Bare Knuckle FC boss David Feldman: Fighter pension plan 'something I think had to be done'

As Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship continues to try and lure free agents to the roster, promotion officials will have a very unique perk to add to their pitch.

BKFC officials recently announced a fighter pension plan that will commence with this month’s BKFC 17 event, which takes place April 30 in Birmingham, Ala.

“Our fighters are the most important asset of the company,” BKFC president David Feldman stated. “We want to ensure that they are compensated not only on the night of the fight but also looked after in retirement. For each BKFC fight, money will be placed in a pension account for them to draw on upon retirement.”

Important to note – Feldman said the pension plan is not something that takes a portion of a fighter’s purse, but rather the promotion is committed to matching a percentage of existing contracts to place in the account.

“It’s just something I think needs to be done,” Feldman told MMA Junkie. “It’s something I think had to be done, and I’m very pleased that we are the first combat sports promotion ever to launch something like this.

“This is an amazing thing that we’re doing, and really the only reason no one ever did it before is because it costs money to do.”

Feldman, the son of former boxing trainer and promoter Marty Feldman, said he was inspired to launch the program based on his experiences in combat sports, where he saw numerous fighters burn through their money without setting themselves up for the future.

While he doesn’t pretend the pension will make BKFC fighters wealthy at the end of their careers, he does hope it can provide a solid safety net in times of need.

“Look, it might not be life-changing for them, but at that time, it could be,” Feldman said. “When they’re broke and they can open an account and it has $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 in there for them, it’s going to be nice for them to get to.”

Feldman said he’s meeting with the directors of the plan later this week and hopes to have concrete details to release to the media as soon as Friday. In the meantime, he hopes to alleviate any concerns of a potential bait-and-switch or an idea that something nefarious is afoot.

Feldman insists his company is simply performing well financially, and he wants to give back to the athletes.

“We’re growing rapidly,” Feldman said. “Our ticket sales are doing good. Our streaming is doing phenomenal. Our sponsorship is just exploding, our international distribution, everything that we’ve been doing to create revenue has really skyrocketed, and it skyrocketed because I really, truly feel we’re the most exciting combat sport on the planet. And why are we that? Because these guys and gals go in there and really fight their asses off each and every time, so let’s reward them a little bit.”

To hear the full interview with Feldman, check out the video below.