Shamed ex-WWE chief Vince McMahon in bid to buy Conor McGregor-owned company
Former WWE boss Vince McMahon, who had faced allegations of sexual abuse, attempted to return to sports promotion by trying to purchase a company part-owned by Conor McGregor.
McMahon had turned WWE from a family business into a global brand before he quit after he was accused of paying millions to former employees to silence claims of sexual misconduct.
It was, as TalkSPORT reports, a spectacular fall from grace for the man who transformed the wrestling industry into a billion-dollar juggernaut.
Now, however, it has been reported how McMahon made a quiet bid to re-enter the sporting promotion arena though the acquisition of a controlling interest in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Founded in 2018, the bareknuckle boxing organisation is part-owned by Conor McGregor who now frequently appears at BKFC events.
According to a report by Sports Illustrated, although McMahon's offer was ultimately unsuccessful, David Feldman, BKFC's founder and president, confirmed he 'was very serious to do business.'
Vince McMahon and Conor McGregor
News in 90 Seconds - June 19th
It was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2022 that McMahon had paid more than $12 million to four women formerly employed by WWE over 16 years.
One former WWE wrestler claimed McMahon had coerced her into performing oral sex, and when she declined subsequent sexual advances she was demoted and her contract not renewed.
A separate Journal report claimed that WWE's board was looking into claims he had made a $3 million settlement to a former staffer with whom he allegedly had an affair.
At the time, McMahon pledged he would cooperate with the investigation and 'accept the findings and outcome of the investigation, whatever they are.'
In January 2023, the Journal reported McMahon had agreed a multimillion-dollar settlement with the first woman to referee the World Wrestling Federation — which became WWE in 2002 — after she accused him of rape in a letter.
Conor McGregor
According to an attorney for McMahon, he 'denies and always has denied' the sexual assault, and that he had 'settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation'.
Another ex-WWE employee who had worked at the company's headquarters sued McMahon in January of last year, accusing him of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical abuse.
A spokesperson for McMahon at the time described the lawsuit as 'replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.'
McMahon resigned from his dual WWE roles in 2022, but returned in January 2023 as executive chairman of the board.
The company became TKO after WWE's merger with rival network UFC in September of that year.
In January of last year, in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations, which McMahon denied, he resigned his executive chairman and board director roles at TKO.
A federal judge ruled in June 2024 that the government had established 'probable cause to believe' that McMahon and one of his former lawyers had broken the law when they 'circumvented (the company's) internal controls and created false books and records.'
In October, McMahon and his wife Linda, President Trump's choice for Education Secretary, denied allegations they allowed a former ringside announcer to use his position to sexually exploit children as young as 12 starting in the 1980s, after they were sued by five former WWE 'Ring Boys'.
However, the New York Post reported on Wednesday that federal prosecutors have ended their criminal investigation into whether McMahon tried to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct with multiple former employees.
McMahon's attorney Robert W Allen said in a statement: 'We have been in consistent communication with the government … and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges.'
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, known as the BKFC, was founded by Feldman in April 2018, with McGregor becoming a part-owner in April 2024.
At the time, Feldman said: 'I think it's just going to move the needle tremendously. We're going to do a lot of big things, we're going to open up a lot of new markets.
'Look, we're partners with Conor McGregor. Everybody in the combat sports world, everybody in the world, knows who that guy is.'
The promotion features several ex-UFC fighters, with Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold all having featured in past events.
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