'Alarming' mass brawl in Glasgow after bare knuckle fighting event
Eyewitnesses say police also targeted in late night flashpoint
A mass brawl sparked unrest in Glasgow city centre on Saturday evening after groups of young men fought one another and injured several police officers in the aftermath of a bare knuckle boxing event.
Eyewitnesses reported hundreds of men fighting one another, with some people also targeting Police Scotland officers as they tried to bring the situation under control.
Some posted videos to social media showing a group of around a dozen young men fighting on the Clyde Arc bridge near the venue, before being pursued by police officers towards Govan.
Several police cars and vans could be seen on nearby Congress Road while the men fought one another, with police officers also forming a line outside the Hilton Garden Inn.
Police Scotland said three men were arrested and charged following what it described as a “large disturbance.”
The violence broke out at around 11.10pm following the conclusion of the inaugural Scottish event of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
One eyewitness described the scenes as “alarming,” and questioned the decision to stage the event in the first place.
The venue was hosting a BKFC card where the headline fight saw a championship match between Leigh Cohoon and Scotland’s Sean Weir, with the latter emerging triumphant.
The 35 year-old Scotsman, a former member of the Rangers Riot Crew casuals group, was due to go up against Ireland’s Conor Cooke, but the Angel Sports Management group announced that the 39 year-old would not be competing due to what it described as “venue-related concerns regarding ticket arrangements and the safety of travelling supporters.”
Ellie Wilson, who uploaded video footage to X showing the brawl on the streets afterwards, told The Scotsman: “The scenes were very dramatic and alarming. Hundreds of men, mostly wearing black, flooded the streets, many of them fighting one another and threatening the police.
“I saw drinks being thrown at police, and even someone trying to get into a police car. When the police did eventually leave, I noticed one officer checking beneath the vehicle, presumably to see nothing dangerous had been left there.”
Police Scotland said two men, aged 32 and 27, were arrested and charged with offences including assault, obstructing police and threatening and abusive behaviour. They are due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.
Another man was arrested and issued with a recorded police warning for threatening and abusive behaviour. Three officers were assaulted during the disorder, with two of them requiring medical treatment.
The force’s chief inspector Paul Daley said: “Several officers were assaulted whilst carrying out their duties during disorder following an event at the Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night.
“Violence against officers is disgraceful and will not be tolerated. Being assaulted is not part of the job and it’s extremely fortunate they were not seriously injured.”
He added: “Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries in relation to the disturbance which occurred and anyone found responsible will be brought to justice.
“I would appeal to the public for information to assist our enquiries. Anyone with information should contact police via 101, quoting incident 2029 of 7 November.
“We continue to work closely with partners and event organisers to assist their plans for maintaining public safety and to ensure that the overall experience is safe for those in attendance and the local community.”
In a blog post on its website, BKFC said the evening “overdelivered the violence,” with “loads of knockouts.” Those in attendance at the event included Conor McGregor, the veteran fighter who has been at the centre of several legal controversies in recent years.
The BKFC, billed by organisers as the world’s fastest growing combat sport, was founded in Philadelphia in 2018, becoming the first US promotion to stage legal and regulated bare knuckle fighting events since 1889.
The event’s founder, Dave Feldman, said earlier this year the decision to stage BKFC fights in the UK made sense for the business.
“I think it’s big for a couple of things,” he told talkSPORT. “It's big for the fans, obviously. It's big for the company to do that kind of number and to bring in that kind of revenue that really helps for the future of BKFC.”
A bare-knuckle boxing event at the Murrayfield Ice Arena in Edinburgh last year led to the venue’s licence being altered.
The Carnage in the Capital event in July 2025 saw two fighters hospitalised. The arena’s management believed the showpiece fell within the terms of its indoor sports entertainment licence, which allows for “ice hockey, ice skating, roller skating, boxing, and similar” activities.
However, City of Edinburgh Council officers disagreed, saying that what they termed both as “bare-knuckle fighting” and “bare-knuckle boxing” was not similar to the sports listed in the licence.
They took the rare step of writing a letter to the city’s licensing sub-committee, asking for the term “and similar” to be removed from the licence, a move that was approved by a majority of councillors.
Bare-knuckle fighting in the UK was overtaken by the introduction of gloves into the sport in 1892.
The sport is unregulated in the UK but it is not classed as illegal. In many other countries it has been outlawed but remains a popular, underground sport.