After speaking to Conor McGregor, BKFC president David Feldman has no doubt that the former two-division UFC champion will compete in his promotion down the line.
McGregor’s combat sports future currently sits under a sizable cloud of uncertainty, one that’s hovered over him ever since a broken leg condemned him to the sidelines back in 2021.
After a lengthy recovery, the Irishman’s UFC comeback was announced at the start of 2023, with the ex-featherweight and lightweight titleholder penciled in to coach opposite Michael Chandler on The Ultimate Fighter ahead of an Octagon showdown.
Over a year-and-a-half later, the pair’s matchup has still not reached the cage, and that’s despite an official booking this past summer. Now, Chandler is moving on to run it back with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in November.
McGregor, meanwhile, continues to have fingers in every pie, and that includes the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. The Dubliner became a part-owner of the bare-knuckle promotion earlier this year and has continued to be a prominent presence at events.
With just two fights left on his UFC deal, which he hopes to get in next year, many have pondered whether “The Notorious” star could make a high-profile switch from the Octagon to the BKFC ring.
And according to the BKFC president, it’s not a matter of if, but when…
Feldman Reveals McGregor Talks Over BKFC Fight
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Feldman discussed McGregor’s growing involvement in and promotion of the BKFC brand ever since he invested in the organization this past April.
One of the leading topics has centered around a possible bare-knuckle venture for the Irishman himself, and Feldman appears extremely confident of that coming to fruition following a recent conversation with him.
“Unless he’s the best salesman in the world, the talks that we’ve had it’s like, ‘I’m fighting here,'” Feldman said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK.’ He (said), ‘I’m fighting here.’
“I go, ‘Why wouldn’t you fight here?’ Because you have equity in the company and if you fight here, you’ll probably make more money than anywhere else in the world because of what it’s going to do for the company. So I truly believe what you said. I think 100 percent he fights here.”
Before talk of McGregor putting his fists to work in BKFC’s squared circle can pick up, McGregor will first need to fulfil his obligations on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
It remains to be seen when the first of the two remaining bouts on his UFC contract will come and against whom. But during his appearance at the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois event in London this past weekend, McGregor told DAZN’s Ariel Helwani that he’s still hoping to finish his business with Chandler in 2025.
