The UFC’s Darkhorse Dauphin
Why BKFC’s Dave Feldman Might Be the Heir NO ONE IS Watching…
By Blake “Axe” Avignon
June 2025
Some exits look like retirements. Others feel like revolutions. Dana White’s won’t be quiet. And it won’t be a corporate coronation.
Because the man who could inherit his crown isn’t in the war room. He’s in the trenches.
His name is Dave Feldman.
And he’s not just building a bare-knuckle empire. He’s quietly making a case to one day run the most powerful promotion in combat sports.
Not Hunter Campbell. Not Mick Maynard. Not Jon Anik. Dave Feldman is the UFC’s Darkhorse Dauphin.
I. From Outlaw to Operator
BKFC launched in 2018 and was dismissed as a freak show. Too raw. Too violent. Too unstable.
So was MMA once.
Seven years later, BKFC is licensed in California and Nevada. They run events in the UK, Thailand, and across the U.S. Fighters from UFC, Bellator, and PFL have crossed over. Feldman built that from scratch. With a fraction of the capital Dana White had when Zuffa took over the UFC.
He didn’t wait for legitimacy. He forced it by walking through the trenches.
II. A Dealmaker Dana Respects
The signs have been public.
Feldman and Dana met in 2024. Not as rivals. As power players.
Dana doesn’t shake hands with competition for headlines. He does it when he sees potential. Feldman called it alliance building. Dana called it interesting. These aren’t passive gestures. They are chess moves.
To paint the picture: Feldman doesn’t want to replace Dana. He wants to finish what Dana started.
III. He Closed McGregor When the UFC Wouldn’t
Here’s the reality:
Feldman gave Conor McGregor the one thing UFC refused to give him at the peak of his drawing power.
Equity.
An ownership stake in BKFC. Not a one-off gimmick. Not a vanity play. A formal deal with paper behind it.
That move alone shattered the wall the UFC held firm on for over a decade. And Feldman did it without ESPN. Without Endeavor. Without a war chest. He got McGregor to say yes because he offered what no one else would.
McGregor never signed on to a losing product.
IV. The Suitors Who Fall Short
Hunter Campbell is brilliant behind the scenes. But you can’t PR your way into global leadership.
Mick Maynard is one of the best matchmakers on Earth. But charisma is currency at the top.
Jon Anik has the voice of the UFC. But he is not the one to guide its future.
Feldman is the one who can lead but he won’t do it alone.
Because Feldman is not a finished product. And that’s what makes him dangerous. He will lean on the very heirs the public thought were destined to take over.
He will build with them. Then win beyond them.
V. What the UFC Needs Next
BKFC fights are known for chaos. Fast pace. Brutal finishes. Viral moments.
That is exactly what built the UFC into what it became in the 2000s.
But the next era needs more than carnage. It needs story. Speed. Global mobility. Innovation. Dana gave the UFC edge. Feldman can give it unpredictability.
He speaks to the fan base that never bought into the corporate gloss of ESPN. He gives the fighters leverage. And he gives the sport a little of its old soul back.
VI. The Succession Nobody Sees Coming
Dana White isn’t leaving tomorrow. But when he does, Endeavor and TKO need a face that fights for value and market control.
Feldman already understands the global media landscape. He is building real-world relationships with distributors, sponsors, and athletes. He knows how to speak their language.
And he still has something none of the others do.
Time.
Time to sharpen. Time to align with Conor. Time to turn the chaos of BKFC into the blueprint for what comes next at UFC.
Ultima Sententia: An Underdog Coronation
Dave Feldman has the story, the scars, and the appetite for war. He already has the McGregor deal. He already has Dana’s attention. And he already has the industry watching.
He won’t rise alone. But he will rise.
The question is not if Dana White will ever leave. Rather who will replace Dana White.
You won’t find his name on any shortlist. But the power shift may have already begun.
“All the best heroes start out as outlaws.”
— George R.R. Martin
BKFC president David Feldman standing by Conor McGregor and Dave Mundell.
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The way you wove Feldman’s rise, his deals, and the parallels with early Zuffa-era UFC had me hooked start to finish. You laid out a vision that feels both ambitious and grounded in real moves Feldman has made. Honestly, this is one of the most compelling cases I’ve seen for the idea of him stepping into bigger shoes down the line.
That said—I gotta push back a little (purely gut instinct, no insider info). I just don’t see Dana ever letting go of the UFC spotlight. The man pals around with Trump cage-side; he lives for being the guy in the room. I think he’ll do this not just until he retires, but until he literally can’t anymore. I mean, how much more power can one man squeeze out of a fight promotion? Dana’s probably still figuring that out.
But that’s why I dig writing like this—it forces you to reimagine what’s possible.