Conor McGregor’s next fight might not happen in a cage at all. Sherdog reports the Irishman is being tipped to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) once his UFC contract runs out, a jump nobody in mainstream MMA has taken from the top of the sport.

The 38-year-old already owns a piece of the promotion. Nothing is signed and no fight has been announced, but the pieces have been sitting in plain view for the better part of a year. In September 2025, McGregor wrote on X:

“I am 100% fighting bare knuckle.”

BKFC president David Feldman has said publicly he expects it to happen.

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One UFC fight left, and it just got harder

The UFC part comes first. McGregor confirmed earlier this year that his current deal ran to two fights, with a final bout previously targeted for April 2027. He also said the UFC had not tried to extend him beyond that.

That timeline slipped in July. On the opening seconds of his comeback fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329, McGregor threw a jumping kick, landed awkwardly and could not continue. The referee waved off the bout after 69 seconds, and Holloway was awarded a TKO in what was McGregor’s first UFC fight since July 2021.

The diagnosis was a torn ACL and torn meniscus in the right knee. McGregor is now targeting International Fight Week in July 2027 for his last UFC appearance.

“What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027 The Last Dance,” he wrote on social media.

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UFC CEO Dana White has said publicly he expects McGregor to be sidelined for at least a year.

The commercial logic of a BKFC signing

The reason the BKFC chatter carries weight is ownership. In 2024, McGregor Sports and Entertainment became a part owner of BKFC alongside majority holder TrillerNet.

A McGregor fight under the bare-knuckle banner would drop the biggest name in combat sports into an event he benefits from as an equity holder. Rival suitors are also circling: Nakisa Bidarian’s MVP promotion, home to Jake Paul, has flagged interest in a boxing or MMA match with McGregor whenever the UFC contract ends.

Fenway Park is the next test

The next in-person look at McGregor in BKFC colours comes soon. The promotion has scheduled its debut Massachusetts event at Fenway Park for 29 August, with the ring set at home plate. McGregor is not fighting but is expected to attend after skipping the launch press conference to continue his rehab.

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“I am incredibly excited to announce that Fenway Park in Boston will host our inaugural BKFC event in the state. I love Boston. I’m undefeated there,” he said in a statement issued with the announcement.

The Fenway card on 29 August is the next fixed date on the BKFC calendar tied to McGregor’s name; his own return to competition, in either promotion, is at least a year away.

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