Will Conor McGregor ever fight Jeremy Stephens in BKFC?

For Stephens, everything about the event was perfect. All week long, he played the perfect villain to Alvarez's hero before getting another win to improve to 3-0 in the BKFC ring. Mike Perry will always be the face of the sport, but Stephens has become a very close second.

While Stephens does not have a BKFC belt, he has something infinitely more valuable: a meaningful storyline with McGregor.

For years, McGregor and Stephens' careers have run parallel but never seemed to truly align. They are still not there, as McGregor's exclusive contract with the UFC locks him in for two more fights in the Octagon. That has not stopped him from repeatedly teasing a bare-knuckle fight in the near future, with Stephens particularly catching his interest.

Modern MMA fans may not recognize Stephens for his lengthy career but are undoubtedly of his connection to McGregor. Stephens made the tragic mistake of provoking McGregor at the UFC 205 press conference, causing the Irishman to turn around and ironically ask, "Who the f--- is that guy?" The retort never led to an actual fight but remains one of the most renowned press conference moments in UFC history.

Conor McGregor will not fight Jeremy Stephens any time soon

Despite the passion, storyline, money and publicity the fight would bring, it is hard to get too excited. The aforementioned contract stands in the way, and legal issues continue to divert McGregor's career. That says nothing about the ever-present drama that has consistently gone into McGregor fights over the past decade.

In the past year alone, McGregor has been linked to a UFC fight with Michael Chandler and a boxing bout with Logan Paul. Neither has materialized and the 36-year-old has been out of commission since July 2021.

The BKFC has worked with fighters in exclusive contracts before. Feldman negotiated a deal with Bellator in 2022 that allowed Michael 'Venom' Page to take off the gloves and face Perry at BKFC 27. The event was monumental for the company at the time and a significant pillar of Perry's rise to stardom.

Of course, working with Scott Coker and Bellator is one thing. But working out a similar deal with Dana White, who once publicly shamed a reporter for suggesting he co-promote, is an entirely different beast. It also goes without saying that Page, for as popular as he is, pales in comparison to the most iconic fighter in MMA history.

If McGregor can ever break free of his UFC contract, he seems determined to step into the BKFC ring before it is all said and done. Few opponents would be better for him to do so against than Stephens. It will all come down to timing and the infamously stubborn UFC. Much like the frustrating world of boxing politics, this one feels like a fight that will eventually happen, but several years too late.