Rico ‘Bon Bon’ Franco is a UK based bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist with a lot of experience outside of BKFC. Early on in his career, he had an impressive knockout over Conor Tierney which has aged better and better as time goes on.

Early on in Franco’s life, he realized that fighting was a deep part of who he is. He couldn’t explain it to himself why fighting just felt so good, but when his MMA career began, he was able to harness all of that energy and use it in a productive way. Actually, many people outside of the UK may not have known about his MMA career where he went 6-4, because he has established himself so well as a bare-knuckle fighter. 

Franco enjoys a brawl but will look to use quick footwork and exceptional movement to fight smart. Don’t let that lead you to believe he is a point fighter because he is anything but. *Since first stepping into the Squared Circle, he has gone 3-0, all by way of finish and he’s scored more and more knockdowns each time out. Against Caleb Harris, he scored nine knockdowns which may actually be a BKFC record.

Franco has cardio for days and a will to win like very few men have. That drive and determination partly comes from him battling Colon issues for nine years while still training at 100%. He has stories of taking chemotherapy and then going straight to the gym, low on blood and energy and still giving it his all. He has learned to listen to his body more and it has improved his health to the point where he is no doubt one of the most physically fit active members of the BKFC roster. He’s a triathlete and runs a boxing gym called Francos Boxing Club out of Gainsborough.