Las Vegas Raiders' star edge rusher Maxx Crosby has strengthened his ties with the combat sports world by inking a deal to become part of the investment team at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Crosby, who is a longtime fan of combat sports, is a regular at the UFC's Las Vegas pay-per-view shows and is good friends with UFC bosses Dana White and Hunter Campbell, who recently told him that he'd be the UFC's heavyweight champion in 2030.
Now the Raiders' defensive end has invested in BKFC, where he joins the likes of Conor McGregor as stakeholders in the growing bare-knuckle boxing promotion.
More news: UFC Executive Sees Raiders' Maxx Crosby as Future Heavyweight Champion
"Bare-knuckle fighting is raw, real, and incredibly engaging for fans," said Crosby via a statement.
"I have always been passionate about combat sports, and I see BKFC as a platform that not only showcases the incredible skill, talent, and athleticism of these fighters, but also brings a unique and authentic experience to combat sports enthusiasts."
BKFC was founded in 2018, with its first event taking place on June 2, 2018, in Cheyenne, Wyoming with the show aptly titled "The Beginning". Since then, the promotion has gone on to hold multiple shows each year.
Its first event of 2025, BKFC Fight Night Pechanga, will take place this weekend, January 25, at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. It will be the promotion's 109th BKFC-branded event.
The following show, BKFC Knucklemania V, will feature a stacked lineup at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on January 25, with Philadelphia native and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez taking on former UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens in the main event, while England's BKFC heavyweight champion Mick Terrill puts his title on the line against former UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell.
In recent months, the organization has brought additional attention to its product through the arrival of McGregor and his company McGregor Sports and Entertainment as part-owners, while a talent-sharing deal with Japanese MMA organization Rizin FF has seen some of BKFC's stars, including former UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson, competing in bare-knuckle showcase bouts at Super Rizin 3 last summer.
Now it's hoped the arrival of Crosby as another big-name investor will help broaden the reach of the organization, which also received a boost in September when it signed a three-year broadcast deal with sports streamers DAZN.
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