There are loads of totally different metrics to measure the success or failure of a fight sports activities promotion however maybe one of many largest indicators comes right down to ticket gross sales. For BKFC, that may be essentially the most telling signal that the bare-knuckle outfit has surpassed virtually each different competitor on the market.
With a debut card scheduled in Spain on Saturday, BKFC is embarking on a large stretch of occasions that possible culminates with the group going to Philadelphia for the primary time ever in December. Whereas organizations just like the UFC proudly tout the stay gate after an occasion, ticket gross sales for different promotions are not often ever talked about.
BKFC founder and president David Feldman has a sense he is aware of why.
“The UFC sells tickets,” Feldman defined when chatting with MMA Combating. “The massive, massive boxing matches, they promote tickets. The smaller ones, the mid-ones don’t. The mid-MMA firms, they’re not promoting tickets. Clearly the smaller [MMA promotions] are, they’re promoting 1,000 tickets. Not likely promoting.”
When to BKFC, Feldman proudly talks concerning the promotion’s ticket gross sales as a result of these numbers of steadily elevated ever because the first present launched again in 2018.
There have been a variety of sellouts over time with BKFC 63 in Sturgis, S.D. setting a brand new file with 15,000 in attendance for a card headlined by strawweight ladies’s champion Britain Hart.
Feldman admits BKFC’s means to promote tickets has develop into one in all his proudest achievements, particularly in terms of drumming up extra curiosity in potential buyers seeking to guess on a fight sports activities promotion.
“It’s truly my pitch to buyers,” Feldman mentioned. “I’m going ‘hear, we’re truly one of many solely promotions on this planet that sells tickets.’
“We simply offered 5,400 tickets this previous weekend. We’re projected to promote 6,700 tickets in Spain after which Denver, we’ll in all probability do 4,000 tickets there after which we’re doing Poland in December, Montana, All these reveals developing, they need to actually be a minimal of 4,000 tickets offered. Really offered and that’s an enormous deal proper now in fight sports activities as a result of they’re not all offered. Plenty of them are papered up.”
“Papered up” means tickets being given away at no cost to fill an area, which occurs very often in fight sports activities.
Feldman admits there was undoubtedly a time when BKFC gave away extra tickets than the group offered however that’s simply not the case any longer.
“I received’t deceive you — I may need lied to you 5 years in the past and mentioned we offered 3,000 tickets after we solely offered 1,000,” Feldman mentioned. “However now we’re truly promoting all our tickets.
“We’d give away three or 4 % of our tickets proper now however we’re promoting all of it.”
With ticket gross sales on the rise, a brand new broadcast deal in place with DAZN and Conor McGregor on board as a co-owner now, Feldman expects 2024 to be the most important 12 months but for BKFC and he’s anticipating a fair larger 2025.
“We thought we had been out of enterprise 10 totally different occasions and we simply discovered a method to make it occur and make it work,” Feldman mentioned. “I don’t see any finish in sight. I believe we obtained a very nice shot proper now of knocking on the No. 1’s door.”
