Why does it seem like MMA fans are embracing BKFC more than boxing fans?

Its always been more common among the MMA fanbase to be overall combat sports fans. Probably because MMA is by definition a mix of other combat sports and most fighters have a background in one of them first.

Maybe. I don't recall if I've seen him fight or not honestly & I musta forgot Dat was THAT old. Felt he was younger. Yea none of these guys got some long reign coming it looks like. Idk that any combat sport guys are killing it in BKFC yet. It'll be interesting to see how things go down when more guys are simply BK fighters instead of ex-boxers or ex-MMA guys. I think Dat can stay champion for a while. He had a lot of extended layoffs and only 23 fights in the gloved game. He's never been stopped and his only knockdown in any combat sport was a flash knockdown against Abdiel Velazquez who pulled his head down into an uppercut in the clinch. Dat got up and knocked him out in one of the coolest KOs in BKFC history. Dat simply hasn't taken much punishment in his fight career and the skill gap between him and everyone else is pretty massive. Dat's next fight will either be a rematch with Bedford or a fight with Reggie Barnett. We already know he can beat Bedford and for this fight Dat trained himself only 2-3 days per week while working full time at his family restaurant. Only sparred 4 times. He already said he will do a full on training camp with a dedicated trainer for his first defense so I don't like Bedford's chances in a rematch. If it's Barnett, it'll be even easier. Barnett: 5-1-0-0 in bare knuckle (lost to Bedford and got knocked down 3 times) 6-2-0-0 in pro boxing 3-4-0-0 in pro MMA Total journeyman. Nowhere near the level of a guy who has a knockout of Miguel Flores on his resume.

Boxing Fans are Miserable F^cking People who hate everything...Look Around This Forum it is 99.9% Negativity about our own sport who we're suppose to be a fan of but most of the threads negative and is always attacking a fighter While UFC Fans seems more open to being "Combat Sports Fans" meaning that they're far more open minded to watch all Combat Sports including Boxing. I'm just a Long Long time fan of Combat Sports. I was a UFC fans before even knowing that all that time I was actually watching UFC in its Infant Stage when I use to see Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock fights replayed on Sports Channel (which has now been taking over by Fox Sports). From that I got into PRIDE FC I remember seeing a YOUNG Shogun Rua, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, a Skinny Alexander Overeem before the "Roids...I mean Horse Meat" :lol1: Even remember watching some K-1 and seeing the greats Ernesto Hoost, Mirko Cro Cop, Badr Hari...Not sure why looking back but Bob Sapp was extremely popular and had a Buzz going for a stretch I guess because he was calling out Mike Tyson but yeah MMA Fans>Boxing Fans I do like boxing more but I can admit the Boxing Fans...SUCK! Old, Miserable, B^tchy, Fickle Fans who most don't even attend fights or buy PPV's but yet complain about everything BKFC card last night was very entertaining from Start To Finish

I don't get the appeal of bare knuckle boxing. Different rule sets are fun. You don't have to pick just one combat sport. You can watch boxing, bare knuckle, MMA, and kickboxing and enjoy what makes them different. Bare knuckle fights are fast paced, there are a lot of knockouts and cuts, the small ring makes it hard to run away, and the allowance of punches in the half clinch makes it hard to smother your opponent to get a ref break. It's an all action sport.

I don't think the boxers are taking it very seriously yet honestly. Its either a payday for older guys or some extra & probably better money for low level guys who aren't getting anywhere in boxing. Dat has obviously made his mark, but I think almost everyone else you mention from boxing is just doing one offs or are too old to make any real inroad in BK fighting. Uly Diaz is a potential star. His combat sports resume: 12-1-0-0 with 11 KO in pro boxing 1-0-0-0 with 1 KO in pro MMA 2-0-0-0 with 2 KO in pro bare knuckle including the fastest recorded KO in combat sports history He turned pro late after a prison stint. He has only been fighting since 2017. Also, the three undisputed world champions are pretty old themselves Heavyweight - Joey Beltran (39) 155 - Luis Palomino (40) Lightweight - Dat Nguyen (38)

BKFC has been mostly fights between MMA retreads until recently. So of course MMA fans are embracing it, they know all the names.

I don't get the appeal of bare knuckle boxing. Same. Boxing is the evolved, improved descendant of bare knuckle. I have boxing and therefore have zero need for bare knuckle.

MMA fans are also more likely to be boxing fans than boxing fans are to be MMA fans. I think its a simple case of MMA encompassing ALL combat sports. Boxing is boxing. MMA is basically every combat sport rolled into one. So you kinda gotta be a fan of & respect all types of fighting to be into MMA. Good post. 1/3 boxing fans rather die than watch mma. While most mma fans were boxing fans at one point

id love to see FURY VS AJ in a normal boxing fight, in a bkfc fight, in a ufc fight mma rules. that would be insane.

I don't get the appeal of bare knuckle boxing.

The boxers are starting to take over. MMA fans have embraced it more so far because bigger MMA stars have fought in the sport. Bedford, Beltran, VanZant, Ricco Rodriguez, Chris Leben, Jason Knight, etc. Guys people have heard of. Paulie's embarrassing loss set the boxers back but since then Dat Nguyen (20-3 pro boxer) Ishe Smith (former world champ, now in his 40s) Uly Diaz (12-1 bum blasting journeyman pro boxer, also 1 pro MMA win in 1 fight) Nico Hernandez (7-0 pro boxer, Olympic Bronze Medalist) Tyler Goodjohn (British level journeyman 13-5 boxer) Don't have a loss between them. If they can get some more fighters of the caliber of those five, I think more boxing fans will embrace bare knuckle. Shannon Briggs signed a contract in April and called out former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, but nothing ever came of it and it hasn't been mentioned since. Even at 49 I think he'd destroy Joey Beltran for the heavyweight title so BKFC should really try to make it happen. Briggs will sell the hell out of the fight.

I’ve been enjoying the BKFC fights as a boxing and MMA fan, it’s quite brutal and enjoyable for my taste but I’m a huge combat sport and martial arts junkie so I watch everything from BJJ to Olympic wrestling to Muay Thai to Lethwei and MMA. I’d say the biggest problem is the depth of talent, it’s not quite matured yet but I say give it a few more years and it’ll grow in popularity and the talent pool will grow.

And because no one punches as beautifully as pro boxers They will never be able to throw punches like gloved boxers just due to the anatomy and weakness of the un-gloved hand. However what they should do is look up the boxing techniques of the historic bare knuckle boxers, they threw punches differently, went after the body more and the fleshy parts. The BKFC boxers are overall still quite sloppy, the sport has room to mature. Go after the MMA rejects less and more so people who have always wanted to box.

MMA fans are also more likely to be boxing fans than boxing fans are to be MMA fans. I think its a simple case of MMA encompassing ALL combat sports. Boxing is boxing. MMA is basically every combat sport rolled into one. So you kinda gotta be a fan of & respect all types of fighting to be into MMA. Good point. I think from a marketing angle it would be cool if BKFC tried to embrace the historic roots of bare knuckle boxing. That's actually how I feel they were positioning themselves when trying to get states to license their fights. The org has done better than I thought tbh, I figured the pandemic would wipe them out but they probably just had their biggest event last night, was trending and everything. The UFC started pretty rough as well before it matured.