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Andreas Hale, ESPN
Conor McGregor, who announced earlier this year that he was a co-owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, also is expressing interest in competing as a “player/manager” once his UFC contract expires.
McGregor addressed his current contract situation at a news conference Thursday in Spain for the bare-knuckle promotion’s upcoming event on Oct. 12.
“For me, I have a little business left [with the UFC], two fights left on my contract,” McGregor said. “But for sure, we’ve got three lightweights up here on the dais and I have my eye on all of this. I’m not up here just as an owner — ‘player/manager’ I’ll title myself on this one.”
One of the fights left on McGregor’s current UFC contract is expected to be against Michael Chandler.
McGregor’s return to the Octagon after a three-year hiatus was originally scheduled for UFC 303 on June 29. But a broken toe forced the former two-division champion out of the fight and sent the promotion scrambling for a last-minute replacement for the main event.
McGregor has since teased that his return was imminent and that he is confident a fight with Chandler would happen before the end of 2024. UFC president Dana White has suggested that the fight “has to happen,” and it seems that all parties are looking to settle on a fight date sooner than later.
During his time away from fighting, McGregor has taken an interest in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships [BKFC]. His attendance at a recent event got the ball rolling on the Irishman striking a deal as a co-owner, and he now has set his sights on seeing the sport grow.
BKFC’s biggest star, former UFC fighter Mike Perry, is set to face Jake Paul in a boxing match on June 20 — and McGregor believes that it would be in other MMA fighters’ best interest to try their hand at bare-knuckle fighting rather than compete elsewhere.
“This is a viable option and, in my opinion, the only option,” McGregor said. “I don’t want to see, nor do I give a f— about UFC fighters going to PFL or another promotion. You need to break it up and try something new to really break into that next level of superstardom.
“How could you not look to be a two-sport world champion in something as wild as a bare-knuckle fighting organization? We’ve got the money, too. We have the dough. There are big payouts over here also. For any real fighter out there, that’s all you want to hear: money, power and respect. It’s all right here. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships has it all.”
But before McGregor can toss his hat into a BKFC ring, he knows he will have to fulfill his contractual obligations to the UFC.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back into the Octagon, handling my business with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and seeing what the future holds,” he said.