Ryan “Baby Face” Benoit is ready to make a statement in his bare knuckle fighting debut. 

Benoit, a nine-time UFC vet, drops his gloves for the first time against former UFC title challenger John “The Magician” Dodson at BKFC 28 on Saturday in Albuquerque, NM, LIVE on the BKFC app.

Dodson, a 17-time UFC vet, is also making his BKFC debut.

Although Dodson has a more impressive MMA resume, Benoit sees himself as better suited for BKFC than his opponent.

“I feel like I have more of a boxing base, and I have a bit more power. A lot of people have told me that I have a lot of natural power – that I can hit hard without trying,” said Benoit, who holds a victory over Bellator MMA champ Sergio Pettis and a razor-thin, split-decision loss to UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno.

“I feel like bare knuckle fighting was tailor made for me.”

Benoit is a big fan of BKFC and has big goals in the organization’s bustling flyweight division. He's not taking Dodson lightly.

“He’s going to try to put the pressure on me, and I’m going to put the pressure on him. We’re going to be like two rams ramming each other. We’re going to clash from the start to finish. We’re both fast and athletic, we both hit hard, and we’ve both got a lot of experience,” he said.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal fight, and it’s going to set the bar high for the BKFC flyweight division.”

Check out our Events page for the next BKFC event in your area, and keep up to date on all the happenings in the Squared Circle with the new and improved BKFC app.