UFC champ Conor McGregor set to visit Perth for wild event

Perth Now

2 days ago

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is expected to visit Perth when the proposed Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship takes over RAC Arena in July.
It comes as the two main fights on the July 19 card were announced by BKFC across social media on Wednesday.
WA Combat Sport's Commission is due to make a final decision on whether the event will go ahead this week, while Sports Minister Rita Saffioti conceded she would not have the event pulled if the commission approves it.
Australian athlete Alex 'Godly Strong' Simon, who has openly talked about spending time in prison as a young man, is taking on former UFC fighter turned BKFC champion 'Big' Ben Rothwell for the proposed main fight.
The pair will fight for the inaugural BKFC super heavyweight title — a new weight class for athletes above 120kg.
Rothwell, the current heavyweight BKFC champion and MMA veteran, could walk away with two belts if he defeats the Australian.
Alex Simon, when speaking to the Secrets of The Underworld Podcast in May, said his weight had reached a maximum of 181kg when pursuing a career in powerlifting after a short stint in prison as a young man. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is set to make its Australian debut in Perth on July 19. Credit: Supplied
'Pretty much we robbed a drug dealer, but it was like a home invasion and it was armed,' the Sydneysider told the podcast.
After being released, Simon undertook a career in powerlifting, breaking Australian strongman records at the age of 24. He has since turned his attention to combat sports and could fight on his biggest stage yet at RAC Arena if all goes ahead.
Fighting on the co-main event is Tasmanian-born athlete 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings, who became the first ever BKFC female champion and a well-respected voice in the ongoing fight against domestic violence abusers.
She will face French-Canadian boxer Jade Masson-Wong.
The female athletes have a collective Instagram following of more than 300,000 people. They both also work as OnlyFans content creators, offering both fight-related and adult-only content.
The promotional poster also said New Zealand-born heavyweight Haze 'The Huntsman' Hepi will appear. It is unknown how many bouts will be on the July card.
Both the Australian Medical Association and the opposition have slammed the Labor Government ahead of the proposed event.
In a letter to the Premier, Ms Saffioti and other Ministers, AMA WA President Michael Page expressed 'profound concern' and said the lack of protective gear made bare knuckle boxing worse.
RAC Arena — which is owned and operated by government statutory authority Venues West — advertised ticket sales across social media and on their website on Wednesday despite the event being formally approved.
BKFC President David Feldman further quashed any suggestion the event was being cancelled by labelling the July 19 event as the 'beginning of a new era for combat sports in Australia.'.
'Australia has long been on our radar,' he said.
'The energy, the fans, and the venue are all perfect for showcasing BKFC.'
The WA Combat sports commission told The West Australian the event was still under consideration on Wednesday.
Tickets currently available on Ticketek for the RAC Arena event are starting at $151 with the next available tier at $302.
The highest available tickets — classed as 'The Notorious Access' — are going for an eye-watering $6000.