White: McGregor says he will KO Mayweather in 4 rounds
White talks about the upcoming McGregor-Mayweather fight.
Conor is a madman. He’s gonna let Floyd know what he’s gonna do and how he’s gonna do it. And everyone’s been saying to me this whole time, ‘Do you think that Conor can really beat Mayweather?’. Look Pacquiao was just beaten by a schoolteacher…I stopped doubting Conor McGregor a long time ago. I told my partner, Lorenzo Fertita a long time ago, ‘I don’t know if this kid can fight, but if he can even throw a punch, he’s gonna be a huge superstar’…Last night I landed at LAX and Conor landed at the same time from Ireland. He gets off, looks like he was just fitted at Armani and says, ‘I will knock this man out in four rounds’.
White: Tickets for promo tour selling out fast
White confirms that 30,000 tickets have been sold for the the McGregor-Mayweather press events at the Los Angeles and Brooklyn stops alone.
Staples Center is sold out, and by sold out, I mean we did tickets and there’s no more seats left. Barclays [Center] sold out. We had to get a bigger venue in Toronto, and we’re doing Wembley in England. It’s going to be crazy.
White: Mayweather-McGregor press tour will be an ‘absolute shitshow’
White says that he will be accompanying McGregor on every stop on the press tour, and says he’s not entirely sure how the whole scene is going to play out, especially with so many unpredictable characters involved. He also says that
It’s going to be a f-cking shitshow. You know that. Absolute shitshow. So, I don’t know. It’s going to be crazy…It’s going to be a hybrid of the boxing press conferences and UFC press conferences…. I think it’s going to be more like a boxing press conference than it is our press conferences. You know how mine are. No bullshit. We walk in, and we sit down and, ‘What’s up? Who has the first question,’ and we get it rolling. I think there’s going to be a lot more bullshit in this one…I’m going to sit there with a mic, and when you ask me a question I will answer it. I’m not going to get up and give any speeches or do anything like that. I think Conor and I will come in, Conor and I will sit down, and we’ll answer questions when asked questions. I think that the rest of the people that are going to come in – I think there’s going to be a lot of people that come in and talk and have speeches.
McGregor-Mayweather media tour to stop in London but not Dublin
White says the McGregor-Mayweather world media tour will only make one overseas stop, in London, and that a stop in Dublin will not be on the tour. According to reports, Mayweather wanted neutral locations for the world press tour and did not want to deal with the overwhelming crowd of supporters McGregor would get in his native Ireland.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV6WO44AHnI/
Hopkins: Let fans watch McGregor-Mayweather for free
During promotion for September’s middleweight fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, Hopkins proposes that fans get into the McGregor-Mayweather fight for free.
If you want to talk about a spectacle, a show, by all means spend $4,000-$5,000 on a ticket. Maybe they will give it to you for free and make a real statement of jealousy….Hold up, I’ve got a proposal. If this is so great and so good, and we know McGregor – I’m not his accountant but I’m pretty sure he don’t have to go out and put a sign in his hand and ask somebody to give him some money for food. And Mayweather, whose name is Money. How can your name be Money when you don’t have any? Give it to the fans free! You’re lights ain’t going to go off tomorrow. God knows they’re not going to take your car away – you’ve got 20 of them, right? So if you really want to box for the love of boxing, then I’ll tell you what to do. You want to make a big statement Dana White? Give it to them free.
However, when discussing Alvarez-Golovkin:
A fight and a boxing match of this magnitude in September, we know you have to pay for. You pay for what you get. Watch a real fight!
White: People are crazy if they think Mayweather can’t be caught
White posts two videos to counter those who think that Mayweather is untouchable.
People are crazy if they think @FloydMayweather can't be caught pic.twitter.com/M2V5sWrbUq
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 24, 2017
. @FloydMayweather can be caught pic.twitter.com/hvufpehEcr
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 24, 2017
White to fans: Don’t buy tickets, they’re not on sale yet
White issues a warning to fans who may be fooled into thinking tickets are already on sale.
A fan told me he bought tix already. I want ALL fans to know that we have not even come up with a price for tix yet and tix ARE NOT for sale yet. Don’t get f-cked by These DIRTBALLS trying to sell tix already. When we announce tix on sale that’s when it’s real.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVrbZs4AyPa/
White praises McGregor’s odds vs other boxers
White posts to Twitter comparing McGregor’s betting odds agaisnt other fighters who have faced Mayweather.
People talking shit that
@TheNotoriousMMA doesn’t have a chance vs Mayweather. Oddsmakers disagree!!!Odds for Conor vs other great boxers
People talking shit that @TheNotoriousMMA doesn't have a chance vs Mayweather. Oddsmakers disagree!!! 😜 Odds for Conor vs other great boxers pic.twitter.com/tOmNsr4qNn
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 23, 2017
McGregor to earn $100 million for fighting Mayweather
White says he expects McGregor to make $100 million from fighting Mayweather. Mayweather has previously said he expects to ear $300 million from the fight.
I made 300 [million dollars] in one night [vs. Manny Pacquiao]. Throughout my career I made 800 [million dollars] and it’s possible I can make another 300 [million dollars].
McGregor contractually forbidden from kicking Mayweather
White says McGregor will be contractually prohibited from “going rogue” and elbowing or kicking Mayweather in their Aug. 26 boxing match. White also says there will be no MMA component to the show.
There is no way that will happen. That is absolutely in the contract, No.1. No. 2 this is a boxing match under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. When you talk about a guy like Floyd Mayweather — the lawsuit if that ever happened…you all know how much Conor likes money. Conor would depart with a whole lot of money if that ever happened.
Mayweather vs. McGregor conference call
White and Mayweather’s management team talk to journalists on a conference call. White says that McGregor will face a legal penalty if he uses MMA techniques in the ring. He also says that the financial details are confidential. White:
McGregor told me today: The McGregor clan has been taking over villages for 300 years and the Mayweather village is next.
Dana White answers fan questions on livestream
White appears live on Facebook to answer fan questions. He confirms the date, venue, weight and gloves choice. He says the undercard will be put together by Mayweather’s side.
I think that whenever two guys get in there and start throwing punches, anything is possible. If you talk to Conor McGregor he’ll make you belive he’ll win this fight…Conor will turn around and fight again this year after the Mayweather fight…there will be no MMA on this event this event, only boxing…the weight was not an issue at all with Floyd Mayweather, which I didn’t expect…the press conference will be ridiculous…Mayweather, seriously guys, has not complained about anything, he’s been actually really easy to deal with.
White: McGregor-Mayweather will be at T-Mobile Arena, 154 pounds, 10 oz gloves
White says McGregor will fight Mayweather at T-Mobile Arena at 154 pounds.
We’ve been in negotiations now for a while, and to be honest with you negotiations went smooth. Floyd is surrounded by smart people and we got this thing done. The impossible deal is now done.It’ll be at the T-Mobile Centre in Vegas, it’ll be at 154-pounds, they’ll wear 10-0z gloves, it’ll be in a ring. It’s a boxing event. Mayweather Promotions will build the undercard for it. Those are pretty much the basics right now.
Jones Jr.: McGregor will damage boxing…if he wins
Jones Jr. is asked for comment on Oscar De La Hoya and Dana White’s spat over the McGregor-Mayweather fight.
You got understand and where De La Hoya comes from. You gotta understand where Dana comes from I understand both sides. It’s not a true boxing event. It’s above boxing…It’s not bad for boxing because the boxer should win. It’s only bad for boxing if the MMA guy get luck and clip the boxer. Otherwise it couldn’t possibly bad for boxing. They are boxing. This guy [McGregor] has an name in MMA, not i boxing. So it gives boxing an advantage…It’s gonna be the event that everyone wants to see.
White: Demetrious is a liar, McGregor is world’s best pound-for-pound fighter
White clarifies his position regarding Johnson’s claims of bullying.
Most of what he said was not true. He didn’t want pay-per-view. He wanted up front money. He wasn’t very confident in his abilities in selling pay-per-views. He has the lowest selling pay=per-views in the history of the UFC in the modern era. No 2: I think that a fight between him and TJ Dillashaw is something that people would be actually interested in, and could sell pay-per-views, and could make money. But he absolutely refuses to fight the guy. It’s ridiculous…We’re not marketing him? We built a TV show around him. The Ultimate Fighter was about what an incredible fighter his is. We put him on Fox many times and tried to build him. It is what it is…I’m bullying you? How do you bully the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world?..The media claims he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. I think Conor McGregor is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Conor will fight anybody, anywhere, any time. If Demetrious is the best P4P then fight TJ Dillashaw. Fight someone people actually care about.
White: I’m running the deal
White says that, contrary to recent reports, he is actively running the Mayweather-McGregor negotiations.
We live in a world right now where you can’t believe anything that you read. Who else would be running the Mayweather, McGregor deal than me? What does WME [Ari Emanuel’s talent agency] know about making big fights? Trust me, I’m running the Mayweather, McGregor deal. I’m the only one in it.
Johnson: Dana White bullied me
Johnson releases a lengthy statement in which he complains about multiple issues, including lack of promotion, from the UFC. He says White has been trying to bully him to take fights he does not want.
For years I have been a company man and kept quiet, accepting fights, doing as they asked, and always remaining humble and grateful for the opportunities provided to me through mixed martial arts. This is how I was raised through the sport. Unfortunately, UFC’s mistreatment and bullying has finally forced me to speak out…
In summary:
- I agreed to their tyrannical demand to fight Ray Borg and Ray also agreed.
- UFC has refused to give me PPV points on any future flyweight bouts, and has never given me any PPV points on previous bouts. My request was fair and the matchmaker in charge of the flyweight and bantamweight division agreed.
- I gave UFC fair conditions to change the fight to TJ Dillashaw and they refused.
- Dana and Sean have told me that they have no interest in marketing me or the smaller divisions, so when they say that I will make PPV money vs. Dillashaw, they leave out the fact that I have to hit certain numbers of buys, which will not be hit if they fail in marketing me like they have in my previous fights.
- If TJ doesn’t make weight, I can’t break the record for the most consecutive title defenses and they have denied paying me in that circumstance.
- Dana has made an effort to bully me in the media as well as in private, in order to get what he wants, even though it is not what is best for me or the sport.
- If Dana says this will be a big PPV fight for me, and that they will promote it properly, then he can pay for it up front and explain to Ray Borg why he is being taken out of the fight that the UFC matchmaker in charge of the division put him in. Otherwise, it is just another lie and attempt to bully me to do something that Dana wants, but is not the right thing to do for the sport or my career.
- UFC’s track record in making an effort to promote my fights, and Dana’s claim that this is a big chance for PPV dollars for me tells a different story than what Dana is stating to the public.
White: 50-50 split for McGregor-Mayweather is ‘pretty fair’
White says a 50-50 purse split for the proposed boxing match between McGregor and Mayweather would be fair. He also says that there is a 75% chance of the deal being made, and that the fight could produce somewhere between 2.5 and 4 million pay-per-view purchases.By comparison, Mayweather-Pacquiao was split 60-40 in Mayweather’s favour and totaled a record $500 million in pay-per-view purchases and was viewed by 4.4 million households. White:
We haven’t even got there yet. We haven’t even talked percentages yet. … Floyd can think whatever, but the machine that the UFC has and Conor McGregor alone is a machine by himself. I think that 50-50 is pretty fair. I’m very bullish on this fight. I think it happens. These guys are gonna have to come up with something way out of left field for this fight not to happen.
White cusses out ‘Two-faced’ De La Hoya
White expands on his earlier post questioning Oscar De La Hoya’s motivations.
I’m saying ‘What the f-ck, Oscar?’ Listen Oscar De La Hoya and I have had a good relationship through time. I’ve been supportive of every event that he does. Bob Arum and I don’t get along. If Bob Arum and I had the two last fighters on earth I wouldn’t make a fight with that scumbag. What is [Oscar] doing. Why would you say something like that? It makes him sound as though he has no confidence whatsoever in Triple G versus Canelo, which I have said publicly is a good fight..He seems completely insecure…And talk about two-faced and contradicting and the list goes on and on..hating…Oscar, what the f-ck is going on with you? Are you nuts? Are you out of your mind? Have you lost your f-cking mind?
Asked about McGregor-Mayweather:
We’re moving. I’m confident that this thing can get done. Obviously, there’s still some hurdles. It’s a crazy deal to make. Here’s the other thing: Any time people come out and say this fight shouldn’t happen, or this fight is ridiculous. When two people get in there, with the punching power of a Conor McGregor and the fighting style of a Floyd Mayweather, who knows what the hell’s gonna happen? Am I saying that this is going to be the greatest fight in the history of the world? Hell, no. I have no idea. This could be one of those fights where the press conference is a thousand times better than the fight…but nobody can judge a fight until a fight is over.
White calls out De La Hoya over anti-McGregor-Mayweather comments
White calls out De La Hoya for posting a statement to his Facebook criticising the potential boxing match between McGregor and Mayweather as something from which “boxing could never recover.”
WTF
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUxD-nEABWl/