Conor McGregor‘s UFC career may be coming to an end, but the Irish superstar may not be done fighting once his contract with the promotion expires.
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BKFC President David Feldman revealed that talks regarding ‘The Notorious’ making his bare-knuckle debut have already begun, and he expects the Irishman to eventually make the switch to his very own promotion.
“We’ve had those conversations in the past,” Feldman said, as per MMA journalist Damon Martin. “He’s very, very focused to come back for his last fight, and then he’s going to come here [to Fenway Park] and sell this whole f—— stadium out.”
For the unaware, Conor McGregor now has only one fight left on his UFC contract after his disappointing return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 last month. The bout was more than a decade in the making, but it met an abrupt end when ‘The Notorious’ suffered a torn ACL in the first round and was forced to withdraw.
Despite the defeat, the Irishman has been adamant that he will be returning for one more UFC fight, with Conor McGregor eyeing IFW 2027 for “The Last Dance.” But now it seems like that might be the last bout of his UFC career, rather than his entire combat sports career.
‘The Notorious’ has been a part-owner of BKFC for some time, and the idea of him eventually stepping into the bare-knuckle ring has been discussed repeatedly. In fact, Conor McGregor himself has already promised that it will happen.
David Feldman on Conor McGregor competing in BKFC: "We've had those conversations in the past .... he's very, very focused to come back for his last fight and then he's going to come here [to Fenway Park] and sell this whole f*cking stadium out" #BKFC
“If you think I’m up here giving these speeches and leading these men into battle and I won’t step in there myself, think again,” McGregor said last year. “For sure, Conor McGregor will fight in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Mark my words.”
And to make things more interesting, he isn’t just interested in making a one-off appearance.
“I’d like a world title in this company,” he added. “I would wish to be the Bare Knuckle world champion. That is a significant belt to hold in your career.
“Nobody from boxing or mixed martial arts can speak nothing bad on a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship world champion. So for sure I would be coming in looking for the world title.”
So, based on Feldman’s latest comments, the possibility of Conor McGregor fighting in BKFC appears to be more than just a fantasy. But before that occurs, ‘The Notorious’ has some unfinished business in the UFC. The biggest question is whether Max Holloway will be waiting for him.
Following their UFC 329 bout, the Irishman appeared to put his rivalry with ‘Blessed’ behind him, even suggesting that the two could complete their trilogy next summer. However, Max Holloway recently reignited the tension between the two when he questioned Conor McGregor’s performance.
“Him talking about this ‘generational beating,’ dude is delusional,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “Because, to me, he felt slow in there. He felt slow.
“He looked old. If there was going to be a generational beating, it wasn’t going to be on his end, I’ll tell you that much.”
Conor McGregor clearly didn’t appreciate the assessment. He used AI to analyze his and Holloway’s appearances from fight night, and the results showed ‘Blessed’ had a more “weathered” appearance.
“There’s no way the most punched-on face in UFC history (check the stats) is talking this way? Wtf happened this guy?” McGregor wrote while sharing the result on social media.
Justin Gaethje has also recently left the door open to a potential McGregor matchup, although the lightweight champion admitted he doesn’t expect it to happen.
“If it came to my table, I would entertain it,” he said in a recent interview. “But I would doubt that. He’s going through his own stuff.
“I don’t even want to talk down on that guy anymore. I’ve done it. That doesn’t work because I’ve tried.”
Whoever the opponent may be, for now, Conor McGregor’s immediate priority appears to be getting back into the Octagon. However, do you know that ‘The Notorious’ could have been much closer to a BKFC debut had his UFC 329 return gone according to plan?
A UFC win could have already put Conor McGregor on the BKFC path
Before returning against Max Holloway, Conor McGregor had planned to make a comeback at the UFC White House. And BKFC president David Feldman was already very optimistic about what could happen next once the Irishman made a successful return.
“This truly is the best Conor McGregor I’ve seen,” Feldman said last year. “If he wins, if he looks good in that fight, he’s going to fight another fight.
“If that happens, then I would bet 100 percent he’ll fight for BKFC.”
Feldman also explained why ‘The Notorious’ would be such an enormous asset for the promotion.
“Why wouldn’t he?” he added. “What would he do for the evaluation of the company if he fights for BKFC?
“He’ll double or triple it, and then he just doubled or tripled his interest in it, and that’s way more than he’s going to get fighting anywhere else.”
However, Conor McGregor never made it to the White House event, and his subsequent return versus Max Holloway ended in disaster with a major injury. That hasn’t changed the larger picture, though.
He still has one UFC fight left, and he wants to return, and BKFC is an easy choice once that contract expires. If ‘The Notorious’ can finally return to the Octagon and provide the kind of performance Feldman was hoping for, the transition from UFC to bare-knuckle boxing may become a reality.
And if David Feldman has his way, the Irishman will not only compete for BKFC but also pack Fenway Park in the process.