Conor McGregor admits he may have revealed a bit too much when pressed about his heavily discussed future in bare-knuckle boxing. As the legendary mixed martial artist prepares to close the chapter on his illustrious tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), speculation has continually mounted regarding his next career move. According to his coaching staff, the Irishman is expected to compete in the final bout of his current UFC contract next year, provided he keeps his sights locked on that milestone.
It has been an open secret within combat sports circles that this upcoming appearance is being mapped out as McGregor’s final walk to the Octagon. Once that contractual obligation is fulfilled, the biggest star the sport of mixed martial arts has ever produced will officially enter unrestricted free agency, allowing him to explore new athletic pursuits and promotional ventures outside of the global mixed martial arts leader.
"The Notorious" recently offered a glimpse into his vision for the next stage of his storied career, but quickly pumped the brakes before letting slip too many specifics regarding his imminent transition into the rapidly growing world of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Conor McGregor Stops Himself From Giving Away More Information About Planned BKFC Debut
McGregor’s remarks came during a fiery appearance at the BKFC 96 press conference on Saturday night in Scotland, where he did not mince words, notably taking aim at Darren Till over a drab sparring session with Yoel Roméro. Marking his first major media interaction at a public event since his most recent Octagon appearance, questions regarding his combat sports future were naturally front and center.
Despite recent comments from BKFC President Dave Feldman noting that McGregor is not guaranteed an automatic title shot or walkover upon his eventual UFC exit—emphasizing that the superstar will still have to look sharp—the former dual-weight UFC champion maintained that his arrival in the bare-knuckle promotion is an absolute certainty.
Addressing the assembled media and fans via TheMacLife, the charismatic striker began detailing what organizers are cooking up for his promotional debut, only to abruptly realize he was treading into confidential territory.
"The things we have planned here is goosebumps. Goosebumps material," McGregor shared during the press event. "10,000-seater stadium or arena. 20,000-seater stadium. 80,000-seater stadium, no. We’re thinking the largest attendance of all time. We are working on the largest attendance of a fight event of all time…"
As the magnitude of his own description escalated, McGregor quickly caught himself, acknowledging that his enthusiasm was getting the better of him.
"There’s two million fans we’re talking. We’re taking over the country and the announcement that’s coming, I don’t want to jump the gun. That was a little bit too much information. I just want to amplify, we’re not just thinking, we’re thinking colossal."
The ambitious scale of McGregor’s teasing immediately drew scrutiny from combat sports historians and analysts. While combat sports have historically drawn massive crowds, reaching figures anywhere near the numbers casually tossed around by the Irishman presents an extraordinary logistical hurdle. For context, numerous high-profile boxing events have historically outperformed the largest recorded MMA attendances in history. While PRIDE’s landmark Shockwave event in 2002 brought together just over 91,000 fans, modern stadium spectacles have continued to push boundaries, such as Anthony Joshua’s explosive heavyweight clash with Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in 2024, which drew a roaring crowd of over 98,000 spectators.
To approach the stratosphere of the historical records, an event would need to surpass spectacles like the legendary 1941 bout between Tony Zale and Billy Pryor, which drew an astonishing verified attendance of 135,132 people to Juneau Park in Milwaukee. McGregor’s hyperbolic mention of an attendance figure reaching two million people—which would dwarf historical benchmarks by a factor of fifteen—is clearly understood by insiders as classic promotional bluster rather than a realistic logistical target.
Furthermore, industry observers point out that it remains difficult to imagine BKFC attempting an undertaking of such unprecedented scale, even if they were to follow historical precedents by adopting massive-scale distribution models or offering large-scale free admission structures.
Beyond the promotional logistics, the ultimate drawing power and public anticipation surrounding McGregor’s eventual bare-knuckle debut will undoubtedly be influenced by how his final UFC contract obligation plays out. His much-anticipated return to active competition this past July ended in a disappointing fashion, a result that temporarily cooled some of the immediate momentum surrounding his athletic career.
While a crossover into bare-knuckle boxing would unquestionably turn heads and generate immense curiosity across the global sporting landscape, it remains to be seen whether mainstream casual sports fans will maintain the exact same level of fervor when the prestigious UFC promotional banner is no longer attached to his name. Until he officially steps into the cage for his final promotional contractual duty, the exact roadmap for "The Notorious" post-UFC career remains shrouded in tantalizing anticipation.
