# Conor McGregor signs deal to become part-owner of BARE KNUCKLE boxing promotion ahead of his UFC return – Daily Mail
*By Leocciano Callao – 02:32 10 May 2024, updated 02:48 10 May 2024*
**Conor McGregor is set to headline UFC 303 in June against Michael Chandler**
**The Irishman memorably faced off with Mike Perry at a BKFC event in 2023**
**DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news**
Conor McGregor officially became part owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship by signing his contract on Thursday. The former two-division UFC champion signed the deal at his Black Forge Inn in Dublin in a ceremony attended by BKFC president David Feldman.
In a video posted on Instagram, McGregor enthusiastically signed the contract and expressed his excitement: ‘Rocket to the moon, brother. Take off the gloves and fight b****.’
After signing the contract, McGregor and Feldman shook hands and posed for pictures. Feldman captioned the moment with, ‘Time to take this thing to the stratosphere. @TheNotoriousMMA is all in.’
In 2023, McGregor attended a BKFC event and faced off with former UFC star Mike Perry
McGregor’s latest business venture was announced during BKFC’s KnuckleMania 4 event in Los Angeles on April 27. McGregor Sports and Entertainment now has a stake in the promotion, with Triller retaining majority ownership.
Feldman had invited McGregor to a BKFC event in 2023, where an impromptu faceoff with Mike Perry took place after Perry’s victory over Luke Rockhold. The promotion, founded in 2018, has attracted other former UFC fighters like Eddie Alvarez, Chad Mendes, and Paige VanZant.
While McGregor expands his business portfolio with investments in bare-knuckle combat, his return to the UFC is scheduled for UFC 303 on June 29. McGregor will face Michael Chandler, marking his first fight since July 2021 when he suffered an injury against Dustin Poirier.
With two fights remaining on his UFC contract, McGregor also expressed interest in completing his trilogy with Nate Diaz in the future.
However, McGregor’s desire to fight Diaz again may face challenges as Diaz has shifted his focus to boxing since leaving the UFC in 2022.
McGregor had hinted at competing in bare-knuckle fighting in the past, and Feldman expressed his enthusiasm about McGregor’s involvement, stating, ‘We’re partners with Conor McGregor. Everybody in the combat sports world knows who that guy is. So Conor, thank you, and let’s blow this up’.
