Alex Terrible is treating Blood4Blood less like a career pivot and more like a hard, strange side quest with consequences. The Slaughter to Prevail frontman, real name Aleksandr Shikolay, told MMA Fighting he is fighting for free on Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida, and admitted his fourth bare-knuckle bout could also be his last. The fight sits in an odd corner of the -sports map.
It is not a major MMA development, and it should not be dressed up as one. Blood4Blood is a niche crossover spectacle built around metal, bare-knuckle boxing and celebrity curiosity. The hook is real.
So are the health stakes. Shikolay is a successful deathcore vocalist taking bare-knuckle punches while his band is in the middle of a worldwide tour that runs through October. That combination makes the story compelling, but also narrow: one fresh interview, one unusual event, one fighter-musician asking how much damage makes sense.
MMA Fighting reports that Shikolay, 32, is scheduled for his fourth bare-knuckle fight at Blood4Blood, an event created from a bandmate’s idea to pair a fight card with a concert. The show takes place Wednesday ahead of the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach. Shikolay told MMA Fighting he still cannot fully explain why he crossed into bare-knuckle fighting, especially because he had no combat-sports or martial arts background before he started taking fights.
That uncertainty matters. This is not a trained prospect climbing a ladder. It is a prominent musician testing himself in one of combat sports’ more visibly punishing formats.
The money angle is just as unusual. According to MMA Fighting, Shikolay said he is not being paid for the Blood4Blood fight. He framed the event as something he wants to do rather than a standard prizefighting job.
That makes the crossover hook sharper and stranger. A touring vocalist with a thriving band is stepping into a bare-knuckle bout without a purse, while accepting the kind of facial and hand damage that can affect both appearance and performance. In a sport where risk is usually justified by ranking, money, title shots or long-term career movement, Shikolay’s explanation lands differently: he is doing it because the test still pulls at him.
His opponent gives the event some actual combat texture. MMA Fighting identifies Cameron Delano as Shikolay’s Blood4Blood opponent. The article also places the event in the orbit of BKFC, the bare-knuckle promotion that has helped normalize the format for a modern audience.
But the center of the story remains Shikolay’s personal calculation. He has a public platform through Slaughter to Prevail, a schedule that already demands his body, and a fight hobby that can leave marks quickly. The spectacle may sell itself on novelty.
The risk does not need marketing. Shikolay also acknowledged the obvious limit: this may not last. MMA Fighting’s interview frames the coming bout as potentially his final bare-knuckle appearance, with music likely to take priority again.
That is the sane tension underneath the whole pitch. Blood4Blood is built to feel raw and loud, but Shikolay’s future is still more clearly tied to stages than fight rings. Bare-knuckle fighting can look like rebellion from the outside.
From the inside, it is damage management, recovery time, hand injuries, cuts, swelling and the question of whether one more thrill is worth the bill. The Danil Aleev thread adds another layer to the crossover setup. MMA Fighting notes Aleev among the combat-sports names connected to the broader Blood4Blood conversation, reinforcing that the event is trying to blend real fighters with the entertainment pull of Shikolay’s profile.
That blend is the point, and also the reason to keep the scale honest. This is not a title eliminator. It is not a major shift in the MMA economy.
It is a fight-concert hybrid with a famous heavy vocalist, a bare-knuckle format and a question hanging over it: when does testing yourself stop being romantic and start being reckless? - Shikolay, who had no combat-sports or martial arts background before entering bare-knuckle fighting, said this fourth fight could be his last. The implications are modest but interesting.
Shikolay’s Blood4Blood appearance shows how combat sports keeps absorbing outside celebrity energy, especially when the format is simple to sell: no gloves, visible damage, clear danger. But the story also shows the limit of that model. A famous musician can bring attention.
He cannot erase the medical reality of bare-knuckle boxing, and he cannot make a one-off passion project into a major sporting event by force of personality alone. The correct frame is not hype. It is curiosity with a bruise on it.
What’s next: Shikolay fights Cameron Delano at Blood4Blood on Wednesday before Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach. After that, the key question is whether he treats the bout as closure or keeps extending the experiment. Based on his MMA Fighting interview, music appears positioned to reclaim priority, especially with Slaughter to Prevail’s tour continuing through October.
If this is the last bare-knuckle fight, it will read less like a retirement and more like a hard stop before the side quest starts charging too much interest. Read at MMA Fighting (SBN)
Why this matters
This matters because it captures a weird but increasingly common combat-sports lane: celebrity crossover events with real physical costs. Alex Terrible brings music-world attention, Blood4Blood brings a fight-concert gimmick, and bare-knuckle boxing brings damage that cannot be waved away as branding. Still, the scale matters. This is a single-source preview built around one niche fight, not a major MMA development. The value is in the tension: a successful touring vocalist choosing a free bare-knuckle bout, then openly wondering whether the risk has already reached its limit.
Frequently asked
Who is Alex Terrible fighting at Blood4Blood?
Alex Terrible, whose real name is Aleksandr Shikolay, is scheduled to fight Cameron Delano at Blood4Blood. MMA Fighting reports the bout takes place Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida, ahead of Welcome to Rockville. It will be Shikolay’s fourth bare-knuckle fight.
Why is Alex Terrible fighting for free?
Shikolay told MMA Fighting he is not being paid for the Blood4Blood fight. He described the event more as something he wants to do than a normal prizefighting opportunity. He also admitted he still does not have a perfect explanation for why bare-knuckle fighting attracted him in the first place.
Could this be Alex Terrible’s last bare-knuckle fight?
Yes. MMA Fighting framed the Blood4Blood bout as one that could be Shikolay’s last in bare-knuckle competition. The reason is straightforward: he has a demanding music career with Slaughter to Prevail, and bare-knuckle fighting carries obvious injury risks that can complicate touring, performing and recovery.
Is Blood4Blood a major MMA event?
No. Blood4Blood is better understood as a niche crossover combat-sports spectacle. The hook is the mix of a fight card, concert energy and Shikolay’s profile as Slaughter to Prevail’s vocalist. It has legitimate risk, but the available reporting does not support treating it as a major MMA news event.
