In a bombshell development that has sent shockwaves through the combat sports world, UFC icon Conor McGregor appears to be taking his talents to the bare-knuckle arena. According to the ever-quotable Chael Sonnen, the UFC has supposedly granted the Irishman unprecedented permission to compete in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

“I just got a call from a very very inside source. Now this might be all over the websites already, maybe you guys know this. I’m driving, I just got a call, I haven’t seen it anywhere- Conor McGregor has been green-lit to compete in bare-knuckle fighting,” Sonnen told fans in a video on his YouTube channel.

This potential crossover can represent a seismic shift in McGregor’s career trajectory. And if true, it would mark a historic moment in combat sports. ‘The Notorious’, known for his precision striking with 4-ounce gloves, could soon be testing his legendary left hand with no gloves at all. The Irishman is a minority owner of the BKFC and, of course, is currently signed with the UFC. While ‘Mystic Mac’ has long talked about wanting to fight under the BKFC banner, most didn’t take him seriously, seeing it as a way for him to hype up the David Feldman-led promotion. Apparently not anymore!

Of course, if ‘Mystic Mac’ is indeed going to the BKFC, it raises one interesting question, as Chael Sonnen pointed out on his YouTube channel. “I mean that’s very interesting to me. If Conor McGregor was, in fact, green-lit… we would have to assume that there is a fight out there for him. We would have to assume that he did not go to the effort to get a carve-out and get legal permission… unless there was an offer and a plan. However, we don’t know that and that is a bit of an interesting concept,” he added.

There is realistically only one fight in the BKFC at the moment worth Conor McGregor’s time- Mike Perry. ‘Platinum’, of course, is the biggest superstar of the sport of bare-knuckle at the moment. It is safe to say that he is indeed the ‘Conor McGregor’ of bare-knuckle. But what does this augur for McGregor’s MMA future? Well, let us discuss.

Will Conor McGregor ever return to the UFC?

By itself, Conor McGregor going to the BKFC doesn’t say anything about his UFC future. After all, he will still be signed to the MMA juggernaut. ‘The Notorious’ could, at least theoretically, come back and fight in the UFC after a brief stint in the BKFC. But that probably won’t be the case.

After all, the Irishman turns 37 this year. Moreover, all of his actions and lifestyle outside the Octagon do make it seem like he is not in shape or the state of mind to fight some of the best mixed martial artists in the world. ‘Mystic Mac’ was set to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last year. But he pulled out of the fight just two weeks from the clash owing to a toe injury.

But there has been plenty of time since then in which he could have fought if he so wanted. No, most fans think that the Irishman is never coming back to the Octagon. Even Dana White, whose literal job as a promoter is to talk up his fighters, has seemingly given up.

Speaking to reporters last year, the UFC CEO said that if McGregor comes back, it will be in 2025. The key word here is ‘if’. That is not how you talk if you know someone is coming back. What do you think about Chael Sonnen’s claim that Conor McGregor will fight in the BKFC with Dana White’s blessings?