“We’re taking this sport to a global level like never before. Eight events in six weeks, four countries, this is the next evolution of combat sports,” Conor McGregor said back in April when BKFC made its Middle East debut in Dubai. Fast forward to June, and the David Feldman-led promotion is riding an incredible wave of success, much of it thanks to McGregor’s star power. His involvement has added serious momentum to the $411M juggernaut. Now, BKFC adds another feather to its cap—this time, straight from the fight-hungry state of Texas.
The prominence of BKFC is just getting started, and whether one likes it or not, it’s only going to grow. After their successful ventures in Europe and the Middle East, the David Feldman-led promotion is back in the States. This time, they’re throwing down at the Dickies Arena, located at 1911 Montgomery Street in Fort Worth, Texas. With a seating capacity of 14,000, the arena will host BKFC 76: Texas, headlined by Tony Soto vs. Ben Bonner.
Celebrating their debut event at the Dickies Arena, former UFC champion Conor McGregor took to his Instagram handle to share a story featuring a photo of the arena, captioned, “Tears in my eyes Enjoy this show our BKFC family.” Well, now you might wonder—why is he teary-eyed when they’ve already held events across the world? You might find the answer in David Feldman’s address to his fighters ahead of the event.
Talking to his fighters, David Feldman announced, “This one’s very, very special. Today, we have been trying to get into this great stadium for the past six year—finally, we are here. For starters, I’m gonna give you guys some extra money tonight. And to get that money tonight, what do you guys gotta do? You guys go out there and fight your a– off.”
He further added, “Don’t take a dig, and don’t quit, and don’t punk out of this fight tonight. Fight your ass off. We have to show Texas what they have been missing for five years. Let’s put on a show tonight!” With the BKFC CEO announcing the prize money, the fighters are all hyped up to showcase amazing performances inside the ring. And Conor McGregor may be close to pulling another ex-UFC fighter into the bare-knuckle arena.
Jessica Eye responds to Conor McGregor welcoming her to BKFC
Long-time UFC veteran and flyweight title challenger, Jessica Eye will be fighting at the BKFC Texas event. ‘Evil Eye’ retired from the sport after she was defeated by Maycee Barber at UFC 290 in 2022. Now, she will step back into action at the age of 38 to face fellow UFC Alum Mariya Agapova in a flyweight bout. After her retirement, Eye battled depression; however, that didn’t stop her from getting back into shape. She used her time away from competition to rebuild herself both mentally and physically. She assembled a new team and committed to reshaping her body.
Recently, McGregor commended Eye for her impressive conditioning, welcoming her to BKFC with strong support. Talking to the media, Eye thanked the admins for the opportunity and expressed her excitement in finally getting back inside the combat sports scene, “I’m excited to see what I’m going to be called now.”
She further added, “It was cool and nice because Conor has seen me throughout all of my career. I’ve been on multiple cards with him. I was in the Boston crowd literally sitting [cageside] when he jumped out at [Jose] Aldo to get him, so it was really awesome. It’s nice to see someone who you have been in the industry with for a while but hasn’t seen you and I wasn’t on social media. I stayed away from everything for me to kind of blossom back onto the scene and to get such a great compliment from Conor McGregor—the world loves him so much.”
Starting a new chapter in her life, Jessica Eye will be looking to make sure she climbs the BKFC ladder to prominence and reap the favors from the former UFC champion. Will she find success in the bare-knuckle fighting promotion? We’ll find out soon enough.
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