Rising bare-knuckle star Sean Weir has his eyes firmly set on making history ahead of his clash with Conor Cooke for the UK light heavyweight title08:00, 06 Sep 2026Undefeated BKFC sensation and lifelong Rangers fan Sean Weir dreams of headlining a fight at Ibrox after receiving a hero's welcome from his fellow Gers.‌The BKFC is set to make its Scotland debut on November 7 at Glasgow's OVO Hydro - with an eye-catching main event pencilled in. Scotland's undefeated bare-knuckle star Weir is set to take on UK light heavyweight champion Conor Cooke.‌Weir, 34, has emerged as one of the promotion's breakout fighters over the last year. The Scottish scrapper made his BKFC debut last year, and would go on to knock Joe Lister out cold, before triumphing in his second fight under the BKFC banner - a vicious knockout of Matt Hodgson.‌After November's event was announced, Weir's stock has well and truly risen. The 34-year-old was paraded around the Ibrox Stadium during Rangers' win over Jablonec last month and received quite the welcome. It was a real pinch-me moment for the bare-knuckle boxer - who has supported the Scottish giants his whole life.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageExplaining his love for the club, Weir revealed to Mirror Fighting: "Growing up, in the west of Scotland, you're either, well, a slight few, obviously, you get the Millers, but you're either Rangers or Celtic, and I was born into a Rangers family, and it was my first love. Listen, football was my first love, and then it was fighting, and I grew up in and around Ibrox watching Rangers, and to obviously get that chance to go out onto the pitch and experience what it's like from the other side was, it was a special moment, for sure."‌Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would one day be headlining a top showcase in Glasgow. And should he strike gold later this year, the 34-year-old would love to do one better and headline a billing on the Ibrox turf. "Yeah, 100%. Listen, I didn't ever think the Hydro, headlining the Hydro would have been possible in my career. So, Ibrox is just the next goal for me."It's not been an easy road to the top for Weir - who began his career as an amateur Mixed Martial Artist, before taking a ten-year lay-off. The BKFC fighter credits bare-knuckle boxing for getting him fit and back in shape after a gruelling time away from combat sports."I just, I knew I had something to give, and my goals were simple," when explaining his transition from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing after a long lay-off. "It was just to get back in the gym and get fit again and help with my mental health and getting my head straight. I started back in the gym, started training, working out, got fitter, and then opportunities just started coming my way."‌While bare-knuckle gets a sour reputation for its sheer brutality, that never stopped Weir from pursuing his dream of becoming one of the biggest names in the sport. "It's like the rawest form of combat. I'm massively into martial arts, all martial arts, if it's boxing, kick, Muay Thai boxing, MMA, like I enjoy watching them all. When you strip bare knuckle back, it's like, it's original. It's like, it's been here for hundreds of years, but it's basically just starting to blossom again."I knew there was a wave coming with the BKFC. I knew, like, it's only been in the UK for four years now, but I knew, I've been in the, been in and around this, the, the sports long enough. I've seen the UFC 15, 20 years ago, the way that went, and that went from, I think it was on Bravo or something like that, when I was a kid. I can remember watching it as a kid, and then it started getting bigger productions, and then it boomed."And I see the, the BKFC, BKFC is probably a wee bit further ahead of where the UFC was back then, but so is the time, with obviously social media and all that kind of stuff. So I knew there was a wave coming into the UK, and, and I just got on the wave at the right time. That was, that was the reason. I just knew if you get from A to B faster, then if I went into competing in MMA or, or boxing, it would, it would the timeframe to get these big fights would have been longer."Article continues below