'Knuckle Up!': Bare Knuckle Boxing Gains Traction In The World Of Fighting

"Fighters, toe the line! Knuckle up!"

David Feldman, founder of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, or BKFC, wants combat sports fans to give bare knuckle boxing a chance, because it's not what most people may think it is.

With similarities to traditional boxing, bare knuckle boxing is unique in many ways. The sport uses a square circle ring - 28-foot square with a 22-foot circle in the middle.

“There’s no gloves, there’s hand wraps, on your wrists and mid-hand, but your knuckles are completely bare, so it’s completely bare knuckle fighting," Feldman told The Blast exclusively. "The fight is scored similar to the way boxing is scored, it’s called a 10 Point Must system. So the winner of the round gets 10 and the loser of the round gets 9 or less depending on if you get knocked down or not. That’s how boxing is, that’s how we do the same exact thing."

BKFC fights consist of five two-minute rounds, so it's fast paced. All fights are five rounds with a few exceptions, such as a championship fight that ends in a draw. Then a sudden death round would be added.

"Everything that we did in this sport was really just built for excitement," Feldman said. "Fast paced action."

BKFC is the first promotion allowed to hold a legal, sanctioned, regulated bare knuckle fighting event in the United States since 1889, and only accepts established boxing, MMA, kickboxing or Muay Thai fighters to compete.

“I want fans to know that BKFC is a well put together, well produced, with very good rules and very good medicals, and the fighters are treated great," Feldman told The Blast. "If you watch Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship you're gonna see some of the best combat sports action you've ever seen. It's addicting, it's engaging, it's non-stop excitement."

While most fight styles aren't exactly controversial, bare knuckle boxing can't say the same thing. Feldman feels that the controversial part of the sport is all a matter of perception and it's beginning to lessen as the sport continues to grow.

“In life, if you don’t see something, if you don’t watch it, if you don’t know it, that person, you might say that person is this or that and you never met them. And you meet them and you go, ‘Wow, that person was really cool.’ With bare knuckle, it’s the same things, they go, ‘Wow, oh, brutal, street fight, barbaric.’ They watch it, they go, ‘Wow, that was nothing like I thought. It was actually a lot more technical than I thought,'" he said.  "Yeah, listen, it’s a blood sport, there’s blood in this sport, absolutely."

Feldman went on to say that bare knuckle boxers suffer less concussions, facials fractures, hand breaks and total injuries across the board than boxing or mixed martial arts, with the exception of lacerations.

"But if I was a fighter, when I was a fighter, I’d much rather get cut than get brain damage. I’d much rather get a cut than a broken orbital. We have less of all the major injuries in any other combat sport out there," Feldman said.

"I think because it’s a little bloody, people sometimes shy away from it a little bit. But the negative perception has definitely dwindled because a lot more people are doing this now. When we started this in 2018, we were the first legally regulated bare knuckle fighting event ever. Meaning, we were the first time that a government sanctioning body governed or oversaw an event like this.”

Today, there’s over 65 bare knuckle promotions worldwide. As its growing, negative perception is dwindling. 

“In 2018 we did three shows in two states, Mississippi and Wyoming. In November 2023, we’re doing four shows in four countries," he said. "So the growth is just crazy.”

Feldman doesn’t feel there will be any big changes to the sport in the future but feels there will be more content around the fighters to see their backstories and get to know them more so people can follow them from the time they start the sport. He also hopes to see more gyms teaching this fight style. 

“I think I want to see more gyms teaching bare knuckle fighting because I think it’s actually the most relatable combat sport that there is out there that everybody in the world kind of knows what it is and can use. It’s like a little thing in your back pocket," he said. "You might go to a bar and need to punch someone in the mouth at some point and teaching bare knuckle fighting but more than that. When people start learning bare knuckle fighting and they’re taking this in other combat sports gyms, they then become a fan of it and they want to watch it.”

BKFC is currently negotiating with two different TV deals, and Feldman feels that will take the sport to a whole new level in the future. Right now, people can catch fights on Fubu TV, the BKFC app, and some fights on their YouTube. 

BKFC's next big fight is being held in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 2. The King of Violence championship will feature Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez.

"It's going to be an unbelievable, exciting match," Feldman said. "It's going to be action packed all night long. I promise you if you're watching, you're gonna be a return viewer."

In addition to Perry vs. Alvarez, there will be eight other fights, including a woman's championship bout.

“The women’s division is absolutely growing right now," Feldman said. "We try to do one or two women’s fights on every card we do right now so we’re really trying to grow out the women’s division. It draws a lot of different people in to watch the sport.”

See more information about fighters and upcoming fights on BKFC's website.