BKFC President David Feldman doesn’t see his organization as competing with UFC or other combat sports promotions, but rather carving its own niche in the industry, attracting a cult following of fans and fighters interested in bare-knuckle fighting, with the only competition being for talent under free agency.
BKFC 56 is slated to go head-to-head with UFC Austin on Saturday. However, David Feldman, the president of the world’s largest bare-knuckle fighting promotion, doesn’t see this as a competition.
Feldman launched BKFC back in 2018. He’s been carving out his own niche in the combat sports world, building a roster that includes MMA fighters, boxers, and other combat sports veterans eager to test their mettle in the bare-knuckle fighting arena.
His event is headlined by former UFC stars Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez. Despite this, Feldman doesn’t feel like he’s trying to battle with anyone else when promoting events. He’s not competing with Bellator, PFL, or UFC – he’s competing with BKFC, he told MMA Fighting.
Feldman’s goal? To get fans to like this lane. He acknowledges that BKFC is a different lane, offering more brutal violence and blood. If fans want to see guys going out there and banging it out, BKFC is what they have for them.
It’s not for everyone, Feldman admits. But for the fans that love it, BKFC has developed a cult following. With close to 200,000 subscribers on their app, things are going crazy for them, and they’re thrilled with where they’ve been and where they’re going.
The only area where Feldman feels he might have to fight with the UFC, PFL, or other promotions is free agency talent. BKFC has become a major player in that area in recent years. Even UFC superstar Conor McGregor has teased interest in bare-knuckle before his career ends.
Outside of pursuing the best possible talent in a finite pool, Feldman sees no reason to turn adversarial towards other promoters. He believes there’s room for a lot of people in this space. The only thing they compete for with all the promotions is some of the fighters. Otherwise, they can all co-exist.
Recently, the PFL acquired Bellator, putting that organization in the No. 2 position behind the UFC in MMA. PFL founder Donn Davis plans to honor all of the contracts that existed at Bellator, transitioning everyone to the new company. As ambitious as that sounds, the PFL — like the UFC and every other major promotion — will eventually cut ties with some athletes.
Feldman offered nothing but congratulations to the PFL on closing the deal to buy Bellator. He knows that there will be an opportunity for BKFC to add some new talent to its roster. However, he also made it clear that not everyone will fit under the bare-knuckle model.
They’ve already got a slew of guys who reached out in the past couple of days, Feldman revealed. They can’t hold onto all those fighters. They don’t just want any free agent. They want free agents that make sense for BKFC, regardless of where they come from.
Feldman also teased a long-rumored television deal in the works for BKFC. He can’t say for certain when or if it will close. However, he’s proud that his fledgling promotion has found a real foothold in the combat sports industry without having a dedicated broadcast partner for the past five years.
A TV deal would change everything for them. It’s not just about the money, but getting all those different eyeballs on them. Feldman believes it’s going to pop, and if it doesn’t, it’s going to eventually come. There’s no denying it now.
Regardless of the TV deal, BKFC remains a destination spot for fans, especially when the promotion puts on marquee events like the one happening on Saturday. Feldman insists that BKFC operates completely independently from any other MMA or boxing organization. However, he gladly touts one metric where his promotion is winning.
Feldman never compares BKFC to the UFC. They’re not the UFC. They’re a juggernaut and BKFC is not going to be the UFC. But on YouTube, BKFC does more average views than any other combat sport out there. They are the No. 1 combat sport in terms of average viewership on YouTube. That’s crazy, Feldman says. They just need to get there and when they do, it’s over.