'I'd love to see Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor in BKFC'… David Feldman campaigns for a bare-knuckle match-up between two of the most fearsome riv

10/10/2024 06:18 AM

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor captured the world’s attention when they first fought in 2017. And now, BKFC founder, David Feldman, would love to see them run in back in bare-knuckle.

In their first encounter, the Irishman started well, before ultimately succumbing to his rival’s greatness in the tenth round.

David Feldman thinks Conor McGregor would have a very good chance against Floyd Mayweather in BKFC

On April 29, 2023, Conor McGregor attended BKFC 41, headlined by Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold, and instantly fell in love with everything the promotion has to offer.

Within a few months, the Dubliner was asking David Feldman if he could get involved, and subsequently became a part owner.

This weekend, ‘The Notorious’ will be in Marbella, Spain, to watch the BKFC clash between Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto. Unsurprisingly, Feldman is thrilled with the job the MMA legend has done in promoting the event.

In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, he said: “He’s just doing phenomenal for us. When he talks, people listen. And sometimes, he says things people don’t want to hear. And sometimes, he says things that they do want to hear. But the one thing about Conor McGregor is when he talks, they do listen. We have a great mouthpiece with him.”

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Of course, with a love of bare-knuckle fighting coursing through his veins, the former 2x UFC champion would love to eventually test his skills in BKFC. And Feldman believes Floyd Mayweather would make for the perfect opponent.

The businessman beamed: “Someone said to me, ‘What do you think about Manny Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again in boxing’? They were asking me for some help, and I said, ‘I’d love to see Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor in bare-knuckle because I think it’s a whole different fight, with the clinching that you can do and getting hit with the knuckles’.

“We just think it’s a different world. So, it is a different sport-it’s different types of pain. It’s not necessarily that you’re getting hit and you’re getting flashes and concussed, but you get hit on the cheekbone and you’re like, ‘Oh, man, that hurt’. So, it really just depends on who is able to withstand that kind of stuff.”

Dave Feldman talks BKFC global destinations and Hannah Rankin making her debut

Saturday night will give a plethora of gifted competitors an opportunity to showcase their skills. The likes of Danny Christie, renowned for his all-action style, and Dan ‘Indian Spice’ Chapman, who Feldman describes as the ‘Floyd Mayweather of BKFC’ will both get their opportunity to shine.

In addition, former boxing world champion, Hannah Rankin will take her first leap into the world of bare-knuckle.

The Scottish icon comes from a long lineage of fighters. In fact, both she and McGregor share a family tree with famous outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor.

Feldman exclaimed: “I’m very excited about her because we’ve had a lot of really great women’s fights up to this point, but we haven’t had a really experienced woman come in from boxing, and she’s really the first one that’s come over.

“She’s a very accomplished former world champion. I have a feeling she’s going to be a superstar.”

With BKFC exploding in Spain, Feldman is determined to continue growing the organisation with some exciting locations in the pipeline.

He claimed: “We’ll be in Italy, probably in March. We’ll be in Hungary. One that I’m very excited about is that we’re going to do Japan. Another I’m very excited about is Ireland. We’re going to open up Ireland and I think it’s just going to be an unbelievable home for us, man.

“I think it’s going to be our second home because they’re going to love bare-knuckle fighting over there. We’re also going to open up Australia as well next year.”

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