Is Bare-Knuckle Boxing safer than MMA? BKFC founder David Feldman clears combat sport’s biggest misconception. 

There is an age-old question about whether bare-knuckle boxing is safer than MMA. Both sports are inherently violent, and to be honest, bare-knuckle boxing looks more brutal than traditional MMA fights. To shed some light on this issue, BKFC founder David Feldman shared his expert perspectives.

BKFC Founder David Feldman thinks Bare-Knuckle Fighting is safer than traditional MMA in some regards. 

Any kind of combat sport has some levels of danger associated with it. The foundation of any fighting sport is two or sometimes more people hitting each other to become victorious in a sanctioned competition.

For those who are not familiar with bare-knuckle boxing, the name itself simply suggests that it’s a form of full-contact combat sport in which the fighters fight without using gloves.

This sport originated in England, dating back to 1678, and initially, the fighters didn’t even wrap their hands. It was only in 2015 when Joe Smith-Brown and Jim Freeman legally introduced bare-knuckle boxing in the UK and discovered that the fighters were required to wear hand wraps in order to compete with some sort of protection from acute hand injuries. After three years, on March 20, 2018, Wyoming became the first state in the USA to legalize bare-knuckle fighting. 

Because bare-knuckle boxing doesn’t use any kind of gloves, the sharp knuckles can easily cut the facial skin, resulting in blood gushing out of the lacerations. This is one of the primary reasons that makes it look more violent than MMA and definitely more than boxing. But is it actually more dangerous? Well, one of the pioneers of bare-knuckle fighting and BKFC founder, David Feldman doesn’t think so. 

In an interview with former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch, BKFC founder David Feldman said – 

“Well, you certainly have to be more precise, but I think the biggest misconception about bare-knuckle is it looks brutal right, because guys are getting cut up, they are getting swelled up a little bit, less concussive and sub-concussive damage, less head trauma, less facial fractures, less hand brakes.”

“The only thing we have more than any other combat sport is cuts, and let’s face it, the public loves to see the blood. We’re giving them the blood they want to see without it being extremely dangerous to the fighter. So, win-win.” 

Feldman was also asked about the average hand injuries in a BKFC fight, in which he said – 

“Usually, we average about one broken hand in every event. In the Philly event, we actually went up a little bit on the broken hand, but we had some bangers on there man! It was unbelievable. But I believe we had three broken hands on that one. We average one broken hand per event, and I believe boxing and MMA does the same thing or more.”

Is Bare-Knuckle Boxing really safer than MMA?

What Feldman has implied here is that, while fractures and injuries can happen in both BKFC and other combat sports, bare-knuckle boxing might be a safer option for an athlete.

Athletes competing in MMA or Boxing use gloves to protect their knuckles. However, gloves are a piece of great equipment for protecting the hands from potential injuries. However, the gloves also increase the mass around the knuckles, which translates into increased momentum upon contact, causing a brutal knockout. 

Boxers and MMA fighters who are susceptible to frequent concussions in their professional careers can develop CTE or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy.  

MMA is a multifaceted discipline, so kicks, knees, and elbows are also allowed in a match. We have seen a wide range of knockouts using them in the UFC, as well as in the other MMA organizations and kickboxing events. These knockouts are considered more detrimental to the brain than having some cuts on the face. 

Generally, fighters tend to avoid enduring head trauma and rather choose to have some slashes on their face, but too many lacerations can also be problematic in the long run. So, despite its brutal appearance, bare-knuckle boxing might have an edge in safety over other combat sports. 

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