Every fight people go to, they watch it and they love it, especially live. Feldman has come a long way since he was able to get Wyoming to approve the sport in March, 2018. Also I think its more adaptable to the common person than boxing or MMA. Tom Shoaff at BKFC 34 on December 3, 2022, 1. def. Based in Philadelphia, and headed by president and former professional boxer David Feldman, BKFC is dedicated to preserving the historical legacy of bare-knuckle fighting, while . Born October 4, 1970, Broomall, Pennsylvania, United States. They memorialized an agreement in writing, Stewart claims, but he does not have a copy. She was worth every cent that we spent on her. Before the show takes place, BKFC president David Feldman satdown with Sporting News to look back at 2019, the growth of the organization and what type of competitors he's looking to bringin. The data is the data, it is what it is. Washington Jewish Week, PHILADELPHIA JEWISH EXPONENT IS HERE FOR YOU. From there things have just started to explode. Alves was stripped of the title in June 2022 after he and the organization were not able to reach agreement on new contract. He knows the brutality of the sport isnt for everyone, but thats just fine with him. David Feldman (brother) Damon Richard Feldman (born October 5, 1975) is an American businessman, boxing promoter, producer, and author. 18:43. Thats what happened for him., David Feldman: Five years from now? He doesnt have that in him. I think by the end of 2020, mid-2021, is where we become a legitimate player in combat sports. [7] BKFC recognizes the Police Gazette champions, and they may defend their titles within this promotion. So July 24th 2020 we became the first live sporting event in the country with fans. Im not in it for the money. According to Stewart, Feldman now holds BKFC events through a different business entity than the original Wyoming events. Some have worked for free for two years. Ryan Nixon/BKFC. Justin Thornton died as a result of spinal injury suffered during his BKFC debut. David Feldman - Presidents and CEO - Bare Knuckle fighting - LinkedIn Sometimes, they have stick with the path theyve paved while BKFC has been able to still mold its identity from show to show. On Wednesday, the founder of the promotion, David Feldman, announced that Triller, a social media company that has expanded into the promotion of boxing and other combat sports, has acquired a majority stake of BKFC. First thing I would do is have the main commissioner come over to the wall, and I would ask him to punch it with his bare knuckle. Its amazing, Feldman told MMA Fighting ahead of BKFC 14. Feldman promises thats just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the plans he has in place for BKFC as he continues to conquer new mountains in the combat sports space. Can David Feldman Become the New King of Combat Sports? The upstart promotion has since held nine more events giving fans such notable scraps as Joey Beltran vs. Tony Lopez 1 and 2 and Conor McGregor protg Artem Lobov vs. Jason Knight 1 and 2 as well as a Lobov grudge match with former boxing champion and one-time McGregor sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi. 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Russell Peltz Celebrates Half Century in Boxing. . It was all worth it. Bare Knuckle FC president David Feldman confirmed to MMA Fighting on Monday that fighter Justin Thornton had died after a loss to Dillon Cleckler on the BKFC 20 card Aug. 20 in Biloxi, Mississippi. This is a BETA experience. As 2020 nears, Feldman and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship continue to trend upwards. SN: What are the target states you're looking to get regulated in this year? The lightweights have engaged in a fiery war of words after an altercation erupted as a BKFC press conference earlier this year and Feldman believes thats going to translate into a crowd-pleasing battle on Friday night. I think it is staying the course a little longer, getting these studies behind us. At BKFC 3, Arnold Adams defeated Sam Shewmaker in the finals of an eight man tournament to be crowned as the inaugural BKFC Heavyweight Champion. So I then gave the next two and a half years just trying to get this thing going. DF: It is the growth of the sport. UFC veteran Felipe Colares dead at 29 after being hit by bus. that is what is helping to open up these doors that have been shut for so long., David Feldman: I think its just staying the course really. Feldman is the founder and CEO of Official Celebrity Boxing. This is an incredible thing that we are doing, and the only reason no one has done it before is that doing so requires a significant investment of time and money. In the first ever event in June 2018, Joey Beltran and . I think everybody in the company was hoping it was going to get there but never really thought it would be this fast. BKFC president David Feldman says he almost sold the promotion He has worked for the Jewish Exponent since 2018. The pension plan does not take a portion of a fighters earnings, according to Feldman, but rather the organization has committed to matching a proportion of current contracts in order to put money into the pension account. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Eighteen months to two years from now, were going to be a major major player in combat sports.. newsletter, Israel Adesanya Walkouts to Knockouts T-Shirt, Luke Rockhold reacts to BKFC 41 loss: Im not done. Everyone is doing tremendous and it seems to be working out., David Feldman: It was really just forward thinking. Yeah they are busted up, but you see a picture of them a week later and they are perfect. The matchmaking and regulations were criticised following the news on social media and by UFC president Dana White. By. It was certainly a gamble at the time considering the kind of resistance mixed martial arts faced for years after being banned in numerous states in the U.S. not to mention countries around the world. They both have a killer instinct as you saw with Jim Alers jumping off in each and every one of his fights trying to crack the guys. Copyright 2005-2023 PYGOD Network. Russias doing some smaller leagues over there and I have TV rights deals over there so were going to be doing an event in Russia soon. [14], Initially, BKFC pay-per-view bouts were carried worldwide via FITE TV. How fast this would grow and the kind of recognition and acceptance that we got so fast. DF: I think kickboxing could be one,but not jiu jitsu. Jorge Masvidal: Why UFC Fighter Would Excel As a Bare-Knuckle Fighter In this day and age of having metrics on demand in real time, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has been able to adapt and pivot from the very beginning while assessing data. SN: Did the success of not just that event but the entire year surprise you? Its been a tremendous ride and I am really happy with where we are at. Mississippi, and 20 more states have now allowed bare-knuckle fights. Some have worked for free for two years. We have two very big either platform or network deals in talks right now and hoping to close that out within the next 30 to 60 days. Ahead of BKFCs 14th flagship show on Friday, the promotions president is happy to say he was right, especially given the growth of the sport worldwide. Paige did wonders for us. David Feldman: Nate Diaz 'Would Be A Great Fit' With Bare Knuckle FC I think that's really the thing that took us by surprise was how much the pay-per-view was pirated and how to combat that. The bare knuckle or the knee? They would all say the knee. Blood sport: Bare-knuckle fighting emerges from shadows BKFC president David Feldman confirms he recently turned down lucrative But we are here just to do our thing. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship League Is Rocked by Inferno Florida Triller has hosted a number of boxing events and special rules combat sports events like Triad Combat since entering the fight game in 2020. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889. So I said lets do a live event where we can have fans. David feldman bkfc net worth. David Feldman speaks to MMA Junkie Radio about the history of BKFC and name drops some big returns to the Bare Knuckle FC ring.Full story: https://mmajunkie.. [11], On August 20, 2021, BKFC was involved in controversy after the death of boxer Justin Thornton at BKFC 20. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will remain as is, Feldman said. I would do two simple things. I started researching it, and I was like, Wow, this stuff is really cool, man, he said. Did Mike Tyson want to get hit with a bare knuckle at his age? I was offered a lot of money just last week to sell, Feldman said to Van Vliet. I mean its good that we have competition around the world. after tragic death of bare-knuckle fighter", "BKFC and DAZN agree to broadcast partnership starting in August", "BKFC Live Events Headed to FITE+ Subscription Service", "Everything you need to know about Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship", "Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich official for BKFC 19 on July 23", "BKFC 7 | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships | Home", "NEWS | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships | Home", "Bare Knuckle FC 5 fight card for 'Lobov vs Knight' on April 6", "Bare Knuckle FC 4 Complete Guide! Twitter Reacts As Francis Ngannou Talks With ONE FC Collapse He has a younger brother, David Feldman, who is the founder of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships is looking to make their mark in the combat sports landscape. Founder and president of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship David Feldman said in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that he was recently offered a generous amount of money to sell the promotion. Every time I get a nasty email, or a Facebook message, people saying, This isnt going to last, its a gimmick, this and that, it just drives me more and more to make it something more legitimate, he said. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship - Wikipedia Influencers fighting in boxing matches. Thus, we're really expanding this thing at a very nice pace for us. With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from April 2023. But its great with all these other organizations because what it does is it makes the sport more popular. It is a requirement that each fighter must start each round with their front foot on their scratch line. Feldman spent a lot of time trying to grow the niche sport of bare knuckle boxing within the combat sports world. This is referred to as Toe the Line, and it is an instruction given to the fighters at the beginning of each round, followed by "Knuckle Up" which signals the beginning of the round. The elder Feldman was a middleweight boxer who went on to train popular Philadelphia fighters, including Prince Charles Williams, who held the IBF light-heavyweight belt from 1987 to 1993. Thats what makes them so special. "Throughout this time period, Stewart continued to ask Feldman for a written contract evidencing their agreement and for more information regarding the finances and affairs of their venture," the complaint states. Free Sign Up. The main event features former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard taking on David Mundell. BKFC already made waves earlier this year when signing former UFC star Paige VanZant to an exclusive contract after she reached free agency. . Thats how we were able to grow our fanbase., David Feldman: Right now, Im not going to say that its simple, but its a lot easier. Then, we got hit in the face like, Wow, people illegally streamed the hell out of pay-per-view, and we had nothing.' We skipped January, then we did February around the Superbowl. I think they went in there as more of a show. But I see thata little bit down the road for us because we have to prove ourselves a little more. We found a place in Oxford Mississippi. A number of UFC veterans have tested their skills under the BKFC banner, including Mike Perry, Chad Mendes, Artem Lobov, Jason Knight, Paige VanZant, Rachael Ostovich, Bec Rawlings, and more. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). David feldman bkfc net worth is estimated to be around $500K. Since starting the organization, BKFC has held 18 events and on Friday night it will hold its 19th event, with former UFC stars Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich in the headliner in a rematch. It took seven years for Feldman to convince one state, Wyoming, to legally sanction and apply regulations to a bare-knuckle fight and, on June 2, 2018, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 1: The Beginning featured 12 fights. As the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship continues to court free agents to join their roster, promotion officials will have a one-of-a-kind incentive to provide as an incentive to prospective fighters. Bare Knuckle FC has a new majority stakeholder. Waiting to find the greatest restaurant to celebrate at, as well as the nearest bridge to leap out of [laughs]. The ride has certainly been wild and crazy, but its also been an incredible experience that I could never have imagined when the idea for this project first came to me. Bare-knuckle fighting was an old school form of combat sports that largely just went away with the growth of boxing and MMA. Im not taking light of it. Bare Knuckle FC President David Feldman on why BKFC is the fastest Im not in it for the money, says the author. David Feldman grew up the son of a boxing trainer and became a professional boxer himself, going 4-1 in his career. Baltimore Jewish Times ', From March 2018 to June 2018 they gave me that opportunity to be the first legally sanctioned bare knuckle fighting promotion. SN: How do you temper everybody'sexpectations when you get big success because everyone wants to go bigger and bigger? Its been such a wild and crazy ride, but I mean its really just been an unbelievable experience that I couldnt have even imagined when I thought of this thing. His son, David Jr., had just been born after the fifth, and the dynamic between him and his father had deteriorated. I have a core three or four people that have worked with me since the beginning. Feldman maintains that his firm is just doing well financially and that he merely wants to give back to the sportsmen who have helped him. She was the most expensive fighter that we ever had, on the most expensive card, and we brought in the most revenue. One of his fathers fighters had dropped out at the last minute, and he volunteered to step in; wish granted, he knocked out his opponent in 90 seconds, he said. Jorge Masvidal would be the ultimate Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship competitor, BKFC boss David Feldman told Business Insider. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I'm not going lie to you. And if this gets to where were planning to be, its going to be a monster. Its a dream but its seeing everything come to fruition. You didnt hear the crowd and you didnt see the atmosphere. Get Jewish Exponent's Newsletter by email and never miss our top storiesWe do not share data with third party vendors. Some have been working for free for more than two years. SN: What event do you think was the turning point for the company in 2019? We market the way we want to market, we use some fighters from mixed martial arts and from boxing. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Founder Reflects - Jewish Exponent BKFCs interest has grown overseas as well with a lot of interest in Europe and Asia, where international rights are in demand to not only broadcast the events, but to host live events in the future. The growth of it and how far its gone so fast is amazing but I really think were going to be a real big competitor in the combat sports landscape here probably in another 18 months. Sep 13, 2022. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I always thought this was going to happen, but I thought it would take 5 to 7 years to get where we are at now. And then next month, we do Wichita, Kansas. Then I would also imitate smashing my knee into someones head. I think that if you are a big MMA fan, you will stay a big MMA fan. We had no idea about that. Please check your email for a confirmation. Same with boxing. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The president of BKFC talks with Sporting News ahead of Saturday night's BKFC 10 event. Longtime UFC veteran Nate Diaz is just entering the world of free agency, but it seems suitors are already happily lining up for his services. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Your email address will not be published. BKFC president David Feldman had an idea that fight fans would fall in love with bare-knuckle competition but even he couldn't have predicted the response the sport has received globally. But I would love to be continually involved with it in some way, shape or form. A lot of guys might go I dont want competition I want competition. Pro wrestling almost every evening. Do we do a closed door show? ONEs Chatri Sityodtong decided not to submit our final offer to Francis Ngannou after meeting.