Inside the wild and controversial world of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: a fighter’s tragic death, horrific facial cuts and growing interest in Conor McGregor now on board as co-owner.

Fresh off his role as “Knox,” the swaggering thug in the Road House remake, Conor McGregor has made a purchase very much in line with his Hollywood character’s personality.

The Irishman became part-owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) this week, one of the world’s fastest-growing fight promotions, a smaller, indirect competitor to his UFC payers, although a competitor all the same.

It’s a fascinating development for the 35-year-old, who finally returns to the octagon on June 29 after three years away from the sport in which he made his name and fortune.

He has proven himself as a savvy businessman and master of promotion, strengths that Bare Knuckle FC President David Feldman was pleased to welcome him on board.

“Look, you have the biggest guy in all of combat sports right now as a co-owner of our company,” he said.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

Conor McGregor faced Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star Mike Perry at an event last year and is now a part-owner of the promotion.

BKFC is not for the faint-hearted and nasty cuts are common during fights

Despite much criticism, the promotion has moved from the sidelines to become a bigger player in the combat sports arena.

“We are partners with Conor McGregor. Everyone in the combat sports world, everyone in the world, knows who this guy is. So Conor, thanks, and let’s blow this shit up.’

So, what is Bare Knuckle FC? Is it destined to be a fringe organization, on the fringes of mainstream acceptance? Or, like the UFC, will it grow quickly and reach a wider audience?

The rules are simple, punches are the only blows allowed and must be a closed fist. (No kicks, elbows, knees or wrestling). Fighters are allowed to wrap and tape the wrist, thumb and middle of the hand. No gauze or tape can be within 1 inch of the joints.

Some have argued that the less padding and protection fighters have on their hands, the safer they are. There is less impact from punches but more importantly, many more cuts because the skin and bones are open without the soft leather pad.

For the bloodthirsty, the aesthetic is exactly what they’re looking for on a Saturday night, for others, even fight fans, it can be too much.

Clearly, McGregor sees the potential. He claimed his net worth was in the region of £536million last year in an interview with Megan Olivi and is no doubt expecting a further swelling of the coffers with BKFC on his portfolio.

BKFC shared this with their 1.4 million Instagram followers when announcing the deal.

The organization has 1.4 million followers on Instagram, a total that should not be overlooked but which is still around 30 times less than its new co-owner.

Feldman, a former American boxer, founded the company in 2018 and held the first sanctioned bare-knuckle event in the United States since 1889.

The company branched out and held events in Asia, featuring many fighters with MMA backgrounds, often aging former stars or those whose contracts had expired.

BKFC has received a lot of criticism. And those who argued against its existence were bolstered in their arguments by a tragedy in 2021.

Bare-knuckle fighter Justin Thornton has died after suffering a spinal cord injury following a 19-second knockout at a BKFC event.

He was seemingly unresponsive in the ring, taken to hospital and put on a ventilator where he later died aged just 38.

Thornton had lost his previous five fights and was facing an MMA fighter with a record of 10 wins and one loss.

BKFC was acquired by Triller in 2022 and continues to strive for mainstream success

Women are also fighting in the promotion and interest is growing quickly.

Dana White criticized BKFC after one of its fighters tragically died following a knockout

UFC President Dana White was among those who spoke out about the tragedy, highlighting the difference in medical evaluations, screenings and care between promotions.

He said: ‘First of all, is anyone shocked? I mean, in hand-to-hand combat? I’m not a big fan. And I’m, I guess I would say it’s worried, when I see some of our people when they leave here and go there. It’s like, oh my God.

“But when you look at it, we’ve been fighting for 25 years. I’ve had over 7,000 fights without serious injury in the UFC.

“Every year we spend over $20 million on sports medicine – $20 million a year – on health and wellness or whatever it is. And 25 percent of our athletes we send to specialists.

“So a guy will come in and his brain test won’t come out, it will be irregular, so we send him to a specialist. If something was wrong with his heart, he or she goes to a cardiologist, we spend the money to find out what’s wrong with him.

“And as a result of that, our pre-fight screening, over the last 20 years, we found 10 athletes who had life-threatening, career-ending medical issues that they should not fight. That if they hadn’t been in the UFC, they probably would have fought and probably died. So we shouldn’t even talk about ourselves in the same sentence as bare-knuckle boxing.

“They are two completely different worlds. Yes, we’re really sorry to hear that this guy passed away, but you’ll never see any of these other organizations doing the type of health, safety and medical testing that we do for our athletes.

That tragedy wasn’t enough to deter privately held Triller from acquiring a majority stake in BKFC two years ago for an undisclosed amount.

Fighters are not allowed to have any wrapping or protection on their knuckles.

McGregor’s ties to the promotion also extend to the Forged Irish Stout partnership

Triller, an AI-powered platform for creators, has been expanding into the streaming and fighting space for some time and its acquisition is seen as a step forward for BKFC’s legitimacy.

McGregor is now on board and this appears to be a move he has been flirting with for some time.

He showed up to an event last year, drank his Proper No. 12 whiskey in the crowd and even faced former UFC fighter Mike Perry in the ring that night.

Despite the fact that BKFC is technically a competitor to their paymasters, the UFC, White hasn’t been bothered by “Notorious” seemingly helping to bring attention to them.

“Listen, man,” he said. “At the end of the day, Conor has done a lot here. He’s made a lot of money. The guy is out having fun and everything is fine.

When asked if he disagreed with the incident, White replied: “Not at all. Not even a little.’

Currently, Perry is considered the face of the organization. He headlined an event last month called BKFC KnuckleMania 4, raking in £480,000 for his night’s work, excluding discretionary bonuses and sponsorships.

The proposed remuneration will only encourage other fighters from various disciplines to sign up.

McGregor poses with Road House co-star Jake Gyllenhaal at the London premiere in March

A future fight between Mike Perry and McGregor now seems fanciful, but it would be the biggest fight in the promotion’s history if it ever happens.

BKFC shows no signs of slowing down and the holy grail for the company would surely be for McGregor to fight for them.

The UFC’s biggest superstar has already lobbied the company for an ownership stake given his efforts to raise their profile. His wishes fell on deaf ears, but he now has a piece of the BKFC pie and would directly benefit from the value he would add by going bare.

He remains under contract with the UFC, where White and Co will desperately try to keep him under lock and key.

But McGregor’s participation is a major move and the surest sign yet that they are an upcoming force in the fighting world.