While Hannah Rankin grew up on a farm and loves playing classical music, coming from the same family as Conor McGregor, fighting is in her blood.

The former WBA and IBO boxing world champion is ready to make a massive splash in the world of BKFC, officially announcing her new career path during an exciting press conference in Marbella, Spain.

Hannah Rankin and Conor McGregor are both related to legendary outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor

Brought up in rural Scotland in the middle of nowhere with her two sisters and her sheep to keep her company, Hannah Rankin didn’t have the typical path to championship glory, but coming from the same lineage as Conor McGregor, destiny always finds a way.

After attending a primary school with just 27 people, with her being the only one in her year, the talented individual moved on to secondary education, where she fell in love with music. However, while most kids gravitate towards the guitar or the drums, Rankin opted for a different flavor.

In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, she remembered: “An old lady donated a bassoon to our school. She was horrified there wasn’t one in the orchestra. I was like, ‘that looks weird. I want to play that’. So, that’s what I did.”

The musician later completed an undergraduate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, before doing her Masters at the Royal Academy of Music in London. But while capable of playing her instrument to an exceptional level, Rankin had a desire to compete that she just couldn’t kick.

While still playing in a quintet for charities and children with special needs up to as recently as last year, the Scottish sensation put the bassoon on the backburner in favor of pursuing a career in the ring.

With formidable skills and an unrelenting will to win, Rankin achieved remarkable things in boxing, becoming her nation’s first female world champion, with a WBA and two IBO belts on her mantelpiece.

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Having achieved so much in her first sport, the gifted athlete is chasing a new goal in BKFC, appearing at a press conference with McGregor in Marbella today to announce her fight on October 12 under the Spanish sun.

And with the pair both hailing from the same family as one of Scotland’s most iconic outlaws, it’s no surprise that they’ve both inherited fighting spirit in abundance.

Rankin revealed: “Fun fact, we’re actually from the same clan. I’m a direct descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor, so we go all the way back. The whole Celtic connection, Irish-Scotish, we love proper fights.

“The card is super exciting; it’s an incredible bill in Marbella. I can’t wait; I’m absolutely buzzing.

Hannah Rankin reminisces on making history for Scotland

While the 33-year-old can’t wait to showcase her skills to the BKFC fans, her wins inside the squared circle will always hold a special place in her heart.

Growing up with a supportive mother and father, Rankin was determined to reach the pinnacle of the boxing mountain.

After first winning the IBO belt, which she later lost, the fighter had the opportunity to challenge for it again, alongside the prestigious WBA belt.

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On a night she’ll never forget, Rankin dethroned Maria Lindberg to cement her status as a Scottish great in front of her adoring father. And while her mother sadly passed away years before, she would’ve undoubtedly been looking down with a massive smile on her face.

The sportswoman remembered: “I made history for Scotland by winning the IBO belt; I was the first-ever female Scottish world champion. That can never be taken away from me. That’s in the history books forever. It was an amazing night. But when I got the opportunity to fight for it again, and the WBA belt, that was amazing.

“The WBA belt is so prestigious. It’s been around the longest, Muhammad Ali had that championship. There’s so much history attached to that. When I won that against Maria at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was a dream come true. In the boxing world, we have a tendency to go towards the big four, and the WBA is one of them. But for me, the IBO is just as warranted. It was a very special night.”

To make things even sweeter, when the title arrived through the post, Rankin couldn’t believe what was on it.

She beamed: “The night I won the belt, it was actually Anthony Crolla’s that I used [for the post-fight pictures]. He’s a legend himself. My belt came through the post after that, and my face was engraved on it. I wasn’t expecting that. It was a big surprise.”