Why is TikTok influencer Bryce Hall in a bare-knuckle fight in Albuquerque? And can he win?

Fighting a fellow social-media influencer is one thing.

Fighting an unbeaten bare-knuckle fighter with a string of three straight wins by TKO is another.

Still, that’s the crazy, outrageous, foolhardy, borderline stupid kind of thing that has earned Bryce Hall his 24 million followers on TikTok.

Hall, a 23-year-old Maryland native who now does his TikTok thing out of his home in Los Angeles, is scheduled to face Guillermo “Gee” Perez of Plant City, Florida on Friday in the semi-main event of a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship card at Tingley Coliseum.

This comes slightly over two years after Hall lost a boxing match to YouTube influencer Austin McBroom via third-round TKO.

Albuquerque’s John Dodson (2-0 BKFC, (24-13 MMA) is scheduled to fight Friday’s main event against JR Ridge, a native of the Philippines who lives in Tampa, Florida, in a battle for the vacant BKFC flyweight (125-pound) title.

Eric Dodson (2-0), John’s bigger younger brother, is also on the card. He’s matched against Floridian Robert Armas (1-2).

A total of 12 bouts are scheduled.

At a news conference on Wednesday at Dave & Buster’s, Hall and Perez traded the obligatory verbal jabs — several of them X- or R-rated and at times anatomically questionable, if not impossible.

“You ain’t gonna do (expletive),” Perez said, speaking directly to Hall. “All that (expletive), you ain’t gonna do nothing.”

Hall’s response was unprintable, involving a certain body part.

One possible advantage for Hall in this matchup: He’s much the bigger of the two, having slimmed down to make Friday’s contracted weight of 165 pounds. In contrast, Perez weighed 135 pounds for his last fight just six weeks ago.

“I’m dying right now,” Hall said. “I want a slice of pizza, honestly, and a fat-ass burger.”

Perez said he didn’t have that problem. “I’ve been eating 10 times a day,” he said.

“I (expletive) envy you,” Hall said.

Perez and Hall, in fact, were already acquainted. Perez, after weighing in for his June 23 victory over Phillip Ryan Carroll in Florida, walked over to Hall, who was in attendance, and lightly cuffed him on the side of the head.

Hall took far more than one shot to the head in his loss to McBroom, a former college basketball player who beat and bloodied Hall in June 2021 en route to pocketing $1 million in a side bet the two made.

“Plainly, I wasn’t good with the gloves,” Hall said on Wednesday. “So I decided to take them off.”

THE OTHER BROTHERS: Boxing and MMA promoters can always count on Belen brothers Gene and Derek Perez (no relation to Gee Perez). Their willingness to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, though, hasn’t produced envious results on their won-lost records; they’re a combined 16-65-2 in the ring and the cage.

It’s possible, though, that Derek, at least, has found his niche in bare-knuckle fighting. He’s 1-0 in the BKFC circle after his fight-of-the-night victory by unanimous decision over Albuquerque’s Anthony Sanchez at Tingley in February.

Derek Perez, 31, is scheduled to face South Carolinian Keith Richardson (2-0 BKFC, 22-11 MMA) on Friday.

Older brother Gene, 33, is matched against Sanchez, the guy his younger sibling beat in February.

At Wednesday’s news conference, BKFC President Dave Feldman said the winner of the Perez-Richardson fight might be in line for a title shot at 135 pounds.

Of his unbeaten status in bare-knuckle fighting — he said he won an earlier such bout five years ago — Derek Perez agreed he may have found his combat-sports calling.

“I’m ready to win some more bouts in this (stuff),” he said.

TROUT’S NOT OUT: After Las Cruces world champion boxer Austin Trout defeated Albuquerque MMA star Diego Sanchez at the BKFC’s February event at Tingley, the BKFC announced plans for a June card at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces with Trout in the main event.

That event did not happen, but Feldman said the BKFC still has plans for Trout.

“I think we have something popping,” Feldman said. “… If it does (happen), he’ll be back probably the first week of November.”

Feldman said he couldn’t commit at this point to a location for Trout’s next BKFC fight.

LOVING IT HERE: The BKFC’s Feb. 17 card at Tingley drew a paid of attendance of 6,792, which remains a record for the 5-year-old organization.

Feldman said the BKFC’s relationship with Albuquerque will only become closer.

“We’re also gonna do some other partnerships with some really popular local people here,” he said, “and we’re gonna blow bare knuckle up in the state of New Mexico in 2024.”

Feldman said he’s had preliminary discussions with Albuquerque boxing promoter Teresa Tapia regarding such future projects.