CONOR MCGREGOR insists the future is bright for BKFC, so much so he may even dip his toes into their blood-soaked waters.
The once-maligned sport of bare-knuckle boxing has grown in popularity over the years, in particular on social media.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and president Dave Feldman have been at the forefront of making the beautiful brutality of the sport more mainstream.
McGregor’s recent acquisition of shares in the company will work wonders for the once-fledging promotion, which will charter new territory on October 12 when it hosts an event in Marbella, Spain.
And the biggest name in MMA history has aspirations of one day competing in what has become his new side hustle.
The former two-division UFC champion said: “For me, I have a bit of business left with Ultimate Fighting Championship, two fights left on my contract.
“But for sure we got three lightweights up here on the dais and you know, I have my eye on all of [them].
“I’m not up here just as an owner. Player-manager I’ll title myself on this one.”
McGregor, 36, seldom gets involved in projects he’s not passionate about or believes can be successful.
And he reckons the sky is the limit for BKFC, who recently signed two-time women’s super-welterweight champion Hannah Rankin.
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With more sides to his personality than an Octagon, Conor McGregor's rise has been an enthralling watch.
Going from UFC icon to entrepreneur and Hollywood star, the Irishman has transcended the sport he helped bring to the masses.
He has four children with fiancee Dee Devlin and the family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
McGregor has not fought in UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.
That has not stopped him amassing a net worth of over £150m thanks to his Proper No Twelve whiskey and fashion line.
And he is due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in an eagerly-awaited headline clash with Michael Chandler.
McGregor also starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the Amazon Prime remake of classic movie Road House, although he is dreading his mum seeing one X-rated scene.
Notorious turned up to the premiere in a £60,000 suit that was outdone by his £460k watch.
The only thing sharper than his fashion sense is his tongue and the Dubliner has several bitter spats under his belt, including with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That row led to one of his biggest controversies in 2018 as he travelled 3,000 miles to confront Khabib in a vicious attack on his bus.
He pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a pub in 2018 and had his £150k Bentley seized by police for driving offences four years later.
Joe Rogan lashed out at McGregor in a four-letter outburst and the Irishman has also fired shots at Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury.
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather also has McGregor on his enemy list after the pair clashed in a cross-sport bout in 2017.
Read all of our latest Conor McGregor stories.
“The businesses that I own and support have always been those I believe in,” he said. “I look for opportunities that mean something to me.
“I do not enter any business venture lightly or without serious consideration for what I can bring to the table.
“So, when you see my name tied to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship you know I’m truly committed to the business and bringing it to the absolute heights of success.
“I started out as a boxer and bare-knuckle fighting is the purest form. When I saw my first event live, I was blown away by it.
“Dave and I started talking, I don’t just back the product, I back the people behind the product.
“Dave Feldman has done a stellar job with BKFC. This is a sport on the rise and with my backing I’m confident I can strap it to a rocket ship and send it right to the moon.
“Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is number one in the space, there is no one on this level with us.
“We are separate from any other entity in combat sports.”
BKFC supremo Feldman said: “It’s unbelievable the attention that we’re getting already to bring this event to Marbella, Spain. And it will be in a bullfighting arena.
“Bullfighting and bare-knuckle fighting go hand in hand.
“We have Franco Tenaglia from Spain taking on Tony Soto for the BKFC Lightweight World Championship.
“We have Dan Chapman, who I’ve tried to sign for three years, and he’s going to be a superstar in BKFC.
” And former two-time women’s boxing champion, Hannah Rankin.”
“Conor is truly the rocket fuel for BKFC!”
“Absolutely we will be back in Spain, we’re going to Madrid in March or April. We love it here.”
BKFC Spain takes place at the Marbella Arena on October 12 and is headlined by a lightweight title fight between Argentine-born Spaniard Franco Tenaglia and New York’s Tony Soto.
