Clash with Jackie Cataline at BKB 61
Striking pedigree meets elite grappling background on November 14 in London, as Turkish-Dutch standout Hatice Ozyurt prepares to step into the squared circle for BKB 61. There, she will face formidable American competitor Jackie “The Hybrid” Cataline in a high-stakes bare-knuckle boxing contest that promises fireworks from the opening bell.
Ozyurt approaches the matchup with absolute conviction, firmly believing that her extensive combat sports experience and superior hand-speed will provide the decisive edge against the former wrestler. While she anticipates that Cataline will attempt to close the distance and turn the bout into a grinding affair inside the clinch, the seasoned striker is fully prepared to dictate the rhythm and range of the fight. Rather than getting drawn into a grappling heavy-exchanging contest, Ozyurt intends to use her fists to alter levels and disrupt whatever tactical blueprint her opponent has prepared.
Beyond the immediate athletic challenge of competing at the highest level of bare-knuckle fighting, Ozyurt carries a profound sense of pride. As she steps onto the international stage in London, she does so as a proud representative of her Turkish heritage, blazing a trail as a pioneering female athlete. Yet, her remarkable life story extends far beyond the boundaries of combat sports; away from the bright lights and intense training camps, Ozyurt maintains a demanding career as a senior manager inside a maximum-security prison in the Netherlands, using her unique dual existence to motivate and uplift those facing the harshest realities of life.
Hatice Ozyurt is confident about her striking ahead of Jackie Cataline bout
The anticipation for BKB 61 has steadily mounted as both fighters complete their final preparations. Speaking in an interview recorded on October 30, Ozyurt made it abundantly clear that she expects the fight to unfold entirely on her terms, regardless of what her opponent might attempt to implement.
"I leave it in God’s hands. But one thing I know for sure is that it’s not going to be how she planned it," Ozyurt stated. "Yesterday I had an interview where Jackie made it clear that she wants to clinch with me. She can try, but it’s like I said, I’m not going to hug her in the fight. I want to change levels with the fists."
With nearly 70 professional fights etched onto an impressive combat resume, Ozyurt brings a wealth of striking knowledge into the bare-knuckle arena. Because bare-knuckle boxing strips away the protective padding of traditional gloves, the margin for error shrinks dramatically, turning every landed punch into a potentially fight-altering moment. Ozyurt is acutely aware of this dynamic and has made no secret of her ambition to finish the contest well before the final bell sounds across the scheduled five rounds.
"It’s professional boxing without gloves so I hope it’s going to be the fight of the night. Hopefully with my boxing skills and my experience, it will be a KO maybe in the first or second round. It’s not going to last all five rounds. I hope not," she remarked.
Standing across the ring from her will be Cataline, an athlete whose background is firmly rooted in wrestling and high-level grappling. While many strikers might view a credentialed grappler with apprehension, Ozyurt embraces the stylistic clash. She views the matchup as an intriguing test of disciplines, noting that her decades-long immersion in striking arts has prepared her to handle whatever unorthodox situations might arise during the fight.
"She has a background as a wrestler, a grappler. And everyone knows me. I’m a professional fighter who’s had almost 70 fights to my name. My special background is striking. So, it’s very interesting to fight against a grappler, a wrestler. I hope it’s not going to be a fight where she will put me to the ground. And if she takes me to the ground, then we can do BKB on the ground. It’s no problem for me at all. But I think the complete fighter for BKB — that’s me. Of course, I respect her as a fighter, as a female. But because of my background as a striker, that ground is my playground."
While maintaining absolute confidence in her ability to dismantle opponents with her hands, Ozyurt maintains deep respect for Cataline’s athletic accomplishments. She views the upcoming London event not merely as another fight on her record, but as a premier platform to showcase the evolution of women’s bare-knuckle boxing on a global scale.
Central to her motivation is the opportunity to fly the flag for her culture on the international circuit. Having grown up in the Netherlands with deep roots in Turkish culture, Ozyurt takes immense pride in being a trailblazer for female athletes from her background.
"I was born and raised in the Netherlands and my background’s culture is Turkish. I represent Turkey with pride, as the first Turkish female fighter in the Netherlands," Ozyurt reflected. "It’s very exciting for me to be there fighting at the highest level of bare-knuckle. Jackie, of course, is also a legend in her background. I’m very grateful and very excited for this fight between us."
Hatice Ozyurt hopes to inspire others through fighting and prison work
The discipline required to excel at the highest echelons of combat sports is immense, but for Ozyurt, training camps and fight nights represent only one half of her demanding daily reality. For nearly 17 years, she has walked the corridors of a maximum-security prison in the Netherlands, serving in a leadership capacity as a senior manager. Navigating the high-pressure environment of a correctional facility alongside a professional fighting career requires an extraordinary level of mental fortitude.
Rather than keeping these two distinct worlds separate, Ozyurt channels the lessons learned from both arenas into a unified mission: to inspire resilience and hope in individuals who find themselves navigating some of the darkest circumstances imaginable.
"Yeah, I want to be an inspiration to them. I’m a senior manager in the toughest prison in the Netherlands. We don’t deal with guys who stole candy from a store. We work with murderers and rapists. But also with children who are damaged by their loved ones, who never had a chance to stand up for themselves," Ozyurt explained.
Her journey to leadership and athletic success was forged through relentless effort rather than handed down through privilege. It is a narrative of perseverance that she frequently shares with those she encounters in the correctional system, hoping to demonstrate that personal transformation and achievement are attainable through honest, hard work.
"I’ve done this work for almost 17 years now. With my personality and who I am as a woman, who I am as a fighter, I always give them the message of where I came from. I didn’t get things handed to me on a golden plate. I worked hard in my position as a fighter and as a female, in this society."
Within the walls of the correctional facility, Ozyurt’s leadership style is defined by empathy, clear boundaries, and mutual respect. She approaches the incarcerated population not through the narrow lens of their offenses, but by recognizing the deeply human struggles and vulnerabilities that often preceded their current circumstances. By treating them with dignity and offering a willing ear, she aims to help them envision a path toward rehabilitation and positive contribution to society.
"As senior manager in the prison, I always get respect from the prisoners. They love to hear what I say because I talk from my heart. Some children didn’t even have a chance to develop themselves and I want to guide them when they come into society. Some things are not for granted. Some things you have to work for. And I hope that when I help them, that they take me as an example," she said.
For Ozyurt, true leadership means seeing past societal labels and offering a guiding hand to those who were denied proper support earlier in their lives. Her unique perspective bridges the physical intensity of bare-knuckle combat with the profound emotional intelligence required to manage a high-security institution, proving that strength and compassion can coexist in powerful ways as she prepares to walk to the ring on November 14.
