Conor McGregor is hinting at maybe the biggest BKFC signing yet.
At a press conference in Italy to promote the BKFC’s April 26 event in Florence, the promotion’s part-owner teased that MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko could soon join the roster. McGregor perked up when a reporter praised his accomplishments, comparing him to Emelianenko and Royce Gracie, before claiming that Emelianenko’s BKFC arrival is imminent.
“Fedor Emelianenko?” McGregor said. “Stay tuned, we might have some announcement with Fedor Emelianenko. Hey Fedor, we’re waiting. Some news might be coming with Fedor Emelianenko. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is signing and acquiring the best fighters of all time, past, present and future, and everyone wants to be a part of this.”
BKFC has attracted a number of standouts from the MMA world to compete in the ring, including former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez, and former UFC standouts Mike Perry, Jeremy Stephens, Ben Rothwell, Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings, and Thiago Alves, among others. Adding Emelianenko, arguably the greatest MMA heavyweight of all time, would be a major coup for the organization.
Emelianenko, 48, retired in 2023 following a loss to a second loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290. He is best known for a legendary run from 2001-2009 that saw him go 28 consecutive fights without a loss, while defeating the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Hunt.
Since retiring, “The Last Emperor” has made little indication publicly that he plans to compete again.
Should Emelianenko stick to this retirement, it doesn’t sound like McGregor’s enthusiasm for BKFC has dimmed at all. Regardless of who decides to come to BKFC, McGregor is determined to bring BKFC to the world, with eyes on a card in his native Ireland next year.
“2026, I believe,” McGregor said when asked about a BKFC Ireland event. “We are coming back to Italy, we’ve already got No. 2 planned, so there will be announcements I’m sure on the close of the show of our second Italian event, so we are loving it here. And then we’ve got Dubai, we’ve got Australia, we’ve got a real globe-trotting plan here for 2025.
“I assume Ireland, which has a rich bare-knuckle history of itself, will be 2026. That’s what I will aim for, that’s what we will aim for.”
BKFC Italy takes place at Palazzo Wanny in Florence, Italy, on April 26. In the main event, cruiserweight champion Chris Camozzi meets Lorenzo Hunt in a rematch of their September 2023 title fight, which Hunt won by split decision.
