Conor McGregor held his first press conference as co-owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and spoke about what first drew him to the promotion.
For many, BKFC will have a high barrier to entry due to how raw and brutal it is once the gloves come off.
Others would see this as a draw because removing the gloves brings us one step closer to a real fight between two athletes, rather than an athletic contest.
For McGregor, who has always had a passion for boxing and supporting his fellow fighters, it was love at first sight.
His involvement with the sport, and BKFC in particular, was through a former member of UFC.
Conor McGregor says former UFC fighter Bec Rawlings was what got him connected to BKFC
BKFC’s success has been largely due to former UFC fighters moving in and bringing in extra attention and viewership.
Australia’s Bec Rawlings competed seven times in the Octagon before being released by the promotion, and as a result was one of the first fighters to move to BKFC.
“Rowdy” competed in the promotion’s inaugural event in June 2018 and became the inaugural women’s featherweight champion.
After a brief stint with Bellator, she returned to BKFC in 2022, last fighting under the organization’s banner in December of last year.
Speaking at a press conference for a BKFC event in Spain, McGregor spoke about his first time watching the promotion and how Rawlings was the first domino that paved the way for him to do so.
“Once you watch a fight, you’re hooked like I was. I started doing this when I saw a woman I met at UFC named ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings. She was the Women’s World Champion in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. I was just blown away by what this sport was and what it was all about.”
“Every real fighter knows in his heart that winning a world championship in bare-knuckle combat is a great honor. And then when I saw it live, I was blown away by how strong it was.”
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