BKFC Ice Wars President Ian Heinisch Getting 'UFC 1 Vibes' Ahead Of Landmark Event

BKFC Ice Wars 3 marks the company's first marquee event in a major sports arena. With the event featuring athletes from diverse backgrounds, Heinisch compared it to UFC 1, when fighters from various disciplines met in the cage to compete against one another.

"It gives me UFC 1 vibes because we have Charles Rosa, a UFC veteran, stepping into the ice box," Heinisch told KO on SI. "We have boxers; we have BKFC fighters. It's bringing people from all around the world onto the ice. We have pure, straight-up veteran enforcers who've lived their whole lives on skates. We're gonna find out who's the baddest man, the king of the rink."

BKFC Ice Wars 3 will be headlined by former hockey player Nick Laporte, who briefly starred on the hockey-themed TV series 'Shoresy.' Laporte is returning to the promotion after scoring a third-round knockout win at BKFC Ice Wars 1.

The event will also feature 13-fight UFC veteran Charles Rosa, who played college hockey at Johnson & Wales University. Rosa is making his inaugural Ice Wars appearance against fellow debutant Reid Krasowski.

Ian Heinisch envisions bright future for BKFC Ice Wars

While Heinisch landed home runs by signing Laporte and Rosa, he acknowledged that the recruiting process can be challenging. The concept is well-received, but it remains fresh and lacks the word-of-mouth value that other promotions have.

"The vetting process has been a little different, because you can't just go to Tapology and look at all the fights these guys have and all the stats," Heinisch said. "It's a little bit unique, because you can't just be a UFC veteran and say, 'Oh, I want to go fight on the ice.' You'd get destroyed because you have no balance... It's gonna take some time to find out who's the real deal and who's not, but we already have a couple of guys, and we've put together the most stacked fight card in BKFC Ice Wars history. This card is not going to disappoint."

Ice Wars was initially its own promotion before joining forces with the BKFC. The promotion was founded by British Columbia native Charlie Nama, who has remained committed to bringing hockey fights to the mainstream since 2006.

With Ice Wars now under the BKFC banner, Heinisch believes the sky is the limit. Having been part of a premier fight organization before as an athlete, Heinisch admires the success of the BKFC and believes it will translate to Ice Wars.

"Everything is aligning with the BKFC backing this, because I think it's great for them," Heinisch said. "It's on-brand for them. They've paved the way for a new sport, and we're just following what works. I think that's what's gonna fast-track us to the top. [Ice Wars] is a whole new genre of fighting, but we have our trailblazers, the BKFC, leading the way for us."