Drew Nolan: BKFC Fighter, Author and Modern Homesteader

Drew Nolan has built a life that looks very different from the typical image of a professional bare-knuckle fighter.

Away from the lights of the BKFC Squared Circle, Nolan talks about harvesting maple syrup, raising animals, homeschooling his children, building structures on his Michigan property and training by running hills, lifting trees and working with whatever the land gives him.

Then he steps into a ring and fights with his bare hands.

That contrast became one of the most fascinating parts of Nolan’s return appearance on the JMA Podcast with John Murray and Jeremy Fairhurst. What started as a conversation with a professional fighter quickly developed into something much broader: a discussion about self-reliance, family, sacrifice, combat sports and the importance of taking control of your own story.

For anyone who only knows Drew Nolan as a BKFC fighter, the conversation reveals considerably more behind the man nicknamed “Hard Body.”

Drew Nolan’s Life Outside the BKFC Squared Circle

Nolan was born in Schenectady, New York, and now lives in Michigan. BKFC’s official fighter profile lists him as an active cruiserweight and describes a life centered around fighting, family and his property.

During his JMA Podcast appearance, Nolan explained just how far he and his family had taken that lifestyle.

They had chickens and ducks. They produced their own eggs. Nolan had started tapping trees and making maple syrup, finishing nearly two gallons during his first season. The family grew potatoes, tomatoes and microgreens while expanding toward a greenhouse that could extend their growing season through Michigan winters.

A pig could eventually join the operation.

“We don’t have everything that we want, but we have everything that we need when we need it,” Nolan told JMA.

That statement captures much of his philosophy.

For Nolan, homesteading does not appear to be about creating an online image of rugged independence. It is about developing useful skills and gradually becoming less dependent on things outside his control.

He spoke about composting, using a wood stove, cooking with cast iron, baking bread and learning how to work with the resources already around him.

His advice to anyone considering a similar lifestyle was equally straightforward: stop waiting.

“If you’re going to do it, just do it. Pull the trigger,” Nolan said. “There’s going to be setbacks.”

Learning to Build From the Land

One of the more unusual parts of Nolan’s story involves the trees surrounding his home.

He explained that his property contains red pine and that he had started learning traditional woodworking and log preparation techniques from an Amish friend who works in the cabin industry.

Nolan wants that knowledge for a specific reason.

His family had not yet constructed what he considered their permanent home. Rather than rush the process, he wanted to learn how to prepare and preserve the wood properly so he could eventually build something from the land itself.

“I want to do it myself,” Nolan said. “I want to do it with my own land.”

That mentality runs throughout the interview.

Whether he is discussing fighting, construction, farming or writing, Nolan repeatedly returns to the belief that people can learn more than they think they can—as long as they accept the uncomfortable period where they do not yet know what they are doing.

“You have to do it to learn it,” he said.

The Homestead Is Also a Fight Camp

Nolan’s property is not only where he raises his family.

It has become part of his training environment.

He told JMA that he built a small outdoor boxing ring on the property and surrounds himself with heavy bags, weights and medicine balls. His workouts can include running hills, logging daily road miles and physically moving trees.

BKFC itself describes Nolan’s unconventional conditioning as “dinosaur training,” including the use of heavy objects, boulders and tree trunks. The promotion’s profile of Nolan also highlights the importance of his family and farm to his life outside competition.

There is a practical reason behind his attempt to develop training closer to home.

Traveling to quality gyms can require significant time from his Michigan property. Nolan discussed making trips to train elsewhere while also wanting to create an environment where fighters could eventually come to him.

His larger idea sounds almost like an old-school fight camp transplanted onto a homestead: fighters living nearby, eating together, training for hours every day and removing unnecessary distractions.

He believes that type of environment could produce dangerous fighters.

Why Bare Knuckle Fits Drew Nolan

Nolan has competed across several combat sports.

His professional MMA career included a bout with Louis “P.J.” McGee, while Tapology records Nolan’s professional MMA record at 0-1. He also pursued professional boxing before moving into bare-knuckle competition.

His BKFC debut came against Mike Lee at BKFC 45 in Hollywood, Florida, in June 2023. Official BKFC records confirm the matchup, which Lee won by first-round knockout. BKFC’s event archive documents the fight, while Tapology also lists the Lee-Nolan bout.

The result did not diminish Nolan’s enthusiasm for the sport.

Quite the opposite.

Of MMA, professional boxing and bare knuckle, Nolan told JMA that bare knuckle became his favorite.

“I only have to worry about the person in front of me with fists,” he said.

That simplicity appeals to him.

Bare-knuckle boxing removes takedowns, kicks and the wider collection of attacks available in MMA. Nolan described it as an immediate confrontation where fighters have little time to waste.

“There is no feel-out,” Nolan said. “Who’s going to get that crack off? Who’s going to land that bomb?”

It is an approach that suits a fighter who openly prefers confrontation to point fighting.

The official BKFC profile for Drew Nolan currently lists him as an active cruiserweight with a 1-4 promotional record. His BKFC résumé has continued well beyond the period discussed in this original interview, including appearances in Montana, Connecticut and Philadelphia.

That makes revisiting the interview especially interesting: viewers get to hear Nolan describe what he wanted from his bare-knuckle career while his story was still unfolding.

The Difference Between Fighting and Hurting Training Partners

One of Nolan’s strongest observations during the episode had nothing to do with landing punches.

It concerned ego.

Finding the right training partners, Nolan explained, is difficult because meaningful sparring requires trust. Experienced fighters need to know when to increase intensity and when to protect the person helping them prepare.

Eventually, he said, good training partners become their “brother’s keeper.”

That produces a simple coaching philosophy:

Teach people. Don’t hurt people.

If Nolan works with someone less experienced, he sees little value in beating that person up to prove that he can.

Against someone more skilled, however, he welcomes the opportunity to test himself.

“I like to fight uphill,” Nolan said.

It is one of the clearest glimpses into the mentality behind Drew Nolan the BKFC fighter. Nolan is aggressive about testing himself, but he separates that competitive instinct from unnecessary damage in the gym.

Writing A Story Without an Ending: The Hard Body Truth

Fighting represents only one way Nolan has tried to leave his perspective behind.

He is also the author of A Story Without an Ending: The Hard Body Truth.

BKFC’s official biography confirms the book and describes it as Nolan’s account of his life.

Nolan told JMA he did not write it because he expected everyone to read it.

He wrote it because he wanted his version of his life to exist.

“If you don’t write the words or say the words … anybody can say whatever they want about you,” Nolan explained.

That idea appears to matter deeply to him.

A person’s reputation can get rewritten through other people’s memories, opinions and interpretations. Publishing his own account allowed Nolan to put his perspective into the record.

He has even considered revisiting the same events from another angle—examining what the other people involved may have felt and how his perception of those emotions may differ from theirs.

For someone known publicly for exchanging bare-knuckle punches, it is a surprisingly introspective creative project.

It also fits his broader philosophy.

Nolan does not want people to copy his story.

He wants them to write theirs.

“Don’t Ever Hero Worship”

Perhaps the most shareable message from Nolan’s JMA Podcast appearance came while discussing his relationship with fans.

Competing for BKFC introduced him to a level of attention he had never experienced before. After his first appearance, Nolan remembered spending considerable time meeting spectators, taking photographs and interacting with people who suddenly knew who he was.

Some described him as a superhero.

Nolan rejected the idea.

“Don’t ever hero worship,” he said. “Just get inspiration from other people’s story to make your story better.”

That distinction matters.

Nolan views his public fighting persona as something created partly by the people watching him. The attention may belong to the fighter for a night, but what someone does with the inspiration afterward matters more.

“We are all the writers of our own thing,” Nolan said.

Family Comes Before Fighting

For all the conversation about bare knuckle, training camps, books and future opponents, Nolan repeatedly returned to one subject.

His family.

When JMA asked who deserved recognition for helping him along the way, he started with his wife and children.

“They’re why I do what I do,” Nolan said.

His goals extend beyond collecting wins.

He wants to travel with his children. He wants them to experience the places fighting takes him. He wants to build something tangible at home. He wants his family to participate in a life that he deliberately created rather than one that simply happened around them.

That is what makes Nolan an interesting guest even for someone who does not follow bare-knuckle boxing.

Fighting may provide the platform, but the story is really about ownership.

Ownership of his land.

Ownership of his work.

Ownership of his mistakes.

Ownership of his story.

And, ultimately, ownership of the direction his family takes next.