Former UFC fighter Charles Rosa wants to be the face of BKFC Ice Wars.
BKFC Ice Wars is the newest promotion to come out of the woodwork, combining combat sports with ice hockey.
This new format leaves out the puck, the sticks and the goals, putting violence on ice with a 900 square-foot ice enclosure designed for hockey fighting.
BKFC Ice Wars has made some big moves over the last few months, having their debut event over the weekend in Michigan and signing fighters to the roster such as UFC veteran Charles Rosa.
Once a college hockey player who had a dozen hockey fights, ‘Boston Strong’ Rosa thinks he can be the best of both worlds at BKFC Ice Wars.
Rosa, 38, competed in the UFC 13 times and holds the record for most UFC wins at the TD Garden in Boston. He fought the likes of former interim champion Yair Rodriguez, Bryce Mitchell, Manny Bermudez and more.
Currently riding a five-fight win streak in MMA, the former UFC Featherweight signed to BKFC Ice Wars earlier this month after a GFL fight cancellation.
Living his lifelong dream of being a hockey fighter, Rosa thinks he could be a superstar on the ice.
“If I’m gonna be the face of this company, we’re gonna build it together,” Rosa told Bloody Elbow.
“I’m the top signed fighter that they have, the highest paid fighter on their salary.
“I’m looking to be a main event potentially in August in Tampa Bay,” Rosa said, noting his upcoming debut is ‘in the works’.
“I love hockey, I love fighting… I get to combine the best of both worlds. When I was a little kid, my dream was always to be a goon for the Boston Bruins. I wanted to be a hockey fighter. That’s what I wanted to be.
“I never had dreams of being a UFC fighter or a boxer. I always wanted to be a hockey fighter.“
Before the UFC and the BKFC were ever in his sights, Rosa had dreamt of playing hockey in the NHL.
Rosa said he had a dozen hockey fights in his short-lived college career.
“Hockey was really what got me into fighting,” Rosa said.
“I actually got kicked off the college team for getting into a hockey fight. It’s not condoned there.
“I think it cut my career short. I would have liked to think I wanted to play in the NHL or something.
“I didn’t have a scholarship or anything like that, but I was a walk-on at Johnson & Wales [University Providence] with a division 3 hockey team.
“I was a scrapper and I liked to fight, and I wasn’t letting anybody bully me. So, the last fight I actually got in actually was what got me kicked off the hockey team,” Rosa admitted.
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“I’ve been in a lot of hockey fights, a lot of scraps. My favorite part about hockey is the fighting.”
With his valuable experience in hockey and MMA fighting, we’ll see what kind of potential Charles Rosa has in BKFC Ice Wars in due time.
