On Saturday night, the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship returns to Pay-Per View as the upstart promotion crowns their first champion in Biloxi, Mississippi.
BKFC Founder and President, David Feldman talked with FIGHT SPORTS and broke down the process on how their third event is sowing signs of great things to come.
"It's been a great process, we had an unbelievable reception on June 2nd," Feldman said of their first event from Cheyenne, Wyoming, which was covered by Vice for a documentary released just recently.
While it was a trek to get a State Athletic Commission to license a bare knuckle fighting event, Feldman confirmed that the BKFC's 2019 schedule not only starts with their first international event in Mexico, but a total of three foreign countries will see an event next year with a very "aggressive" growth strategy planned.
With fighters like former UFC competitor Bec Rawlings, as well as former UFC and Bellator fighter Kendall Grove enlisted for the events, Feldman claimed many athletes were "receptive" to making the jump to bare knuckle fighting.
"Most of them are very receptive and reaching out to us," Feldman claimed from his Philadelphia office prior to fight week. "If you take money out of the equation, because money comes up a lot with people who have names…. Other than that, its fighters saying they're concerned about breaking their hands." Which according to the BKFC founder had only 2 broken hands of the 24 fights in the history of the company and looks to clear that misconception up with potential fighters.
Sanctioning is what stood in the brand's way of going on any Pay-Per-View or streaming provider, which forced Feldman to stump for the organization with different state commissions until Wyoming was the first to allow the brand a chance and show streaming and PPV providers that they were serious.
It would take the BKFC 29 tries before they'd get a state to sanction them, and as soon as Feldman would sanctioning in Wyoming, other states would begin to pick up the phone.
Up to 12 states are on the table for Feldman and the BKFC, but the promoter is taking his time because he can only do "one event at a time," and isn't looking to have other promotions jump the line on him for states he opens up.
The biggest accomplishment for BKFC 3 on October 20th is the crowning of the promotion's first champion, as Sam Shewmaker takes on Arnold Adams in the finals of the BKFC heavyweight tournament.