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The BKFC, or Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, is quickly rising in popularity and is attracting big names from the combat sports world. As of 2020, an average low-end BKFC bout is said to earn a fighter $2,500.
However, many of the major names competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship claim to be earning much more. Paige VanZant, a former UFC fighter, stated that she earns 10-times more than she did in MMA after signing with BKFC.
In an interview last year with The Sun, VanZant said this about her revenue difference compared to the UFC:
"I was in the UFC for six years, getting paid $40,000 [to show] and $40,000 [to win], and now I’m getting 10 times that doing what I love."
Another UFC fighter who transitioned to bare-knuckle boxing is Mike Perry. The American is set to face Bellator's Michael 'Venom' Page in his next BKFC bout.
When speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Perry also claimed to be earning a lot more than he did in the octagon:
"I’m making double. Or more than double because now, they took some pressure off, I guess, with… I need to think about it that way sometimes as if there was a win purse. Triller gave me a good win bonus. I had something to fight for extra. But not having to think about the other side of it, I really just felt like I got to be me."
Watch Mike Perry speak on The MMA Hour below:
The UFC will usually pay an average fighter between $10,000 and $30,000 per fight, not including performance bonuses. However, some of the more high-profile fighters can earn up to $500,000, while the biggest stars can reach the millions.
With so many former UFC fighters claiming to earn more in bare-knuckle boxing, it's safe to say that most high-profile fighters will be making six-digits per fight. This could mean that BKFC is a better option for some of the lesser-known UFC fighters.
However, for world champions and high-profile fighters, it's likely they could make just as much, if not more, in the UFC.
When was BKFC founded?
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship was founded in 2018 by David Feldman. The company is officially owned by TrillerNet and became the first promotion to legally host a bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889.
The first event took place on June 2, 2018. The event also hosted the first ever sanctioned women's bare-knuckle boxing bout in the modern era. Bec Rawlings won the bout and was awarded the National Police Gazette World Diamond Belt to mark the historic fight.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship pay-per-view events can be seen on the official app, FITE TV and DAZN. This has led to the sport becoming much more popular and is attracting big names in the combat sports world.
The latest event is set to take place in London, England. Michael Page will be fighting in his hometown when facing former UFC star Mike Perry.
