Founding and the 1889 Revival (2018)
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship was founded in April 2018 by David Feldman, a former professional boxer and the son of veteran boxing trainer Marty Feldman. After years of legal and regulatory efforts to legitimize a sport long associated with underground fights, Feldman secured sanctioning from the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission, making BKFC the first promotion to stage a legal, state-regulated, and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889. The inaugural card, BKFC 1: The Beginning, took place on June 2, 2018, at an arena in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and drew roughly two thousand spectators. The event also featured the first American-sanctioned women's bare-knuckle bout in modern history, won by Bec Rawlings. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the promotion built its competition around a circular four-rope enclosure it calls the Squared Circle. Bouts are contested over rounds of two minutes, with fighters required to toe two scratch lines in the center of the ring at the start of each round before the command to begin. The format deliberately evokes the historical traditions of the sport while operating under modern athletic-commission oversight, drug testing, and scoring.
Early Growth and Building a Roster (2018-2021)
BKFC expanded steadily across U.S. states willing to sanction the sport, building a roster heavily populated by veterans of mixed martial arts and boxing. Arnold Adams won the promotion's inaugural heavyweight tournament in October 2018, and the company gradually established multiple weight divisions for men and women. The signing of recognizable MMA names lent the promotion mainstream visibility, with fighters such as Artem Lobov, Paulie Malignaggi, Chris Leben, and Joey Beltran appearing on early cards. The promotion's profile rose sharply in 2021 when former UFC star Paige VanZant signed and headlined BKFC's first numbered KnuckleMania pay-per-view on February 5, 2021, in Lakeland, Florida, losing a decision to Britain Hart. The same period saw the arrival of former UFC welterweight Mike Perry, who would become one of the promotion's most prominent attractions. KnuckleMania established itself as BKFC's flagship annual event.
Triller Acquisition and Expansion (2022-2023)
In February 2022, the media and combat-sports company Triller (TrillerNet) acquired a majority interest in BKFC, with David Feldman announcing the deal publicly on February 24, 2022. The acquisition brought additional capital and distribution resources as the promotion accelerated its growth. In June 2022, Luis Palomino added the welterweight title to his lightweight championship to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in BKFC history. During this period the promotion pursued international expansion, launching branches including BKFC Thailand and BKFC UK, the latter formed in 2022 after acquiring the Bare Fist Boxing Association. It also introduced developmental and talent-pipeline formats such as the BKFC Prospects Series. Events transitioned across streaming platforms, moving from FITE toward broader distribution deals.
Conor McGregor and the Modern Era (2024-present)
In April 2024, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor announced that he and his McGregor Sports and Entertainment company had become co-owners of BKFC, with the announcement made around KnuckleMania IV. McGregor's involvement raised the promotion's public profile considerably, and Forbes estimated BKFC's valuation at roughly $400 million around the same time. In September 2024, the promotion secured a multi-year broadcasting agreement with DAZN beginning that October. Under this ownership structure BKFC continued to grow, surpassing 140 sanctioned events by the end of 2025 and positioning itself as the largest and most visible bare-knuckle boxing promotion in the world. Mike Perry emerged as the era-defining star, building an undefeated bare-knuckle record and headlining marquee cards, while veteran heavyweights and former UFC names continued to populate championship bouts. The promotion also experimented with new formats and crossover partnerships as it pushed bare-knuckle boxing further into the combat-sports mainstream.