‘He’s The Fertittas To The Dana White’
Photo by JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images
Conor McGregor’s recent ownership stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) sparked mixed reviews, but one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran is comparing it to Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White.
While McGregor has yet to step foot back inside of the Octagon he has remained active with other lucrative business ventures. This includes his alcohol companies and a recent agreement to become a part owner in BKFC. The Irish superstar has always respected bareknuckle fighting so the move made sense.
McGregor’s involvement with BKFC is only going to grow as he digs his heels in deeper, but any additional attention and interest the former UFC champion can bring to the booming fight promotion the better. After all, McGregor is the most recognized MMA fighter in the history of the sport and one of the most popular combat athletes in the world today.
Some may scoff at McGregor’s interest to dive into BKFC, but others are looking at the Irishman’s new ownership stake as a huge step in the right direction. Just ask former UFC contender, Jeremy Stephens, who currently competes under the BKFC banner. Despite Stephens being on the wrong end of one of McGregor’s most infamous trash talk moments of all time he’s all in on “Notorious” being part owner of BKFC.
“It’s f—king awesome,” Stephens recently told MMA Junkie. “I feel like he’s the Fertittas to the Dana White. He’s the money behind the driving force. Anything Conor touches, it’s gold. He brings a lot of eyes to the brand. One thing you can say about him is you can tell he really believes in this creative, psychotically-skilled BKFC, is really what it is. I feel like they’re going to start signing real, legit fighters who are going to have an opportunity to come over here and really do big, big business here in bareknuckle. I feel he sees it the way we see it. It’s a growing sport. You can’t really mess around. You’ve got to be real creative in your craft.”
While Stephens and McGregor haven’t seen eye-to-eye in the past, “Lil Heathen” is more than willing to bury the hatchet moving forward in effort to focus on bigger business. Even if the two crossed paths in the future Stephens believes all will be fine.
“Business is business. We’ll see the vibes when he gets there,” said Stephens. “I just go based on vibes. But as of right now, he’s behind it. He’s writing the checks. He’s keeping the business afloat, so I have nothing but gratitude for that. Like I said, Conor brings a lot of eyes. I fought on the cards UFC 189, flying kneed Bermudez. These Irish fans were some of the best fans in the world. They were buying my family and I drinks and chanting all night, singing, shutting the bar down. That was like that at 189 when I threw the flying knee. They’re the best fans in the world. Conor (is a) big name, big eyes. Like I said, big, big business here in bareknuckle.”
