Weird, if true. A weird claim, if not. Either way, following BKFC 70 on Thursday, Conor McGregor, who has an ownership stake in the bareknuckle promotion, claimed to have turned down a fight on Alcatraz.
Yes, that Alcatraz, the notorious American prison island, featured in the Nic Cage/Sean Connery action classic The Rock back in 1996.
Ireland’s McGregor, who recently visited the White House and has been increasingly vocal in expressing anti-immigrant views on social media, stated after the event (h/t MMA Fighting) that “I’ve got two fights on the contract. I’m in negotiations. Last week, something happened to me. I went to the White House and my country is in my—my heart bleeds for my country right now. So there’s a lot of stuff going on back home.”
Adding that he was happy with what he’d done in his career, McGregor continued by saying that “There’s something else for me that’s in my gut right now and that’s kind of where I’m going, so we’ll see. Greatness don’t rush, also. Greatness does not rush. There was an opportunity or a deal, we’ll say, to fight in Alcatraz only recent. There’s an event going on in Alcatraz in I believe June. And they came to me and it wasn’t my worth.”
“As a fighter, we’ve got to know our worth. I hold every pay-per-view record in the book. I hold every gate record in the book. And my comeback will be slated as the greatest comeback or the biggest, most-anticipated comeback of all time, and right now Ireland is in my thoughts and that’s where I’m at. It will happen, I’m sure and it’s always great to be here and there you go.”
McGregor did not state who made the offer for a fight on the Rock, and though he is under contract with the UFC, it would be a stretch to see them host an event there. McGregor has dabbled in boxing, however, having faced Floyd Mayweather in 2017 in his lone pro bout.
As for his idea of an Irish political bid, announced earlier this month, it’s unlikely. While McGregor, at 36, has now surpassed the minimum age to run for President in Ireland (35), he would need to be nominated by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (parliament of Ireland), and four local authorities (including city councils, fire authorities, etc).
It’s doubtful the controversial star could collect the nominations required, though not entirely impossible. And if it happens, he intends to fight while serving in office. “F*cking right, I will, of course, are you crazy? That’s part of why I want to do it,” exclaimed McGregor. “To be announced as the President of Ireland having a fight. Imagine that. For sure, hell yes.”
