“Smilin’” Sam is back.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight-turned Karate Combat champion Sam Alvey has booked his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut.

Alvey will compete at BKFC Fight Night Hershey on Fri., Dec. 4, 2026, inside Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The promotion announced today that “Smilin’” Sam will battle Johnathan “Big Baby” Miller in the 225-pound Ironweight division.

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Alvey, 40, has spent the past three years competing in Karate Combat, compiling a 5-1-1 record inside the promotion’s pit. During that run, he captured the Heavyweight championship and was later grandfathered in as Karate Combat’s inaugural Light Heavyweight titleholder.

The longtime UFC veteran turned heads in 2025 by knocking out kickboxing great Tyrone Spong as a massive underdog to successfully defend his Heavyweight title (watch highlights).

Unfortunately for Alvey, his unlikely championship run came to a violent end one fight later when Robelis Despaigne knocked him out with a brutal head kick (watch highlights).

Alvey rebounded in his most recent appearance by defeating former UFC Middleweight champion Uriah Hall.

Interestingly, Alvey has reportedly signed a multi-fight agreement with BKFC that still leaves the door open for him to compete elsewhere. He is already planning to return to Karate Combat as early as Jan. 2027.

His first bare-knuckle assignment appears very manageable.

Miller is 2-2 under the BKFC banner and currently riding a six-fight losing streak across bare-knuckle boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and Karate Combat. “Big Baby” most recently competed against UFC fan favorite Chris Barnett, who knocked him out in approximately one minute inside the Karate Combat pit.

Safe to say, BKFC is not throwing Alvey directly into the deep end.

In the BKFC Fight Night Hershey main event, Welterweight champion Dustin Pague will battle former two-time Light Heavyweight champion Mike Richman.