), that he would face a true challenge. While Lerwell put up more of a fight than any of his previous opponents, Hawkins once again needed just one round to come out on top.
His most recent bout against Ryan Jett (3-3, 2 KO’s) for the light heavyweight title was one of the most heated matchups in recent memory. This was thanks to the now infamous weigh-in where Jett slapped Hawkins, sending his banana flying in the process. For the first time in his bare knuckle career, the Savage was forced to fight past the first round, but once again, Hawkins prevailed, winning via doctor's stoppage after four gruelling rounds.
It was in these two most recent contests that Hawkins showcased what makes him such a special competitor. Rather than living in the clinch like many other fighters with a wrestling background, he’s shown an uncanny ability to shrug off his opponent's offence, while dishing out devastating blows of his own. Both of these bouts ended with the other man bloodied and unable to continue, while the 26-year-old looked like he was just getting started. While some other fighters with a boxing background tend to lean into a clinch-heavy style, Hawkins’ style is extremely adaptive to that of his opponent and his athleticism allows him to maintain his pace throughout the whole fight.
This style aligns with what Hawkins has said is one of the most important aspects of fighting, mental toughness and resilience. He has mentioned a number of times how his high school football coach called him mentally weak, which motivated him to focus on the mental aspects of the sport rather than just the physical. Confidence is key in a sport like bare knuckle—Hawkins has it in spades.
So what’s next for the 175 champ? The first defence of his newly won title will come on August 10th, when he takes on Venezuelan Gregoris Cisneros (2-1, 2 KO’s) in the main event of BYB 29. The two have actually faced off before, albeit in MMA, back in April of 2023. Hawkins forced Cisneros to submit in the first round of this bout, but since that’s not a possible outcome in bare knuckle, their upcoming showdown should feel completely fresh. Outside of this planned contest, it isn’t difficult to come up with possible challengers for the Savage. Hawkins himself has already listed two men he’d like to meet inside the Trigon: Chad Kelly (1-1-1, 1 KO, 2 NC’s) and LT Nelson (5-1-1, 5 KO’s). Kelly– who has one of the strangest records in combat sports thanks to no contests in each of his two most recent bouts–was Hawkins’ scheduled opponent back in April, but had to back out due to injury, and was replaced by Ryan Jett. While this would certainly be an entertaining fight, the real draw would be a match with LT Nelson, who currently holds both the middleweight and super middleweight belt in BYB. While Hawkins one of the two would have to either lose or gain some weight to make this bout possible, a match involving three titles could very well be the biggest in BYB history.
With BYB's recent acquisition of BKB, it’s also possible that the winner of the upcoming bout at BYB 29 could go on to face European legend and current BKB Welterweight World Champion, Jimmy Sweeney (18-4, 13 KO’s). A showdown between the Irish veteran and young Chicago native would be an absolute dream match, so should Hawkins defend his title in August, this should be top of mind for the matchmakers.
While his nickname “The Savage” does a great job of illustrating how vicious he can be in the Trigon, it does little to show just how easy he makes it look. No matter who his opponent has been, Hawkins has utterly outclassed them and it still feels like his best is yet to come. If his last couple of showings were anything to go by, there may not be a moment he can’t meet. As the competition gets stiffer, expect BYB’s light heavyweight champion to continue to get better. Cub “The Savage'' Hawkins is just getting started.
Photo courtesies: BYB Extreme.
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