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Adel Altamimi spent close to five years away from competition wondering whether he would fight again. Now unbeaten across three bare-knuckle bouts, the former Bellator fighter believes he has finally found the sport that fits him. Altamimi is set to face Tom “Tits” Mowbray at BKB 60 on October 10 at Utilita Arena Newcastle. Liam Howell had been announced as his opponent earlier in September, but Altamimi confirmed during a recent interview that Mowbray had stepped in following a late change.

The match gives Altamimi the chance to extend his 3-0 bare-knuckle record, with each of his wins coming inside the distance. He stopped David Mora in the third round in April 2025, knocked out Jay Eggleston in the opening round at BKB 51 and finished Eduardo Perez de la Paz in the fourth round at BKB 56 in July.

Kyokushin

That run is the latest chapter in a martial arts life that began when Altamimi was nine years old in Baghdad. His older brother had wanted to practise Kyokushin karate before he died, and the idea stayed with Altamimi. A self-described “bad kid” who was regularly in trouble for fighting at school, he persuaded his father to let him train on the condition that he continued his education.

“I found Kyokushin karate was kind of home, kind of therapy,” Altamimi said. “It was everything to me at that time.” Kyokushin’s full-contact format soon gave him a place to direct his aggression. Altamimi estimates that he accumulated more than 400 contests through tournaments where reaching the final could mean fighting four or five times in one day. He remembers competing while bruised, bleeding and injured, with several more opponents still waiting.

“You have to have a different type of mindset,” he said. “There was pain, breaking bones and a lot of things, and you still keep going.” His life later became far more dangerous outside competition. Altamimi worked as a contractor and convoy driver alongside the US Marines during the Iraq War. He was captured with his cousin and best friend by Al-Qaeda before being rescued by Marines, an experience that became central to coverage of his arrival in Bellator.

Altamimi accepts that people remain interested in that history, though he wants them to know there is more to him than one period of his life. He said he had completed documentaries and Bellator features about it and often heard the same questions across several interviews in one day. Still, he does not resent the attention.

“It is part of my story and this is who I am,” he said. “I have so many things I went through in my life, not just when I was with the military. But that was one of the craziest times.” Fighting gave him another outlet, although MMA never felt like a perfect match.

After his final Bellator fight, his priorities changed. He opened a business, lost his father, gained weight and went through what he described as nearly five years of depression. When he considered returning, he wanted a challenge that felt direct. Bare-knuckle boxing offered exactly that.

Three Fights, Three Stoppages: Adel Altamimi Is Coming for BKB Gold

“I wanted something aggressive, something really crazy, because it was a big challenge with myself,” he said. “I started doing it and fell in love with it. I felt it was better than any sport I had ever done. It shows who I am.” His win over Perez de la Paz appears to have confirmed that feeling. The contest earned Fight of the Night recognition, and Altamimi recalled repeatedly putting his opponent down only to see him rise again.

With tactics giving way to a test of will, his corner delivered a simple message as keep fighting. Altamimi said the exchanges pushed him beyond the point where he could think about physical discomfort. He had never been hit so hard, yet the resistance across four rounds made him more certain that he belonged in the Trigon.

“I didn’t feel my body,” he said. “There was no more body; it was only mental. I loved where my mindset was. I saw the guy keep standing and thought, ‘Let’s go.'” Mowbray now enters on short notice looking to stop Altamimi’s rise.

Altamimi’s target at BKB 60 goes beyond a fourth win. He says he asked BKB for a path to the championship as soon as he joined and hopes victory in Newcastle will earn him a shot at the belt. Rolando Dy is scheduled to defend the BKB super-welterweight title against Scott McHugh in the BKB 60 main event, making Altamimi’s timing clear.

“The second I signed with BKB, I told them I wanted the belt,” Altamimi said. “I feel this is what I am missing in my career: to be a champion. I hope after this one I will get the belt.”