MMA legend Conor McGregor: 'I live a good life, for sure, but I'm a very simple man'

Matías Stuber

Friday, 19 July 2024 | Updated 20/07/2024 08:04h.

You only have to see the impact of the event to understand the Conor McGregor phenomenon. At around eleven o'clock in the morning, when word began to spread that the MMA legend was going to give a press conference at Marbella's Hard Rock Hotel, access to the area, which is just a few metres from the heart of Puerto Banús, had ground to a halt.

Local police officers had to be called in to cut off some streets and bring some sanity to the area. McGregor was in Marbella to promote the first bare knuckle fight to be held in Spain on 12 October. A form of boxing that is played without gloves. That is to say, the knuckles have no protection and the bone-flesh impact is produced so that practically all the fights end in a 'knockout'.

Once the October fight launch was over, the Irish fighter took a seat at the Marbella Clubhouse to speak to SUR.

-The image you conjure up is of someone who has an enviable life. All your material needs are taken care of and you've been everything in the sport you play. What is it like to be Conor McGregor?

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MMA legend Conor McGregor promotes Spain's first official bare knuckle boxing event, in pictures

-I try to be who I have always been. I try to keep my people tight. My friends have been with me all my life and I keep my family close. I am a very simple man. I live a good life, for sure, but at the heart of it is family, friendship, loyalty and love. That is my life.

- You are bringing the first bare knuckle event to be held in Spain and you have chosen Marbella, what can people expect from the evening on the 12th of October?

This will be a huge event, October 12th, in an open air bullfighting arena. It's a bare knuckle fighting championship, gladiator stuff, and you're all welcome to come and see it. It will sell out quick. To all the Irish people in Spain and across this coast, I'll see you all there on October 12th, with the Spanish flag and the tricolour of Ireland.

- As a fighter, to what extent is it compatible to combine bare knuckle fighting and MMA? Do you think there comes a time when it is preferable to focus on one discipline?

-They are very separate disciplines and both deserve respect. It's not easy to go one to one. For example, if you're full time mixed martial arts and you get an opportunity to go bare knuckle with a couple of months' practice. It is not easy. In fact, not many people have ever done it. It's a very difficult thing to do, which is why it's so appealing.

- Franco Tenaglia, the fighter who will face Tony Soto in the main bout of the evening, is combining both disciplines.*

-Well, we'll see how it goes. We're talking about the highest level here. This will be a beautiful test for Franco. Soto has a record of six wins and zero losses. But to go from a high level in MMA to a high level in bare knuckle is very difficult.

-What do you think of Ilia Topuria and do you think we will ever see a fight between the two of you?

-Ilia is doing well. His win against Volkanowski has given him a boost. Especially here in Spain. And it's nice to see the support he's getting. He's at a very low weight and I'm at a higher weight. I like the way combat sports are growing in Spain. They have more and more support among the people. Spaniards have an appetite for contact sports and that's why we are here.

-Why did you choose Marbella for this evening?

-Marbella is an absolutely beautiful place. We have received great support at all levels and I am delighted that the people of Andalucía know about the sport. And as I said before, the appetite for fighting out here is very big.

- You are now co-owner of the BKFC. What arguments do you have to seduce fighters to join your organisation?

-This is a very exciting organisation. How could you not look to become a two-sport world champion with something as wild as a bare knuckle fighting organisation? We have the money, big pay, big shows, big names and rising stars. Money, power, respect - Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has it all. I believe strongly in what I'm doing here and I'm very excited about this project. Other organisations are already at their peak, but we have a huge potential to keep growing.

-Boxing without gloves means that the knuckles hit the face without any protection. How does it feel for the fighter?

-It's something totally different from everything else. You have to be made of different stuff to take part in a boxing match without gloves. You have to be a different breed of human being. You're going to get cuts on your face, you know it's going to get nasty and there's a good chance you're going to get knocked out. In bare-knuckle fighting you have to be skilled, fast and accurate. But I have a lot of respect for anyone who does combat sports.

-And for Conor McGregor as a fighter and not as a promoter, what does the future hold?

-I can only say that I'm looking forward to getting back in the octagon. The future is bright for sure.

-Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria in a bare knuckle match. Who would win?

-Ilia's a Spanish-Georgian lad, he's not bad, he would certainly lend well to the bare knuckle fighting championship. I'd slap him around though, I'm a big lad compared to Ilia.