Will Conor McGregor turn the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship into an even bigger promotion than UFC? Well, that’s what the fighting community has begun to believe with McGregor’s star factor merging together with the action at BKFC. With the Irishman’s consistent efforts towards promoting the bare-knuckle fights at Marbella, Spain, one could seldom stay out of the loop when it came to BKFC. However, fighting with bare-knuckles has its disadvantages, as well.

EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw had a brief talk with Cris Cyborg, and one of the things that the duo discussed was, of course, the exponential growth of BKFC in recent days. But the question that often made the fighting community wonder was if they would ever get to see Cris Cyborg fight without the gloves. And Whitelaw grabbed this opportunity to ask the Brazilian fighter about her take on BKFC.

Cyborg has dominated the MMA cage with 27 victories and just 2 losses in her professional career. However, she was a bit skeptical about entering an arena without gloves. She said, “You know, I never thought about fight bare-knuckle, I think, no gloves, you know, every place you touch cuts, you know. I don’t know…”  Even though Cyborg didn’t really give bare-knuckle fighting a major thought, she didn’t put the opportunity to fight without gloves away for good. But there was one condition that Conor McGregor needed to look out for if he wished to induce the Brazilian into BKFC.

While bare-knuckles often leave the fighters with open gashes in their faces, Cris Cyborg was up to take on the risk provided she received a huge sum as payment. She continued, “I never thought about it, but maybe, you know, for some time if we’re having the opportunity about it… For sure have to be good money, because for sure, every place you punch, you’re gonna make it cut your face. You’re gonna be scarred for life. So, but… I’ve never cared to challenge, but I don’t know.” 

If Cyborg makes her way to the BKFC, she would be the latest on the list of former UFC champions who’ve fought in the ring without gloves. Ex-UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez have already tried their luck in the promotion. Yet, Mike Perry remains the only ex-UFC star who has made any significant impact there. Could Cyborg be the next?

The conversation soon shifted towards the glory that the Brazilian fighters have brought to their homeland. Alex Pereira, Anderson Silva, and Jose Aldo, are just a handful of names in the vast ocean of strong and formidable Brazilians. But what made the Brazilians so strong in MMA? Let’s hear what ‘Cris Cyborg’ had to say about it!

Cris Cyborg reveals her thoughts on Brazilian fighters in EssentiallySports exclusive interview

As the conversation proceeded, Whitelaw pointed out, “Brazilians always have a big part in this story, in this sport, and now we’re seeing ‘Poatan’, maybe one of the most popular fighters in the world.” For ages, the MMA realm has wondered about the secrets behind the Brazilian’s success in combat sports. And who else can give a better answer if not a celebrated Brazilian mixed martial artist? Hence, Whitelaw put the question in front of Justino and asked, “What is special about Brazilians and this sport? Why is this amazing relationship with MMA?”

Without wasting a single moment, Cyborg said, “I think this sport, it opens the doors for a lot of fighters, you know… there’s Shoto box, and Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai is too very strong in Brazil. And I think it’s the opportunity for the life. I think they can see that this opportunity can change their lives.”

On top of that, the Young ones in Brazil who try to get into the sporting world have a lot of big names to look up to. And that brings nothing but inspiration to the newcomers. Cris Cyborg continued, “I think they have big names, I think they have big mirror that people can see as they enter sports.”

Cyborg is now set to land against Larissa Pacheco, yet another Brazilian who is on an impressive 10-fight winning streak, on 19 October at The Mayadeen, Saudi Arabia. Needless to say, the Brazilians will showcase their best action-packed scenes at the event, and no matter who wins, it’ll be Brazil’s victory.

What are your thoughts on Cyborg’s impression of bare-knuckle fighting? Do you think she will enter the BKFC after fighting Pacheco? Would Conor McGregor give her enough in salary to get the Brazilian into bare-knuckle fighting? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.