Here's the reason why Anderson Silva was turned down by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Bellator
Speaking to BJPenn.com, BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) President David Feldman asserted that the organization currently is not interested in signing MMA legend Anderson Silva.
The MMA community has lately been rife with the news regarding several top-tier MMA promotions refusing to sign combat sports icon Anderson Silva following his exit from the UFC.
BKFC, which is one of the most prominent bare-knuckle boxing promotions in the world, is the latest promotion to refuse to sign Silva. Feldman revealed the reason behind BKFC being uninterested in signing Silva right now. Feldman stated:
“At this time we are not interested in Anderson Silva competing for BKFC. He’s a legend, and I loved watching him fight. We need to concentrate on building our fighters already signed to BKFC.”
BKFC has signed several notable combat sports competitors
BKFC is well-known for putting on fights that feature famous MMA fighters and professional boxers who choose to try their hand in the realm of bare-knuckle boxing.
Combat sports icon Conor McGregor’s close friend and training partner Artem Lobov, who previously competed in the UFC, has fought under the BKFC banner.
Additionally, veteran professional boxer Paulie Malignaggi has also fought for BKFC. Meanwhile, former UFC fighters such as Bec Rawlings, Jason Knight, Chris Leben, Ricco Rodriguez, Joey Beltran, Joe Riggs, Leonard Garcia, and others have also competed for BKFC.
Furthermore, one of the best-known UFC stars – who notably also crossed over into mainstream pop culture – Paige VanZant, is currently one of BKFC’s most significant signings.
VanZant is expected to make her BKFC debut very soon. Some sections of VanZant’s fans who do not follow combat sports as well as many MMA fans are looking forward to watching “12 Gauge” perform in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing under the BKFC organizational banner.
Many fans are surprised by the lack of interest in signing Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva has lost seven of his past nine MMA fights, picking up just one victory. One of those fights ended up being a No Contest (NC), as he had tested positive for banned PEDs concerning the said fight.
Silva is currently on a three-fight losing streak, with his most recent fight being a fourth-round TKO loss to Uriah Hall In October of this year.
The UFC released Silva after his loss to Hall. Silva is now a free agent and can sign with any MMA, boxing, bare-knuckle boxing, or other combat sports promotion.
Many in the combat sports world have been surprised by notable MMA promotions such as Bellator, One Championship, and PFL, as well as bare-knuckle boxing organizations like BKFC, refraining from signing the legendary Anderson Silva.
Silva has firmly stated that he does intend to continue his fighting career. The consensus is that one can expect this current situation of uncertainty, regarding which promotion Silva will wind up in, to clear up in the months to come.