UFC will play the villain to Conor McGregor's BKFC fighting dreams according to former opponent: "He is not getting any younger"

Eddie Alvarez recently stated that he believes Conor McGregor's UFC contract will hinder his ability to pursue his interest in competing in other combat sports formats, such as bare-knuckle fighting. McGregor has not fought professionally since July 2021, and even though he still has a few fights remaining on his UFC contract, his return to competition has been postponed for various reasons.

In a recent interview with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, Alvarez, a former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion, shared his perspective on the contractual challenges McGregor will likely face if he wishes to fight elsewhere. He said:

“Realistically, I think he still has two fights left on his UFC contract. I just know how difficult it is, especially when you’re that valuable to a company. I haven’t been as valuable as Conor, but back when I was basically Bellator’s main guy, I know how difficult it is to get out of those contracts. They don’t make it easy.”

He added:

“For him, making the company hundreds of millions of dollars, I don’t think it’s going to be an easy exit. I think he still has two more fights with the UFC, and I’m not sure how old Conor is, but he’s not getting any younger. So it’s going to be tough for him to fight those fights out and move onto another contract. So realistically, I don’t know if he could fight BKFC, and if he does, it’ll be maybe when he’s older.”

Check out Eddie Alvarez's comments below (12:10):

McGregor and Alvarez's competitive rivalry goes back nearly a decade. In November 2016, McGregor dethroned Alvarez at UFC 205 to claim the lightweight title. This historic victory made him the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history.

While McGregor has been discussing a potential crossover boxing match against Logan Paul for the ceremonial TKO King title in recent weeks, he has also expressed a strong desire to compete in bare-knuckle fighting to add a "real feather in the cap."

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When Conor McGregor explained what motivates him to try his hand at bare-knuckle fighting

Conor McGregor acquired part ownership of BKFC earlier this year and has been crucial in promoting the organization's recent events. During the BKFC Spain press conference in July, the Irishman expressed his reasons for wanting to compete in a bare-knuckle boxing match, stating:

"I started out as a boxer and bare-knuckle fighting is the purest form [of combat sports]. Just watch one fight and you will be hooked." [23:53]

He added:

"Any real fighter, a true fighter inside of [a fighter], knows that to have a bare-knuckle fighting world championship is a real feather in the cap. Once I came down to watch a live event, I was blown away by it. I just began a conversation alongside [Dave Feldman], who I am a big believer in."

Check out Conor McGregor's comments below (23:53):