Ever since he became a part-owner in BKFC, Conor McGregor has stated repeatedly that he plans on competing in a bare-knuckle fight before his career is over but former opponent Eddie Alvarez has his doubts.

Now to be perfectly clear, Alvarez doesn’t doubt McGregor’s desire or will to actually take on the challenge of a bare-knuckle fight. Instead, the veteran lightweight believes the UFC has way too much invested in McGregor to ever let him reach free agency to then sign with somebody else like BKFC.

“Realistically, I think he still has two fights left on his UFC contract,” Alvarez told MMA Fighting. “I just know how difficult it is, especially when you’re that valuable to a company.

“I haven’t been as valuable as Conor, but back when I was basically Bellator’s main guy, I know how difficult it is to get out of those contracts. They don’t make it easy.”

Back in 2012, Alvarez completed the fight bout on his Bellator contract, and he immediately planned to sign with the UFC as a free agent.

Unfortunately, his exit wasn’t that easy because Alvarez ended up in a long, grueling battle with the promotion over matching rights that allowed Bellator to offer him the same conditions as any other organizations to keep him under contract.

What resulted was a drawn-out battle that ended up with dueling lawsuits being filed by Alvarez and Bellator before the two sides finally settled on a new deal. Alvarez returned to Bellator where he avenged a past loss to Michael Chandler, but he never ended up competing there again after new ownership led by Scott Coker finally granted him his unconditional release.

The entire ordeal played out over two years with Alvarez in the prime of his career.

Meanwhile, McGregor is 36 so his time left in combat sports is likely more limited but his value to the UFC, especially as the company prepares to ink a new broadcast rights deal in 2025, is bigger than ever.

That’s why Alvarez doesn’t believe the UFC would let McGregor get anywhere near free agency without locking him up with a new deal. The only way he sees McGregor ever setting foot in the BKFC ring is years from now when he’s aged out of competing in the UFC.

“For him, making the company hundreds of millions of dollars, I don’t think it’s going to be an easy exit,” Alvarez said. “I think he still has two more fights with the UFC, and I’m not sure how old Conor is, but he’s not getting any younger. So it’s going to be tough for him to fight those fights out and move onto another contract.

“So realistically, I don’t know if he could fight BKFC, and if he does, it’ll be maybe when he’s older.”

While Alvarez doesn’t expect McGregor to actually grace the BKFC ring, he understands why the Irish superstar has become so attracted to the promotion and bare-knuckle fighting.

BKFC has managed to carve out its own niche in combat sports that separates the promotion from other MMA organizations attempting to butt heads with the UFC.

Alvarez knows from past experience that going up against the UFC is always a losing proposition and BKFC has learned that lesson by staying in its own lane.

“They’re not trying to compete with the UFC,” Alvarez said. “I think where a lot of these other guys go wrong, they’re trying to compete with a 500-pound gorilla. Why are you competing? There’s nothing to compete with.

“BKFC is something different, completely different, trying to carve out its own little thing and trying to be different. Not trying to be the same. Not trying to look like anything else. That’s why it’s doing well.”

Add to that, Alvarez knows from his two fights in BKFC that the sport is ultra-exciting with a relentless pace considering the longest fight takes place over five, two-minute rounds.

It’s a sprint to the finish as soon as the first punch is thrown plus the Philadelphia native acknowledges that everybody understands a fist fight, which is exactly what BKFC is giving them.

“Everybody knows what it’s like — well not everybody — but people can realize what they’re seeing getting hit with a bare fist,” Alvarez said. “Some of these moves, wrestling or jiu-jitsu, they don’t know what it is, and they kind of go blank once that happens in an MMA fight.

“They go get popcorn, go get a soda, but in bare knuckle fighting, everybody is attentive. They know what can go on very quickly. It gets very violent, very fast and it’s fun to watch.”