Bare knuckle fighting is too intense for some fighters. 

Rodney “The Animal” Hinton is not one of those fighters.

The hard-hitting Hudson, FL welterweight has turned heads in his first two trips to the Squared Circle, most recently sending Ben Jacobsen to the canvas three times in his first-round TKO victory at BKFC Fight Night Clearwater, LIVE on The BKFC App from the sold-out OCC Roadhouse & Museum in Clearwater, FL. Hinton, 27, is now 2-0 with back-to-back, first-round finishes.

“Everything is so impactful with BKFC. The hits are hard and the fights are so packed with action. A fight can end at any time, and I just love the intensity of the sport,” Hinton says.

“I love (gloved boxing) and come from that background, but I’ve been so much more drawn to BKFC. I enjoy BKFC much more than any other combat sport, and it’s all because of the action.”

Interestingly enough, the action-oriented Hinton was introduced to BKFC by one of the most exciting fighters in the history of the sport, former BKFC World Bantamweight Champion Dat “Dat Be Dat” Nguyen.

“When I moved down from Iowa to Florida, he was very well known and respected on the scene down here. I was able to get some work in with him when he was preparing to fight guys like Johnny Bedford and Luis Palomino,” Hinton says.

“Dat was the one who introduced me to BKFC and got me interested in the sport. He was really gracious and opened my eyes to something that would change my whole life.”

Hinton loves watching BKFC as a fan, but he loves fighting even more. He’s hoping for a quick turnaround in the Squared Circle and wants to stay busy throughout 2025.

“We just want to keep the momentum going,” he says.

“I want to get back in there as soon as possible and put on another show with BKFC.”