Promoters love to sell dreams. David Feldman is no different, but he swears his wildest one is finally happening. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship founder confirmed Wednesday that his mythical $25 million openweight tournament is officially locked in for 2027. It was supposed to happen last year. It didn’t. Turns out, throwing millions of dollars at a massive bracket is harder than it looks. But Feldman claims the ink is dry on a major network deal, with an official announcement coming next week. He bit off more than he could chew initially, but the pieces are finally on the board.
Meanwhile, the actual fights keep rolling. Darren Till just smashed Aaron Chalmers in his bare-knuckle debut last weekend. One fight down, two to go on his current deal. Feldman is already drooling over the metrics. The social media numbers were massive. Now, the boss wants Till back in the ring for a Manchester card on September 26. They are already talking about an extension.
The fight everyone actually wants is Till versus Mike Perry. It is a decade-old grudge. Both are now under the BKFC umbrella, though Perry’s path has been weird lately. He just beat Nate Diaz in an MMA bout on Netflix, fighting on the undercard of Ronda Rousey’s return. Perry still has two fights left on his BKFC contract. Feldman claims their relationship is fine. He wants the Till fight. September is probably too soon, but it is on the horizon. Contract loopholes make it tricky, but money usually talks.
Then there is Conor McGregor. The sport’s biggest ego is already a part-owner of BKFC. He also has two fights left on his UFC contract, starting with a July 11 date against Max Holloway at UFC 329. Feldman is already counting down the days until McGregor is a free agent. He expects the Irishman to eventually transition to bare-knuckle. It sounds like promoter hype. Yet, with McGregor, you can never entirely rule out the circus.
