Conor McGregor demands bare-knuckle boxing match with Jeremy Stephens
Conor McGregor demands bare-knuckle boxing match with Jeremy Stephens
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The Irishman, who owns a stake in BKFC, is struggling to get a fight in the UFC cage or the boxing ring. Conor McGregor has turned his attention to a bare-knuckle boxing match, having struggled to secure a fight in the UFC or traditional boxing ring. McGregor, a former two-weight UFC champion, has not fought in the mixed martial arts promotion since July 2021 – when he broke his leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier.
![[Conor McGregor owns a stake in BKFC]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/27/9/37/GettyImages-2194428902.jpeg)
The Irishman, 36, was due to face Michael Chandler in June 2024, but a broken toe ruled McGregor out of the bout on two weeks’ notice. Chandler, who had been waiting on McGregor since February 2023, ultimately took a different fight and lost to Charles Oliveira in November.
![[McGregor at a BKFC press conference after buying a stake in the promotion]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/22/09/newFile-2.jpg)
Most recently, McGregor was angling for an exhibition boxing match in India, against YouTuber Logan Paul, but UFC president Dana White shot down the idea. In a filmed conversation with Paul last week, McGregor seemed to admit the fight had collapsed. On Saturday, however, McGregor entered the ring at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) event, facing off with Jeremy Stephens, who had just stopped Eddie Alvarez.
Stephens and Alvarez are both former UFC fighters, with McGregor having knocked out the latter to win the lightweight belt in 2016, while he famously dismissed a callout from Stephens by shouting: “Who the f*** is that guy?”. After Stephens’s victory on Saturday, McGregor – who owns a stake in BKFC – faced off with the American and said: “Yeah, yeah, who the f*** is this guy, baby?.
