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Sporting world thrives off stories like Nico Gaffie. They are so common that they have become a cliché. They are the examples of resilience: athletes who never let their dedication or commitment slip because of a lack of resources in their family or neighborhood.
The people in this category are those who visualized their goals clearly, didn’t give up until their dreams were achieved, and most importantly, they never forgot their roots.
Nico Gaffie, a 29-year-old native of Marbella, is a global phenomenon in a combat sports that will grow exponentially over the next few years. This 29-year-old Marbella native is now the European Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion. She also holds the 3rd spot on the featherweight world rankings for the BKFC’s (Bare Knuckle Fight Championship) premier franchise.
It wasn’t all roses. Gaffie’s father and he were both born in Marbella. His paternal grandparents, however, are French. His maternal branch is gypsy, a heritage he highlights with pride, noting that he belongs to the Fernández family, one of Marbella’s longest-standing Romani families.
He grew up and still lives in one of the most austere neighbourhoods in Marbella, Colonia El Ángel, of which he says “it’s a marginal neighbourhood, but it’s not bad, it’s for humble people”.
Nico’s life was never easy, but he never went without the most important thing: the love and support of his parents. Football was his first sport, but it wasn’t his passion. Contact sports were his passion, inspired by the fights that he saw on TV as a child.
He combined kickboxing and boxing for years, but his first major steps were made in the former. He stopped his studies at 16 and concentrated on kickboxing. He became the Andalusian professional champion, as well as the Spanish and international professional champion. He couldn’t earn a living through his sporting career, so he worked in any job that he could.
He worked as a kickboxing instructor, security guard, bricklayer and air conditioning technician. He is on leave at the moment from his gardening business, as his life completely changed just over a calendar year ago.
Midway through 2024, Gaffi hit a personal slump. Gaffi was lost: he spent eight hours per day in his gardener job, taught some classes, and spent time with his family. This led him to push competition aside. He did not feel whole.
God then sent him a chance that changed his life, and gave him back the happiness which he thought was lost. In reality, he had also been looking for this opportunity.
In October 2024, he learned that the largest bare knuckle-boxing franchise in the World (similar rules to boxing without gloves and with 5 two-minute rounds) will hold an event in Marbella. BKFC was founded in the US, in 2018. Its popularity has recently increased, in part due to Conor McGregor’s involvement as a coowner.
Starting a change
“My manager was a contact and I asked him to find me a place to compete at that event. He made it happen, and I spent three months working hard to prepare for it. I won. Gaffie recalls that she was going through a difficult time with the separation proceedings. “The fight was a great experience and gave me the desire to fight again”, she says.
He fought again in Dubai in April 2025 against Brandon Allen (then the world number one), and in Rome in October against Jelle Zéegers. He won them both by knockouts within the first two minutes. His last fight was special, since it was his first BKFC belt and made him European Champion.
“My life is completely different now.” Now that I have sponsorships and fights I can say I make a living from my sport. It’s incredible – the comfort of not having to juggle this with a separate job is huge, and my visibility has grown so much,” the Malagueño admits, now more motivated than ever. “I never imagined such a huge change. Even if I retire one day, this experience has been worth it.
He still lives in his neighbourhood. He still lives in his neighborhood, and is as involved with it as ever. For example, he gives free classes to the local children to send them an important message.
He said: “I advise them to not waste time on friendships that will not benefit them or their family. I tell my students to focus on their goals and fight to achieve them.
