What can you expect from Barstool Sports' Rough N Rowdy event Friday night? Mayhem.

PROVIDENCE – It sort of looked like a professional weigh-in. It was well-organized, being broadcast live and it didn’t reek of weed.

But just when it looked like Barstool Sports’ Rough N Rowdy was really going to be a different type of event than it was when it came to Providence three years ago, a minor skirmish broke out during the final weigh-in between two fighters as wide as they are tall. The bumbling bodies caromed around and sent Barstool personality “Frank the Tank” – nicknamed for his own larger-than-life size – tumbling to the ground and reminded you what kind of sporting event is coming to Providence on Friday night and why it has to be seen to be believed.

“It’s just so tough to judge because there is no technique,” said Barstool’s Mike ‘Large’ McCarthy, who covers boxing and other combat sports for the website when he’s not writing blogs about fatherhood and finance. “That’s what makes this thing so fun. For professional people who don’t like boxing but like seeing people getting punched in the face, they’re going to like this."

Calling Rough N Rowdy boxing is like calling McDonald’s fine dining.

It started in small-town West Virginia, where blue-collar workers would fill local gymnasiums to watch locals fight one another for cash prizes. Clips of bouts – where untrained fighters throw wild haymakers praying to make contact – hit the interwebs and caught the eye of Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, who eventually bought the brand and made it a part of the Barstool empire.

Three years ago Rough N Rowdy came to Providence for the first time and to call it a madhouse would be polite. The event was sold out – attendees included former New England Patriots’ star Rob Ninkovich, former NHL star Bryan Berard as well as current Patriot David Andrews – seats were added and those sold out as well. While a few may have been there to see the fights, most were there for the mayhem.

'Rowdy' time in store for Downtown Providence

That night Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini told The Journal Rough N Rowdy would 100 percent return to Providence. At the time, it was hard to imagine what the return would look like.

Thursday gave us a glimpse, but it was miles from what it was the last time Rough N Rowdy came to town. Friday’s fights are being held at the arena once known as The Dunk, the same location where Thursday’s weigh-ins took place. While the 2019 weigh-in was a mass of bodies standing in a semicircle, with testosterone levels high and the smell of sweat and marijuana lingering like the smell of Sunday dinner, Thursday looked – and smelled – a lot more professional.

McCarthy was the host of Barstool’s Instagram Live event and interviewed each of the fighters who showed up for the weigh in. There was a lot of posturing going on and watching the interviews, it wasn’t hard to pick who the fighters were with actual experience and who was peacocking to hide their clear lack of experience in the ring or elsewhere.

Three years ago calling RnR amateur boxing would be a stretch; while cards are filled with people who have zero business being in the ring, there are a few bouts featuring skilled fighters.

“I think Rough N Rowdy is still that crazy [expletive] [expletive] that you’ll see, but then you’ve got a guy like Ninja who’s 13-2 and really likes to box,” McCarthy said. “If you really like to box, we’ll set you up with somebody who can also box and we can have a real boxing match.

“Or if you’re just somebody who’s grossly overweight and just wants to throw overhands, we’ll set you up with that too. It’s a little bit for everybody.”

The featured fight of the night sees Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones – yes, that one – in a rematch with Bobby Laing, who fought in Providence three years ago.

While common sense would dictate the man who played in the NFL would be tough to beat in a fight, Laing came out victorious the last time the two went to war. Remember, this isn’t amateur boxing as much as it is amateur amateur boxing.

“When he came in here he thought he was going to survive on athleticism alone. He almost did and it went to the cards,” McCarthy said. “… If he’s put in some time since then, plus his amazing athleticism, I think he has a much easier night this time.”

Several Rhode Islanders are on the card. North Providence’s Vicky D’Errico won in her professional debut three years ago and will fight on Friday night. Lincoln’s Kasey Dale – known for a nickname that is wildly unprintable on several levels – is back, as is Cranston’s Casey O’Connor, who became the first little person champ in RnR history when he won in Providence in 2019.

Expect these fighters to enter the ring with confidence. They’ve been there, done that, and understand what these events are like.

Then there’s a bout like the one between Barrington’s Zach Mardirosian and Providence’s Thomas DiMeglio, a battle billed as a rivalry with Madirosian’s Providence College ties and DiMeglio’s URI connection.

It’s fights like this one – among others – that really make the event fun.

“These guys are legitimately nervous,” McCarthy said. “This is their first time stepping in and sometimes when you’re nervous you do stuff you’re embarrassed of later on, but it makes for great TV.”

At the center of the spectacle will be Barstool’s personalities. Large and Frank the Tank – who’s known for his many rants against his favorite baseball team, the New York Mets – handled duties on Thursday night but Friday Barstool is bringing the full arsenal.

Portnoy and Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz – one of the hosts of Pardon My Take, the No. 1 rated sports podcast – will be on the call Friday alongside Robbie Fox, Barstool’s combat sports/sci-fi expert. Adam ‘Rone’ Ferrone and Caleb Pressley will handle ringside interviews with McCarthy in charge of pre-fight interviews.

With many of Barstool’s other personalities from the greater Boston area, there will be more than a few people, much like three years ago, who will buy tickets just for the chance to meet or greet.

What it’s going to do is create a truly unique atmosphere unlike anything the city has seen since 2019.

“When we do it down in West Virginia, it’s 90 percent people who just want to see blood,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s going to be 95 percent Stoolies [on Friday] and that’s bad because it’s going to be bananas in here.

“It’s one of those things – please BuyRnR.com – but also get your [expletive] down here because I think it’s going to be a hell of a night.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Barstool Sports' Rough n Rowdy returns to Providence at The AMP