Former MLB star Jose Canseco expresses interest in bare-knuckle fighting

Former baseball star Jose Canseco, best known as a power hitter for the Oakland A’s, is interested in bare-knuckle fighting.

Canseco expressed interest in this rising combat sport on Twitter. While his comment seemed to imply he’s interested in competing in the sport, he may have just been sharing his interest as a fan.

Bare-knuckle fighting damn sign me up I am in

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) May 26, 2020

“Bare-knuckle fighting damn sign me up I am in,” Canseco wrote on Twitter.

Bare-knuckle fighting has featured in many combat sports headlines of late, thanks in large part due to the planned comeback of boxing legend Mike Tyson.

Shortly after announcing his plans to return for an exhibition fight, the 53-year-old Tyson received a lucrative offer from upstart bare-knuckle promotion BKFC—to the tune of more than $20M. While it remains to be seen if Tyson will accept this deal, the headline-making offer itself is more than likely how Canseco caught wind of the sport.

Interestingly, Jose Canseco has fought before.

Way back in 2009, the six-time MLB All-Star stepped through the ropes of the DREAM ring to do battle with the hulking Korean kickboxer “The Techno Goliath” Choi Hong-Man. While Canseco managed to land a nice punch early on, he was promptly chopped down by his vastly more experienced foe, and ultimately tapped out under an avalanche of strikes from top position.

As he joked in a recent interview with The Schmo, he flatly got his “butt killed” in that lone MMA bout. At 55 years old, and with zero additional combat sports experience since his loss to Choi, it’s unlikely he’d perform much better in a bare-knuckle fight. So, perhaps he really just meant he’s interested in the concept as a fight fan.