The Most Extreme
Combat Sport
Ever Invented
No sticks. No pucks. No goals. Two fighters. One Ice Box. The ice doesn't forgive.
Built From
The Ground Up
Some ideas are too raw, too real, and too right to stay on the sidelines. For Charlie Nama, the idea was simple: the best part of hockey was always the fight. Everything else was just getting in the way.
Nama is the founder and CEO of Ice Wars International, the visionary behind Bare Knuckle Ice Wars — the world's first legal, sanctioned, and regulated hockey fighting league. Born and raised in Smithers, British Columbia, Charlie's story is one of grit, reinvention, and a relentless drive to build things from nothing. It is, in many ways, the same story his sport tells every time two fighters step into The Ice Box.
"Some ideas are too raw, too real, and too right to stay on the sidelines."
Charlie Nama didn't start in a boardroom. He started in the bush. Growing up in the small resource town of Smithers in northern British Columbia, Nama's early years were shaped by hard physical labour — working in sawmill construction and logging, the kind of work that teaches you quickly what you're made of.
That work ethic translated fast when Charlie pivoted into the business world, joining his stepfather in the automobile industry in Northern BC. A natural salesperson with an instinct for people, Nama climbed quickly through the ranks and by the age of 28 had become the manager of the largest car dealership in the region. His performance was so exceptional it earned him a full chapter in Paul Jenkins' business book Finding and Keeping Good People.
Growing up in northern BC, Nama played for the Moricetown Canyon Bears, an all-Indigenous hockey team that held deep community and cultural significance. He also found a passion for boxing, training with his friend and coach Dick St. Louis in Prince Rupert, BC. The combination of combat sports and the ice was already taking shape in his mind long before it had a name.
The Vision
Becomes Real
In 2006, Charlie Nama financed his first Hockey Enforcers Fight in Prince George, British Columbia. It was an experiment — a proof of concept that the appetite for organized, on-ice fighting was real. The crowd responded. The fighters responded. The idea held up.
That night in Prince George was the beginning of what would become Ice Wars International. Over the following years, he refined the concept, developed the format, and worked to bring structure and legitimacy to a sport that had never had it. Rules. Weight classes. Judges. Officials. A proper fighting surface — The Ice Box, a 900-square-foot enclosed ice arena purpose-built for bare knuckle combat.
"He wasn't trying to replace hockey. He was building something it had never thought to become."
In March 2025, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship — the fastest-growing combat sports organization in the world — acquired a stake in Ice Wars International, partnering with Charlie Nama to bring his vision to a global audience. With BKFC executive David Feldman and inaugural Ice Wars President Ian Heinisch — a former UFC fighter — alongside him, Nama launched the sport's first professional era with events being broadcast internationally across 200+ countries.
For Charlie Nama, Bare Knuckle Ice Wars isn't just a business. It's a calling — and the ice doesn't forgive those who aren't ready for it.
First Event — Prince George, BC
Charlie Nama finances the inaugural Hockey Enforcers Fight. The concept is validated in front of a live crowd.
Ice Wars International Founded
The formal organization is established. Nama begins developing the rules, weight classes, and The Ice Box format.
BKFC Partnership & Global Launch
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship acquires a stake in Ice Wars International. Six inaugural events scheduled. 200+ country broadcast deal.
24-Event Season
Up to 24 events on the 2026 calendar. River Cree Resort & Casino confirmed for September 5.
Forged In
The Octagon
Ian Heinisch doesn't need to imagine what it feels like to take a punch and keep moving. He's lived it — inside the UFC, in front of millions of people, against some of the best fighters on earth. That experience is exactly what makes him the right person to lead Bare Knuckle Ice Wars.
A professional mixed martial artist and former UFC middleweight competitor, Heinisch built his career the hard way. Climbing through regional circuits and amateur MMA, he earned his Octagon debut and went on to compete at the highest level in the sport — sharing the cage with ranked contenders and battle-tested veterans. His fights were never boring. Heinisch came forward, threw leather, and finished fights. It was a style that earned him fans and respect in equal measure.
"He's been in the fire. He knows what it takes — and he knows exactly what our fighters are stepping into."
In the UFC, Heinisch went toe-to-toe with top-ranked middleweights, including a decisive first-round finish of Gerald Meerschaert that announced his arrival on the world stage. His professional record reflects a fighter who was always dangerous, always game, and never afraid of a war. Over the course of his career he accumulated wins by knockout, submission, and decision — proof of a complete, hard-hitting competitor.
When Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Charlie Nama built out the leadership team for Ice Wars International, they didn't want a figurehead. They wanted someone who understood combat from the inside — the preparation, the pressure, and the culture of fighters who get in there and risk it all. Heinisch was the obvious choice.
"When you've fought in the UFC, you've earned the credibility to lead fighters who are about to do something even more raw."
As President of Bare Knuckle Ice Wars, Heinisch is the face and voice of the organization — recruiting fighters, building the brand, and championing a sport that demands the same toughness and authenticity that defined his own career. He brings with him not just a name, but a standard: show up ready, compete with everything you have, and leave it all in The Ice Box.
The Ice Box
A 900 sq. ft. enclosed ice fighting surface purpose-built for Bare Knuckle Ice Wars. Once you step in, there's nowhere to go.
The Ice Box
A 900 sq. ft. enclosed ice surface — purpose-built for combat. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Just you and your opponent.
Round Format
Three rounds of one minute each. Non-stop action. No wrestling. No clinching. Pure striking — bare knuckle, on ice.
Judging
Three independent judges score each round. Fights can end by KO, TKO, doctor stoppage, or judges' decision.
Sanctioned & Safe
Fully sanctioned and regulated. Medical staff on-site at every event. Fighters are licensed and medically cleared before competing.