At a recent press conference in Italy promoting BKFC’s April 26 event in Florence, part-owner Conor McGregor hinted at potentially adding one of combat sports’ most legendary figures to the organization’s roster.
When a reporter drew comparisons between McGregor, Royce Gracie, and Fedor Emelianenko, the Irish superstar offered an intriguing response about “The Last Emperor.”
“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 already successfully recruited numerous high-profile MMA athletes, including former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez and notable competitors Mike Perry, Jeremy Stephens, Ben Rothwell, Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings, and Thiago Alves. Adding Emelianenko would represent perhaps their most significant acquisition to date.
The 48-year-old Russian legend retired in 2023 after a second encounter with Ryan Bader at Bellator 290. Emelianenko’s career is highlighted by an extraordinary 28-match unbeaten streak from 2001-2009, during which he defeated renowned fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Hunt.
While Emelianenko has shown no public interest in competing since his retirement, McGregor remains enthusiastic about BKFC’s future. The promotion has ambitious global expansion plans, including potential events in Dubai and Australia in 2025.
“2026, I believe,” McGregor said regarding a BKFC event in Ireland. “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.”
The upcoming BKFC Italy event will take place at Palazzo Wanny in Florence on April 26, featuring a cruiserweight championship rematch between Chris Camozzi and Lorenzo Hunt, following their closely contested September 2023 bout which Hunt won by split decision.
