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BKFC 16 Lands In Mississippi On Friday As Interest In Bare Knuckle Builds

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From the time Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship presented its inaugural event on June 2, 2018, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, BKFC founder and president David Feldman has always believed that the company would be exactly where it is right now. As the leading bare knuckle promotional company enters Friday night’s event in Biloxi, Mississippi, celebrities, athletes and private equity investors remain eager to get in early on what is trending to be the next big thing in combat sports.

While this event is called BKFC 16, it’s actually the promotion’s 17th event because of the very successful Knucklemania event that took place during Super Bowl LV week in the Tampa, Florida, area featuring former UFC star and BKFC athlete Paige VanZant, who lost a hard-fought decision to Britain Hart.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

From Shaquille O’Neal, who has expressed his interest in investing in BKFC after attending two events and being a fan since the beginning, to other athletes and celebrities who have taken private meetings with Feldman, it seems like just a matter of time before BKFC advances to the next level with more capital. Its growth and trajectory appear to mirror those of the UFC’s relaunch in the early 2000s.

“When I look back to 2018, it’s amazing how far we’ve come in such a short time,” says Feldman. “We’ve exceeded our own expectations, especially considering we had a lost year with a pandemic and still managed to not only toe the line but grow into the company we are today. The interest we’ve received from interested investors is indicative of the foundation we’ve built and the future that they can envision.”

Following the success of KnuckleMania on February 5, demand from the consumer for BKFC has exploded. BKFC is contemplating a capital raise to give the fans what they desire; the world’s most well known fighters and more events globally.

Everything about BKFC and its growth has been organic and grass roots from the loyal audience it has built, acquiring over 250,000 unique users on its Bare Knuckle TV app to the start up sponsors that have found the platform to be valuable including different categories such as an energy drink, CBD product line, cannabis dispensary, apparel and sports betting. BKFC has made a point of catering to partners that want to grow with the company, creating a strong loyalty with its partners, especially in categories that can sometimes prove to be more difficult in breaking into the mainstream for now.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

BKFC has also gone to great lengths to do studies on athlete safety and has data to support it’s safer than mixed martial arts and boxing including a study that showed bare-knuckle fighters who exhibited concussion like symptoms when examined by a ringside physician was 1.5 percent compared to boxing with an estimated rate of 6 to 12 percent and MMA with a rate of 14.7 percent.

One of BKFC’s prominent sponsor categories also ties into athlete health. “Athletes are already extremely restricted in terms of which supplements and products they can use to make sure everyone is playing on a level field,” says Taat Lifestyle CEO Setti Coscarella. “CBD provides a natural solution for these athletes who have specific elements that they would like accelerated, from a recovery standpoint, if athletes are able to get better rest their bodies can recover better. It's not like you are tackling the exact thing you are looking to tackle, but you are achieving it through alternative pathways. Where some supplements directly target pain and inflammation, CBD more indirectly aids in the healing process via anti-inflammation and improved sleep, both of which are crucial in injury reduction and prevention.”

As BKFC enters this new phase with an infusion of capital, Feldman anticipates an explosion for the brand that will include filling arenas as fans are once again able to attend events prior to the pandemic.