Conor McGregor becomes part owner of Bare Knuckle FC... two weeks after his highly-awaited UFC return against Michael Chandler was made official

Conor McGregor is expanding his business portfolio by becoming a part owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship or BKFC.

On Saturday, the former two-division UFC champion announced his latest venture during BKFC's KnuckleMania 4 card in Los Angeles. The new deal puts McGregor Sports and Entertainment as a part owner of BKFC, with Triller continuing to hold majority shares in the company.

BKFC president David Feldman memorably invited the Irishman to one of his cards in 2023 - which ended with an impromptu faceoff with promotion star Mike Perry after his knockout over Luke Rockhold.

''The Notorious' Conor McGregor here,' McGregor said in a video. Ladies and gentlemen, the huge announcement that I have for you today, Conor McGregor myself, and McGregor Sports and Entertainment is now an owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships.'

'Welcome to the big leagues. David Feldman, baby, we did it.'

The announcement of McGregor's part-ownership came two weeks after UFC chief Dana White made his return fight against Michael Chandler official following UFC 300 in Las Vegas.

Their welterweight meeting at UFC 304 follows McGregor's near-three-year layoff after breaking his tibia in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

After teasing BKFC's fanbase last year, McGregor said he wanted to compete in a bare-knuckle fight at some point in his career. Whether he steps into their ring as a competitor or not, Feldman expressed his excitement about McGregor's involvement in the organization.

'Look, you've got the biggest guy in all of combat sports right now as a part owner of our company,' Feldman said during the KnuckleMania 4 broadcast. 'I think it's just going to move the needle tremendously. We're going to do a lot of big things. We're going to open up a lot of new markets.

'Look, we're partners with Conor McGregor,' Feldman continued. 'Everybody in the combat sports world, everybody in the world knows who that guy is. So Conor, thank you, and let's blow this s**t up.'

McGregor has two fights left in his contract with the UFC and can pursue other fighting indeavors at its fulfillment. After his scheduled fight with Chandler, McGregor has been adamant on closing his trilogy with Nate Diaz.

However, that may prove to be a challenging route after the Stockton native stepped away from the organization in 2022 to pursue boxing.