Conor McGregor was full of praise for Connor Tierney and Jonny Graham after their barn-burner at BKFC 64.
The British bare-knuckle boxers went to war over five rounds at the Coventry Skydome Arena on Saturday night for the inaugural BKFC UK welterweight title.
Tierney suffered some nasty facial injuries during the BKFC 64 main eventCredit: BKFC/Instagram – Connor Tierney
Both men laid it all on the line yet in the end, it was Tierney who got his hand raised with all three judges’ scorecards reading 48-45, 48-45, and 48-46 in his favor.
Tierney may have walked away with the belt, but he didn’t leave the ring unscathed.
‘The Brumtown Bomber’s’ face was so swollen after his hard-fought unanimous decision victory that he was barely recognisable.
Tierney got off to a flying start, dropping Graham in the opening ten seconds of the contest with a crisp left hand.
In the fourth round, Graham returned the favor by flooring his adversary with a huge right straight.
But the Brummie bounced back well and finished strong down the home straight as his boxing pedigree showed.
BKFC part-owner McGregor loved every minute of the exhilarating main event and took to Instagram after the final bell to write: “What a f***ing fight.
The Irishman is still under contract with the UFC for two more fights/
However, once his deal is up McGregor fancies dipping his toes into bare-knuckle boxing.
“For me, I’ve got a bit of business left with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, two fights left on my contract.
McGregor is hoping to ditch the gloves as well in the futureCredit: BKFC/FITE
“But for sure we have three lightweights up here and I have my eye on all of this.
“I’m not here up here just as a knower, player-manager I’d title myself on this.”
McGregor hasn’t fought in MMA since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, but he was scheduled to return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in June.
However, the former two-weight UFC champion suffered a broken toe in sparring, leading to the contest being postponed.
A new date is yet to be announced although esteemed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reports that the UFC is targeting December 14.