Muay Thai legend Buakaw has the desire to fight Conor McGregor in bare-knuckle. BKFC Asia CEO Nick Chapman says they have the money to make it happen. The question is, does the Irishman have the balls to sign on the dotted line?
That was the subject of a recent conversation between Chapman and The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko.
Fans have been clamoring to see Conor McGregor drop the four-ounce gloves and toe the line under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship banner ever since he stepped inside the squared circle at BKFC 41 for a face-off with reigning ‘King of Violence’ Mike Perry.
Buakaw, who made his second appearance for the promotion in November, scored an impressive win over fellow Thai icon Saenchai and BKFC Asia 5. Shortly after, he called for a clash with Conor McGregor and attempted to goad the former UFC champ by suggesting that he “doesn’t have the balls” to fight in him in bare knuckle.
Buakaw v Saenchai just happened in bare knuckle Muay Thai
Many speculated it would be a lax exhibition but they went at it
pic.twitter.com/6B20nl9NW4— Ed | Money Dojo
(@TheEdPill) November 4, 2023
(@TheEdPill)
Nick Chapman echoed similar sentiments while discussing the potential showdown.
“We asked him the same question the media asked him,” Chapman said. “If you could fight anyone in bare-knuckle Thai, who would it be? He said, ‘My ultimate fight would be Conor McGregor, but he also doesn’t think Conor McGregor has the balls to fight in bare-knuckle Thai because he’d chew him up and he absolutely means it.
“Once he released the article, it went viral and crazy, especially around the Thai media, but would McGregor really do it? I don’t think so. I think he’d bottle it. He has been to our events and he has said that he would hopefully fight bare-knuckle. My question is, would McGregor fight Buakawa in bare-knuckle Thai? That’s the question. I don’t think he would. He’d probably come up with an excuse like, ‘Eh, you couldn’t pay me enough.’ We have backers in the Middle East that might disagree with you.”
The biggest obstacle would be McGregor’s current contract with the UFC. The Irishman is currently gearing up for a long-awaited return to the Octagon in 2024.
Even if the two companies were able to work out a temporary truce, Chapman isn’t so sure McGregor would seize the opportunity.
“Legitimately think about it as a fight, he added. “Forget all the other details around putting a fight on. Has McGregor got the balls to get in a bare-knuckle Thai fight with Buakaw? That’s the question.