David Feldman isn’t holding a grudge. The BKFC founder and president told MMA Fighting he wishes Mike Perry well after the promotion’s biggest star said he was finished with bare-knuckle and ready to put the gloves back on for a full-time MMA return. Feldman also made clear that money was the dividing line, and that he wasn’t willing to cross it.
“I wish him the best. I didn’t listen to that interview, but I don’t think he said anything bad about us. I don’t think he has anything bad to say about us. I think we revitalized his career,” Feldman said.
That last line carries weight. Perry was already a known name when he arrived in BKFC, but working with the promotion turned him into a genuine superstar and the face of the sport for several years. His style, forward and loaded with knockout intent, looked like it was designed in a lab for bare-knuckle. So the exit landed as a surprise, even though Perry left without firing any shots at his old employer.
Feldman’s explanation is simple. He said he was told Perry got a great offer he couldn’t refuse, and that BKFC isn’t going to chase it. “I’m not going to say we don’t need him, but the money that it costs to bring Mike Perry back to BKFC, doesn’t make a lot of sense for us right now,” he said.
He pointed to the box office as proof. According to Feldman, BKFC sold 14,000 tickets at Fenway Park without any big names on the card, and he’s targeting 18,000 in Philadelphia under the same approach, with the same plan for KnuckleMania VII in Miami. Unless an enormous name comes knocking, he wants to build fighters from scratch.
“I’m putting my time, effort and money into building these guys because they’re proving now that they can carry the company,” Feldman said.
The door isn’t sealed. Feldman said Perry could return if the rumored deal doesn’t materialize, and he insisted there was no problem between the two sides, only a split in direction. “If he didn’t [receive that offer] there is a chance of him coming back here,” he said.
There’s one fight he still can’t let go of. Feldman named Perry vs. Darren Till as the marquee matchup that got away. “We would love that fight,” he said. “That would be a great fight for us.” If it never happens, he added, there are other fights out there for both men.
As for where Perry is headed, Feldman didn’t name a promotion. “From what I heard, he got an unbelievable offer and that should be announced pretty soon,” he said. He described the arrangement as a potential life-changing payday and said there’s “No animosity at all,” while stressing he won’t overpay for something he doesn’t expect to earn back.
My take: Feldman is playing this exactly right. Saying a nice goodbye costs nothing, and the Fenway number lets him argue that BKFC no longer needs one guy to fill a building. The real loss is Perry vs. Till, a fight that would have sold itself before anyone printed a poster. Now the clock is on Perry’s camp, and Feldman says the announcement should drop pretty soon.
