Conor McGregor Dreams Big for Future of BKFC by Targeting Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury

Conor McGregor has been actively involved in promoting the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. BKFC CEO David Feldman recently made comments that will turn the heads of anyone interested in online boxing news. When talking about the future of BKFC, McGregor said he would like to fight in the organization once his contract with the UFC runs out.

Some of the names he mentioned that he would like to join him seem absurd on the face of it. And it is absurd. To see Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury fighting with no gloves on would be a coup for the sport.

While the BKFC has built up a cult audience, the organization hasn’t attracted many big-name stars to step into the ring. There have been several UFC standouts, like Mike Perry, who have found success, but no one as famous as McGregor, Fury, or Joshua has joined.It is likely a fantasy that McGregor could make it happen. When it comes to McGregor’s career, it seems unlikely he will fight again in any promotion. However, McGregor has always been a wild card. There’s no telling which direction the BKFC will go in.

McGregor Has to Get Things Together

It’s hard to believe that McGregor’s best performance in fighting came on the silver screen. The MMAfighting latest news shows that McGregor hasn’t fought in the octagon since he lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 265 in July 2021. Since then, McGregor’s behavior has been erratic.

He was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter and was supposed to fight Michael Chandler. But that fight was ultimately scheduled and canceled several times. UFC CEO Dana White said that he believes McGregor will fight for them next year, but it’s hard to know.

Since McGregor, who is a part-owner of the BKFC, is still under contract with the UFC, he won’t be able to step into the squared circle until that works itself out. McGregor has also found himself facing legal issues again and will need to clean himself up before he can fight.

Fury is an Interesting Story

The heavyweight boxing news shows that Fury, out of any top boxer, may have paid the most respect to bare-knuckle fighting. Fury’s dad, John, has a history with the sport. While there were no real professional organizations to do the sport when John was coming up, the atmosphere has changed now.

Fury’s boxing career is in an interesting place. He has a scheduled rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk beat Fury earlier this year to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. While Usyk was stripped of one of the belts for scheduling a rematch with Fury, their rematch will be one of the most important boxing matches in 2025.

Fury has often discussed retirement, even during his first fight with Usyk. Fury, who is 36 years old, would also be a significant class above the current top heavyweights in the BKFC. While the BKFC roster is full of tough guys, they don’t have the pedigree to keep up with a top boxer who strikes a physically opposing stature like Fury does.

Joshua Isn’t in Great Spot

Joshua is coming off a difficult defeat to Daniel DuBois. He has a deep boxing pedigree and held several world heavyweight titles. However, Joshua hasn’t seemed quite the same since he lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. several years ago.

When Joshua had a pair of fights against Usyk, he was in a weird spot for where to go next. Joshua ended up fighting Francis Ngannou, who is a great MMA fighter, but Ngannou wasn’t a match for someone with Joshua’s experience.

BKFC Should Dream Big

While getting Joshua and Fury in the ring seems like a fantasy, the BKFC needs to have a period where it tries to sign bigger-name stars to break through on the big stage. Combat sports are driven by stars, much like an individual sport.

Having individual fighters who bring in large audiences could help push the organization from being on the fringes of society into more of the mainstream. BKFC would be smart to try and follow the UFC’s model. While the UFC is a behemoth now, it wasn’t always that way.

The UFC came up with a model powered by drawing big stars in and putting their promotional machine behind them. While the UFC got lucky with some of the personalities they had come along at the right time, there is no denying the organization is excellent at marketing and selling the fights.

Who is the Biggest BKFC Star Right Now?

Probably still Perry. Perry appeared to have some beef between him and the organization earlier this year. However, the bad blood must not have been too bad, as BKFC allowed him to take a gloved boxing match with Jake Paul.

While Perry fought valiantly, he was ultimately KO’d. But there have been few athletes who seemed like a better match for the BKFC than Perry. Perry has a gift for having rambling promos that aren’t afraid to touch on a wide number of topics.

Perry is also an aggressive fighter who is always seeking a finish. But having Perry won’t be enough. The BKFC must continue to cultivate stars and add people to the lineup if it wants to continue to grow as an organization.

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By Dean McHugh.