Conor McGregor offers BKFC fighters what he never received from UFC after career-defining win

BKFC’s Thursday night press conference was full of news, even if some of it got lost in the chaos. Owners David Feldman and Conor McGregor had plenty to share, from high-profile signings to plans for events overseas.

Yoel Romero and Derek Brunson were among the new faces announced, while upcoming shows in the UK and Rome added more headlines to an already packed evening. But one of the biggest stories may have been what fighters can expect as a result of this growth.

Feldman discussed a shift away from a pension plan for fighters, something he’d spoken about before but struggled to put into place. Instead, he revealed a new idea developed with McGregor: giving BKFC champions and veterans equity in the promotion itself.

The shares are valued anywhere between $100,000 and $3 million for those who have held titles the longest. It’s a significant move in an industry where fighter pay has often been a point of contention.

“Do you understand how incredible that is for our combatants to be rewarded in that way?” McGregor said to those present. “To join this rise truly, truly be on the board with us as we rise up this ladder of combat sport.”

McGregor offering BKFC fighters what UFC refused to give him

After the Alvarez fight, McGregor’s future in the Octagon was a major talking point. He had just become a two-division champion and played a key role in bringing MMA back to New York, where it had been banned for years.

“They’ve got to come talk to me now because nobody has come and talked to me since the sale has happened,” he told media at the time. “As a business man I’ve been approached as a ‘hello’ and that sort of thing but I’ve earned something.

“Who owns the company now? People have shares in the company, celebrities. Conan O’Brien owns the UFC now so where’s my share? Where’s my equity? If I’m the one that’s bringing this, they’ve got to come talk to me now.

“I’ve got both belts, a chunk of money, a little family on the way. You want me to stick around, you want me to keep doing what I’m doing? Let’s talk, but I want ownership now, I want equal share, I want what I deserve, what I’ve earned.”

Even after all these years and everything he achieved in his career as an athlete and businessman alike, it is clear that McGregor still feels strongly about not receiving equity back then.

It came up again during Thursday’s press conference when he admitted feeling like he “got nothing” from his time with them – despite huge paydays and global fame.

“For me, I fought my heart and soul and gave everything to the rise of a company and I got nothing for it,” he said. “Now here we are, our company, my company, we give back to the fighters who bleed for us, so welcome to owner table our world champions our UK champions, we are in this forever.”