For all the action in the ring — where combatants fight without gloves in the most basic of combat sports — Conor McGregor says what happens just before the bout is the most intense part of the program. And often what separates the winners from the losers in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bouts.
“When you’re watching them make the walk in, it’s the most incredible experience,” he told BINJE. “It’s daunting. You can see it in their eyes: How fearless are you? How much courage have you really got?
“There’s a really high element of respect and honor and true fearlessness when you take off the gloves and fight. These are accomplished combatants who are hungry to test themselves and prove themselves.”
BKFC comes to the Prudential Center and New Jersey for the first time Saturday night.
The event will feature co-main events featuring men and women to determine the “King of Violence” and the “Queen of Violence,” as winners of the most marquee matches are called. It also is scheduled to feature a bout between two well-known Jerseyans. Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar is scheduled to make his BKFC debut against Jimmie Rivera, although a report suggested the bout might have to go on without Edgar.
The biggest draw will be the sport itself.
McGregor, the most legendary fighter in mixed martial arts, who gained his fame in UFC, is a owner of BKFC. And he is eager to show it off.
“We are the fastest rising combat sport on the planet,” he said. “And in this current mundane landscape of fighting, it fits perfectly. It’s five, two-minute rounds, no gloves, with slightly modified Queensberry boxing rules. You’ve got to see it.”
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McGregor and BKFC are hoping the event at Prudential Center will be the largest-ever attended in the history of the league, topping the more than 17,000 that attended Knucklemania V at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia earlier this year.
Many BKFC 82 events open to public
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship press conference (Thursday), weigh-in (Friday) and fan fest (Friday) are open to public ahead of Saturday night’s main event. Click here for more information.
Dylan Wanagiel, the vice president of sports properties and special events at the arena and someone known around the globe in the combat sports space, is enthused.
Wanagiel, who not only is responsible for bringing the hugely successful UFC cards to Prudential Center, but also college wrestling, freestyle wrestling, pro boxing — even sumo wrestling — is excited by the possibilities around BKFC.
“It’s always fun, exciting, cool, challenging when you have a new event for your venue,” he said. “Our ownership group, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, has strongly encouraged us to have a diverse array of programming for our community.
“The debut of BKFC in Newark really adds to that — and to the wide variety of sports and concerts that we offer here at Prudential Center.”
The event Saturday is BKFC 82 — and it will look much different than BFKC 1, when a crowd of maybe more than 1,000 curious onlookers wandered into the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Ice and Events Center.
The sport slowed but did not stop during the pandemic and played plenty of fairgrounds, casinos and auditoriums in the early years.
It has taken to the global stage since, with numerous events in Thailand and England. And it has played in Spain, Italy, Canada, Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates so far this year.
McGregor said he’s confident BKFC will continue to grow, because he sees how many athletes from other combat sports — MMA, wrestling and even boxing itself — are eager to join.
BKFC just needs the exposure, he said.
His conversation was BINJE was one of many media spots McGregor did this week.
“My job now is to make the public aware of these athletes, because they’re incredible characters — that’s where I come in,” he said.
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Here’s the question you’re asking: Is McGregor ever going to fight in BKFC?
The answer: Yes.
“Definitely, 100%,” he said. “There’s no way I’m walking up on this dais and promoting these guys and watching these guys go in there and not do it myself.”
There are only two issues stopping him.
- He hasn’t stepped into a ring in more than four years.
- He still has two fights left on his UFC contract.
McGregor is working to solve both problems.
His interview with BINJE came after a heavy workout — he says he needs six months to get back into fighting shape. And he’ll likely be on the card of the discussed but not finalized UFC event at the White House next summer.
After that, he needs to only compete in one more UFC event.
McGregor expressed his love for UFC — saying it helped him as much as he helped it grow in popularity.
He’s eager to do the same thing with BKFC.
A proven drawing card — his exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather was one of the highest-grossing fights of all time — McGregor knows his first BKFC match will grab the spotlight.
And he already is planning on how to market it.
“It’s a chance to fight the owner,” he said. “Who doesn’t want to do that?”
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McGregor knows the history of mixed martial arts. How versions of the sport started in small venues (there was a card at Mennen Arena in Morris Township). How it wasn’t taken seriously by boxing purists.
“It was called human cockfighting,” he said.
Few people realized it was the next big thing.
But McGregor thinks BKFC is now just that.
“The boxing world was very intimidated by the UFC,” he said. “They downplayed it. Now, the UFC is in the same boat as boxing was. [MMA is] intimidated by bare knuckle. They see these very skilled combatants fighting for respect and honor and the opportunity to dominate another sport.”
Exposure. McGregor knows BKFC needs exposure.
The event Saturday will be on pay-per-view — which is where BKFC gets the great majority of its revenue. It won’t go head-to-head with the UFC event that night. The 11-card BKFC event aims to be done by 10 p.m. to allow fans to watch both. And tickets for approximately $75 still remain.
McGregor, ever the businessman, sees the seven-year, $7.7 billion deal UFC recently signed with Paramount, and knows the potential.
“The promised lands lay ahead,” he said. “I’m here. I’m getting ready. This is a multibillion-dollar organization on the rise. We’re at the foundation level, but I’m very excited and confident about what lies ahead.”
