Who Founded Every Underground Fighting Organization (Complete List)
Behind every underground fighting organization is a founder with a vision. Some are former fighters. Some are businesspeople. Some are community activists who wanted to give people an alternative to street violence. This is the complete list of every known underground and bare knuckle fighting organization founder.
Complete Founders Table
| Organization | Founder(s) | Year Founded | Country | Status (2026) | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streetbeefs | Chris "A-Train" Wilmore | 2008 | USA (Virginia) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) | David Feldman | 2018 | USA (Philadelphia) | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| BKB (Bare Knuckle Boxing) | Joe Fournier & Jim Freeman | 2012 | UK (London) | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| Top Dog FC | Anatoly "Topdog" Suleymanov | 2013 | Russia (Moscow) | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| King of the Streets (KOTS) | Anonymous (identity protected) | 2010 | UK | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| King of the Ring (KOTR) | Jason "JT" Tavendale | 2011 | New Zealand (Auckland) | Active | Amateur Boxing |
| Strelka | Multiple organizers (decentralized) | ~2013 | Russia | Active | Street Fighting |
| Rough N' Rowdy | Barstool Sports / Dave Portnoy | 2016 | USA (West Virginia) | Active | Amateur Boxing |
| Power Slap | Dana White / Zuffa | 2022 | USA (Las Vegas) | Active | Slap Fighting |
| Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA | Jorge Masvidal | 2022 | USA (Miami) | Active | Bare Knuckle MMA |
| Backyard Squabbles | Multiple founders (undisclosed) | 2020 | USA (Florida) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| Felony Fights | Multiple producers (undisclosed) | 2003 | USA (California) | Defunct (2008) | Street Fighting |
| Mahatch FC | Oleksiy "The Boss" Marchenko | 2019 | Ukraine (Kyiv) | Active | Multi-Man |
| East Bay Rats | Trevor Latham (club president) | ~2000 | USA (Oakland, CA) | Active | Amateur Boxing |
| Calcio Storico | Historical tradition (revived 1930) | 16th century | Italy (Florence) | Active | Traditional |
| UBKB (Ultimate Bare Knuckle Boxing) | Paul McCloskey | 2014 | UK | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| Valor Bare Knuckle | Bobby Gunn | 2019 | USA | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| IBA (International Bareknuckle Alliance) | Paul Shortino | 2017 | USA | Semi-Active | Bare Knuckle |
| Spartan Bareknuckle | Undisclosed | 2018 | UK | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| AWFC (Australian Warfare FC) | Multiple founders | 2018 | Australia | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| Lethwei FC | U Pyae Wa | 2012 | Myanmar | Active | Lethwei |
| StreetBeefz UK | Multiple founders (community-based) | 2024 | UK | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| Scrapyard Fight Club | Local organizers (Gig Harbor) | 2022 | USA (Washington) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| FPVS (Fight Pro Ville Show) | Undisclosed | 2019 | Europe | Active | Street Fighting |
| Holmgang | Norse-themed collective | 2020 | Scandinavia | Active | Themed Fighting |
| BKFC UK | David Feldman (BKFC expansion) | 2023 | UK | Active | Bare Knuckle |
| Bare Knuckle Kombat | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Bare Knuckle |
| Streetbeefs Las Vegas | A-Train (branch expansion) | 2024 | USA (Nevada) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| Streetbeefs West Coast | A-Train affiliate | 2023 | USA (West Coast) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| Streetbeefs Gig Harbor | A-Train affiliate | 2023 | USA (Washington) | Active | Backyard/MMA |
| BTTB (Brawl at the Beach) | Undisclosed | 2019 | USA | Active | Backyard |
Founders by Background
Former Fighters Who Became Promoters
| Founder | Organization | Fighting Background |
|---|---|---|
| Chris "A-Train" Wilmore | Streetbeefs | Combat veteran, informal fighting |
| Jorge Masvidal | Gamebred BKMMA | UFC veteran, backyard fighting origins |
| Bobby Gunn | Valor Bare Knuckle | Bare knuckle champion, 73-0 record claimed |
| David Feldman | BKFC | Boxing promoter with ring experience |
| Joe Fournier | BKB | Professional boxer turned promoter |
Business/Media Figures Who Entered the Space
| Founder | Organization | Original Industry |
|---|---|---|
| Dana White | Power Slap | MMA (UFC President) |
| Dave Portnoy | Rough N' Rowdy | Media (Barstool Sports) |
| Jason Tavendale | King of the Ring NZ | Event promotion |
Community Organizers
| Founder | Organization | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| Chris "A-Train" Wilmore | Streetbeefs | Violence prevention ("Guns Down Gloves Up") |
| East Bay Rats leadership | East Bay Rats | Motorcycle club culture and community bonding |
| Scrapyard organizers | Scrapyard Fight Club | Local community engagement |
Founders by Country
| Country | Number of Orgs Founded | Notable Founders |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 14 | David Feldman, A-Train, Dana White, Jorge Masvidal |
| United Kingdom | 6 | Joe Fournier, KOTS founder (anonymous) |
| Russia | 3 | Anatoly Suleymanov, Strelka organizers |
| New Zealand | 1 | Jason Tavendale |
| Ukraine | 1 | Oleksiy Marchenko |
| Australia | 1 | AWFC founders |
| Myanmar | 1 | U Pyae Wa |
| Italy | 1 | Historical tradition |
| Scandinavia | 1 | Holmgang collective |
| Europe (other) | 1 | FPVS founders |
Founder Profiles
David Feldman (BKFC)
David Feldman is a Philadelphia-based boxing promoter who saw an opportunity to revive bare knuckle fighting as a legitimate, sanctioned sport. He navigated complex regulatory waters to secure the first bare knuckle fighting license in the US since 1889. Under his leadership, BKFC has grown into a $350M+ enterprise with events in multiple countries.
Chris "A-Train" Wilmore (Streetbeefs)
A combat veteran from Harrisonburg, Virginia, A-Train founded Streetbeefs in 2008 as a way to settle neighborhood disputes without guns. His "Guns Down, Gloves Up" philosophy has been credited with reducing violence in his community. Streetbeefs fighters are not paid; they fight to resolve personal conflicts or test their skills.
Dana White (Power Slap)
The UFC president brought slap fighting from underground Russian and Eastern European events into the American mainstream. Power Slap launched in 2022 and secured a TBS television deal, though it has faced significant criticism regarding fighter safety, particularly concerning concussion risks.
Jorge Masvidal (Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA)
A former UFC star who grew up participating in backyard fights in Miami, Masvidal's Gamebred BKMMA combines his street fighting roots with professional production. He is one of the few founders who competed at the highest levels of sanctioned combat sports before creating an underground-adjacent promotion.
Anatoly Suleymanov (Top Dog FC)
The Russian promoter built Top Dog FC into the most-watched bare knuckle fighting channel on YouTube, with over 8 million subscribers. Top Dog's high production values and tournament format set it apart from other Eastern European promotions.
Timeline of Organization Founding
| Decade | Organizations Founded | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2000 | East Bay Rats, Calcio Storico (revival) | Informal, community-based |
| 2000-2009 | Felony Fights, Streetbeefs | DVD/early YouTube era |
| 2010-2014 | KOTS, KOTR, BKB, Top Dog FC, Strelka, UBKB | YouTube expansion |
| 2015-2019 | BKFC, IBA, Rough N' Rowdy, Valor BK, Spartan BK, Mahatch FC, AWFC, FPVS, BTTB | Legitimization wave |
| 2020-2026 | Power Slap, Gamebred BKMMA, Backyard Squabbles, Holmgang, StreetBeefz UK, Scrapyard FC, BKFC UK | Expansion and branching |