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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) president David Feldman was blown away by the buzz around BKFC 41 this past Saturday. Most of it was from the top headlining bouts, Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold and Chad Mendes vs. Eddie Alvarez, but some of it came from a surprise appearance by Conor McGregor.
Conor McGregor makes surprise appearance at BKFC 41
The ’Notorious’ one entered the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., and appeared ringside for the final three fights. He cheered on BKFC flyweight champion Christine Ferea ahead of her defense against Bec Rawlings. He watched a pair of his former foes in Mendes and Alvarez turn in an instant classic. And then McGregor got into the ring.
Shortly after he shattered some teeth in his second-round TKO of Rockhold, Perry shouted McGregor out for a staredown. Not one to miss out on an opportunity, the former two-division UFC champion got into the ring (with a BKFC belt!) and exchanged some words with Perry.
The Perry vs. McGregor staredown went viral, and Feldman was grateful to have even more buzz around the pay-per-view event.
“At the end of the day, I was really paying attention to the fights,” said Feldman (video provided by MMA Junkie). “It was a sold-out crowd—unbelievable crowd here, unbelievable fighters, unbelievable fights. So I don’t want to take away from these guys. But, of course, it’s phenomenal to have Conor McGregor here. The No. 1 talked about combat sports athlete in the world jumps in the ring and challenges one of our fighters, and whether it ever happens or not doesn’t really matter.
“The fact is, it was a viral moment for us, and the fact is when he’s talking about it, everybody else in the combat sports world is talking about it,” continued Feldman. “So it was a great thing for us.”
Conor McGregor and Mike Perry face off
During an impromptu interview, McGregor said he would fight Perry and was ‘into this game,’ referring to bare-knuckle boxing.
“I’d be into this,” said McGregor. “How am I showing up here and I’ve already got the belt? Come get it, baby! Come get the strap, baby!”
Though McGregor in bare-knuckle boxing seems far-fetched, Perry hopes he is seriously considering a move to the sport so he can fight him.
“What’s next for me? Conor Mcgregor,” said Perry at his post-fight press conference. “He likes to box, too. We could throw hands. And he gave me a face-off. How cool was that, bro? That’s what’s up. I’m real humble, to be honest, because I’ve been fighting a long time, I’ve been in some ups and downs, some tough fights, and some things didn’t go my way. And these guys are coming over here fighting me at what seems to be my best attributes. I got a chin, I got some hands, and it’s bare-knuckle. Most people don’t like getting hit like that. So whoever wants the smoke, dog.”
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