"I know what this means" - Ben Rothwell explains why he is "more excited" for Conor McGregor's BKFC ownership "than most people"
After Conor McGregor acquired a stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), Ben Rothwell has high hopes for promotion's future.
McGregor is the biggest superstar in the history of MMA. His stardom goes far beyond the bounds of the MMA community, and he has utilized his status to build several successful brands like Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, Forged Irish Stout and apparel brand August-McGregor, among others.
During the broadcast of BKFC's recent KnuckleMania IV event, McGregor announced that he and his promotion McGregor Sports and Entertainment had acquired a stake in the promotion. The news has become one of the hottest topics in the combat sports community and many prominent personalities expressed their admiration and respect for 'The Notorious' and his business acumen.
Rothwell, who defeated fellow MMA veteran Todd Duffee in the co-main event of the recent Knuckle Mania IV card, shared his thoughts on the development in a recent interview with TMZ Sports. He said:
"I'm more excited, I think, than most people. It was awesome to see all the media and everything talk about it. It was all BKFC. Conor McGregor is awesome for us. But for me, I know what this means. I know where he's going to go with this and I just couldn't be more excited to be a part of it."
He added:
"I think significant amount of eyes and awareness. BKFC is just going to continue to explode around the world."
Catch Rothwell's comments below (2:57):
Ben Rothwell thinks Conor McGregor fighting in the BKFC is "always on the table"
Following his win over Luke Rockhold at BKFC 41 in April 2023, Mike Perry famously faced off with Conor McGregor, which sparked rumors of a potential bare knuckle fight between the two.
While the rumors died down in the following months, McGregor becoming part owner of the BKFC has opened the doors for the prospects of the Irishman's BKFC debut.
Speaking on a potential fight between the two in the aforementioned interview with TMZ Sports, Ben Rothwell said:
"That's a 'who knows?'... He doesn't have to fight now but the man's a fighter, you know what I mean... So I think it's always on the table. (If) there's a right matchup and something really intriguing after of course his two fights are done with the UFC and he can kind of make that, sky is the limit." [3:40]
Meanwhile, Perry also appeared optimistic about McGregor's involvement in BKFC and praised him for doing "remarkable things in the sport."