So, Conor McGregor, the man who once fought a bus and now owns a whiskey company, has decided to dip his toes even further into the bare-knuckle boxing pond. The BKFC, that rather niche bare-knuckle outfit, held a ‘Champions Summit’ – which sounds less like a fight promotion and more like a corporate retreat gone wrong. Unsurprisingly, McGregor was there, not just as a part-owner, but as the master of ceremonies, ready to unveil his latest grand scheme.

The Notorious Announces His Next Big Thing

And what a scheme it is. A twenty-five-million-pound, open-weight tournament. ‘The baddest man on the planet’ – sounds like something out of a bad 90s action movie, doesn’t it? Starting in LA, finishing in the Middle East a year later. One can only imagine the sheer chaos of a heavyweight bare-knuckle scrap. It’s certainly a change from the highly regulated world of the UFC, that’s for sure.

Though, if you don’t win the whole shebang, the prize money drops faster than a lead balloon. Fifteen million for first, a paltry million for second, and then a measly half a million for third and fourth.  Almost makes you wonder if they’re saving the rest for McGregor’s next whiskey launch.

Ageing Lions Join the Bare-Knuckle Circus

But the McGregor show wasn’t just about the cash. Oh no, he also announced a fresh batch of former UFC stalwarts joining the bare-knuckle brigade. It’s a familiar pattern, isn’t it? When the big league calls time on your career, there’s always a bare-knuckle contract waiting.

Take Yoel Romero, for example. The ‘Soldier of God’ is a sprightly forty-eight. Thiago Santos, meanwhile, is a mere forty-one. Both, at one point, were legitimate threats in the UFC, known for turning lights out with alarming regularity. Now, they’re heading into a sport where the hands are literally bare. It’s either incredibly brave or incredibly desperate. Perhaps a bit of both.

Then there’s Derek Brunson, forty-one years old, a grappler by trade, now apparently punching people without gloves. His last outing was in the PFL, but clearly, the bare-knuckle siren call was too strong. And Aspen Ladd? A female fighter joining the fray. One can only hope her skillset translates well to this brutal new world, or it could be a very short and painful tenure.

Is This a Retirement Plan?

It’s almost as if BKFC has become a retirement home for UFC veterans, a place where you can extend your career and take a few more brain cells for a walk, all while getting paid a decent sum. Forget golfing, these blokes are bare-knuckle fighting in their fifties.

So, McGregor’s BKFC continues to expand, bringing more ageing lions into the bare-knuckle arena. It’s a strange evolution for combat sports, but certainly a spectacle. What do you reckon? Is this bare-knuckle bonanza a brilliant new chapter for these fighters, or just a desperate grab for relevance?