BKFC Boss on Conor McGregor Crossover; Teases ‘UFC Legend’ Next for Mike Perry

It's all coming together for the BKFC brand.

Founded in 2018, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has moved on from any past criticism and has its sights on a bright future, one that includes both Conor McGregor as a part owner and Mike Perry as the biggest fighter on the roster.

UFC superstar McGregor officially put the pen to paper last week, signing with BKFC's David Feldman for what the founder says is "substantial equity in the company". While it's not a fight contract, the news left many to wonder if we could ever see "The Notorious" inside the BKFC ring whenever his UFC contract eventually comes to a close.

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"I tell you what he says all the time. He loves the UFC. He loves Dana White. He loves the company. He loves fighting for them, and he loves what we do, too," Feldman said on 'The MMA Hour'. "He's got two more fights in the contract. We'll see what happens there. I mean, he loves the UFC, so I don't know. I can't tell you that. If I was sitting there and said, 'Nah, we don't want him to fight for us', come on, what kind of liar would I be? Of course, we want him to fight for us."

"But, I'm not getting in the middle of what their agreement and their deal is right now. If that opportunity does arise, a hundred percent. I think he would like it, but, you know, I'll let him speak for himself. I mean, he says he loves the sport. He said it publicly. 'I have to try this. I have to do this. I have to do this.' Look, business is business. He has a great business relationship with the UFC. They're just getting bigger and bigger. So, who knows?"

Conor McGregor is officially an owner of BKFC.

McGregor signed the papers today at his Black Forge Inn in Dublin alongside BKFC founder Dave Feldman. Terms not disclosed yet. pic.twitter.com/FgnGz5L44D
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 10, 2024

BKFC captured McGregor's interest last year when Mike Perry made former UFC Champ Luke Rockhold quit inside two rounds at BKFC 41. With a BKFC belt on his shoulder, McGregor even stepped into the ring to face off with Perry in a viral moment.

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If the fighting Irishman were to tear up his UFC contract and take the gloves off, Feldman says a fight with Perry would be absolutely massive.

"Conor McGregor really versus anybody, but Conor McGregor versus Mike Perry? I think the whole entire world would wanna would wanna see that in bare knuckle. That would be huge."

Looking at more realistic options for Perry, the BKFC boss is currently working on getting a box-office opponent for "Platinum" in his fifth fight for the promotion and yes, it will likely be a fellow ex-UFC star.

"I'm making a move next week and going down and visiting two big-name fighters for him that I think are really, really gonna blow this thing up," Feldman said of Perry's next fight. "I think we're really close to getting this done. The thing is, look, I can put him in with the championship, and I want to. If he wants to, I'm gonna do that because I think we owe it to our champion and Mike Perry to do it. But at the end of the day— I have to give him something that people care about, right? That people are really invested in to really watch this thing now because he is kind of a superstar in combat sports now. So, I have to give him something that people are gonna talk about. I have two or three names that people are certainly gonna talk about.

"I can tell you they're legends in the UFC," Feldman hinted. "Legends. They're free [from UFC contract]."

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Who could Mike Perry's next opponent possibly be? Well, there's still potential for a fight with longtime rival Darren Till, as the two never fought inside the Octagon. Liverpool's Till has been working on his boxing lately, following a call-out from Perry at Knuckle Mania 4.

Darren Till’s New Boxing Footage 🦍 🥊 pic.twitter.com/RgkY9OOdYU
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) May 10, 2024

MMA's hottest free agent Nate Diaz may in the running for the Mike Perry sweepstakes, too, but he's currently occupied by preparations for a boxing match against Jorge Masvidal this summer.

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