Conor McGregor may be going all-in on the BKFC when his UFC deal is up.
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On top of all his businesses and responsibilities, the Irish superstar has vested interest in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, becoming a part-owner of the promotion back in April. But, apparently that’s not all that’s at stake for McGregor, as he hints his fighting future may come in the BKFC ring.
Though, it’ll be a while before that ever becomes an option for “The Notorious” McGregor, who still has two fights left on his promotional contract with the UFC.
Should the BKFC part-owner pursue free agency, a “player-manager” is who he’ll decide to be.
“For me, I have a bit of business left with the Ultimate Fighting Championship,” McGregor said in a special appearance at the BKFC Spain Press Conference on Thursday. “Two fights left on my contract. But for sure, we’ve got three lightweights up here on the dais. I have my eye on all of this. I’m not up here just as an owner… Player-manager, I’ll try it on myself on this one…”
“How could you not look to become a two-sport world champion and something as wild as a bare knuckle fighting organization?” the former two-division champ added. “We’ve got the money, too. We’ve got the dough. This is big payout here also, big pay, big shows, big news, and a coveted world title in a wild and dangerous game for any real fighter out there. That’s all you want to hear, money, power, respect. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has it all.”
McGregor’s interest in the BKFC started to pique when he attended his first live show last year at BKFC 41. McGregor was ringside for what was a clash between ex-UFC fighters Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold, which saw Perry chip the former middleweight champion’s teeth with punches, making Rockhold quit inside of round two.
Perry, the BKFC’s biggest star to date, would then call for a face-off with McGregor, to which his UFC counterpart obliged, squaring up with Perry inside the ring.
While Perry hasn’t got the chance to officially take on McGregor, he’s not a stranger to fighting big fights against the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Michael ‘Venom’ Page and now the polarizing Jake Paul, who’ll he meet in a marquee boxing match this weekend in Tampa, Florida.
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The opportunity arose for “Platinum” following his newfound starpower and stellar performances in the BKFC, years after a stint where he went 7-8 in the premier MMA promotion.
McGregor paid his respects to Perry but not to his opponent Paul, who’s been asking for a fight with the UFC cash cow for quite some time.
“But, this is the real deal,” McGregor said of BKFC. “No one in this combat sports space can speak one word of bad mouth about a bare knuckle fighting world champion. And that, for me, is money in the bank.”
Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. One road to recovery and a Road House remake later, McGregor was scheduled to make his return at UFC 303 last month, but had to withdraw from his highly-anticipated bout with Michael Chandler due to a broken toe. McGregor vs. Chandler has still yet to receive a new date.
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