Conor McGregor is hinting at what could be the biggest signing in BKFC history.
At a recent press conference in Italy promoting the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's upcoming event in Florence on April 26, McGregor, who is a part-owner of the promotion, teased the potential addition of MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko to the BKFC roster. The excitement sparked when a reporter praised McGregor’s achievements, drawing a comparison to Emelianenko and Royce Gracie. McGregor responded by suggesting that Emelianenko’s signing could be on the horizon.
“Fedor Emelianenko?” McGregor responded. “Stay tuned, we might have some announcement with Fedor Emelianenko. Hey Fedor, we’re waiting. Some news might be coming with Fedor Emelianenko. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is signing and acquiring the best fighters of all time, past, present, and future, and everyone wants to be a part of this.”
BKFC's Historical Links To MMA
BKFC has already attracted numerous high-profile fighters from the MMA world, including former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez, as well as Mike Perry, Jeremy Stephens, Ben Rothwell, Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings, and Thiago Alves, to name a few. Adding Emelianenko—often regarded as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history—would undoubtedly be a major milestone for the organization.
Emelianenko, now 48, retired in 2023 after a second loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290. His most iconic period came from 2001 to 2009, where he went undefeated for 28 consecutive fights, defeating top-tier opponents such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Hunt.
McGregor Talks Global Expansion
Since his retirement, Emelianenko has remained largely silent about a possible return to competition.
However, if Emelianenko does choose to stay retired, McGregor’s passion for the future of BKFC remains undiminished. The Irishman is set on expanding the promotion globally, with plans for a BKFC event in his homeland in the near future.
“2026, I believe,” McGregor said when asked about a potential BKFC event in Ireland. “We are coming back to Italy, we’ve already got No. 2 planned, so there will be announcements, I’m sure, on the close of the show of our second Italian event. We are loving it here. And then we’ve got Dubai, we’ve got Australia, we’ve got a real globe-trotting plan here for 2025. I assume Ireland, which has a rich bare-knuckle history itself, will be 2026. That’s what I will aim for, that’s what we will aim for.”
The upcoming BKFC Italy event will take place at Palazzo Wanny in Florence on April 26, with cruiserweight champion Chris Camozzi facing Lorenzo Hunt in the main event. The two fighters will rematch after Hunt defeated Camozzi by split decision in their September 2023 title bout.
