Ryan Kavanaugh’s Triller Expands Into Bare-Knuckles Boxing

Triller, the AI-powered open garden platform for creators, co-owned by Ryan Kavanaugh, has taken the next step in its expanding combat sports business by acquiring Bare Knuckle Fight Championship (BKFC), for an undisclosed amount.

Triller debuted the Triller Fight Club events in 2020, combining bouts between legendary fighters and up-and-combing combatants with A-list entertainment talent. It launched Triad Combat in 2021, pitting opponents in a triangle-shaped ring to up the action for fans.

With the acquisition of the fast-growing BKFC, Triller expands its combat sports presence.

"We see this as both a natural evolution and also a revolution for combat sports," said Ryan Kavanaugh. "We have long admired the tenacity, ferocity, and passion of both the fighters and the team of BKFC. This is the most obvious win-win in the history of combat sports.”

Getting to Know Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship launched in June of 2018 as a platform to host combat sports events. It is currently regulated in 18 states and Mexico. Since its inception, BKFC has amassed an impressive roster headlined by 2016 U.S. Olympic Bronze medalist Nico Hernandez and also including UFC veterans Paige VanZant, Mike Perry, Chad Mendes, Johnny Bedford, Thiago Alves, Luis Palomino, Hector Lombard and Joe Riggs.

Triller Fight Club has sold more than 3 million pay-per-views in the past year, making it one of the top-selling combat sports and entertainment platforms. TrillerVerz's widely acclaimed monthly series, including world-class professional boxing and Verzuz rap battles, has consistently been among the most-watched broadcasts, averaging over 5 million viewers.

"We feel that by combining with Triller and bringing BKFC into the Trillerverz we can supercharge the growth even further than we have, and quickly bring BKFC further into the mainstream. Triller’s access to talent and marketing prowess combined with our innovative production value and massive loyal following is truly a case where 1+1 = 11. All I can say that with this partnership, BKFC has cemented itself as a major player in the combat sports world," said BKFC Founder and CEO Dave Feldman. "All the raw authenticity that our fans have come to expect will remain the same and all programming will remain on the BKTV app."

Kavanaugh and his team at Triller are pioneers in using data generated by what they call the 17-to-27-year-old “culture-graphic,” identifying and satisfying the entertainment desires of that group. Before launching Triller Fight Club, Ryan Kavanaugh saw that there was interest among that group in the fight game, but no satisfaction with the existing offerings. Kavanaugh noted that the boxing viewing experience on television had not changed in decades, causing it to lose the younger audience, which has much higher production expectations.

Kavanaugh launched Triller Fight Club, using many of the cinematic techniques he acquired during his years as head of Relativity Media studio, producing films such as “The Fighter,” to produce a visually arresting product that would connect with that culture-graphic.

"Our goal has been to continue to bring the younger generation and combat sports viewership together, something that has been diverging up until our involvement, and BKFC does just that,” Kavanaugh said. “We admire that they fought an uphill battle to create a newly regulated combat sport, and now to have it be the fastest growing combat sport is a real testament to BKFC founder and CEO, Dave Feldman’s vision and his and his team’s ability to execute.”

Triller has moved quickly since Kavanaugh and partner Bobby Sarnevesht, through their Proxima Media company, took over majority ownership of the app in 2019. Along with Snoop Dogg, Kavanaugh and Triller launched Triller Fight Club in 2020, inaugurating the new league with a fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. The TrillerVerz events are multiple-day experience featuring fights and musical acts.

Triller recently announced it would go public in a $5 billion reverse merger with SeaChange, a video-technology company.

The combined company will be led by Triller CEO Mahi de Silva. Peter Aquino, president and CEO of SeaChange, joins the TrillerVerz executive team.

“We are thrilled to announce this important milestone of TrillerVerz’s plans to enter the public market,” de Silva said. “In our short history, we have evolved from a disruptive social media platform and creator of content to one of the world’s most successful platforms where creators, commerce and culture meet.”

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes