Mayweather: Let’s fight in June
On his The Undefeated Tour Mayweather calls out McGregor.
For Conor McGregor. I’m coming out of retirement just to fight Conor McGregor. I don’t want no more excuses about the money. The UFC. Sign the paper with the UFC so you can fight me in June. LEt’s fight in June. You’re the B side. I’m the A side…I’m tired about all this crying about money. Blowin’ smoke up everybody’s ass. If you wanna fight sign the paperwork. Let’s do this.
Mayweather: McGregor ‘full of shit’
Mayweather says McGregor is all talk and no action.
I think that, a lot of times with competitors and athletes and fighters, we can ask for certain things that we really don’t want. I want to fight, I want to fight. There’s a lot of barking but there’s no biting. When you talk about biting, sign the contract. Don’t talk the s**t. If you really want to fight, sign the contract and we can make it happen. So just letting the world know that he’s full of sthit and he don’t really want to fight. ‘Oh, I want to fight, I want to fight, I want to fight. Mayweather’s scared of me.’ Listen, I’m my own boss, so let’s make the fight happen. You talking all that shit, you acting like you want to fight, I don’t think you really want to fight. Sign the contract, let’s make it happen…You belong to the UFC and you don’t own anything. Don’t bid yourself out. Just make the fight happen. Just like when I went out and I competed, at one particular time, I had to be the B side. I didn’t cry, I didn’t complain. When they brought the money to the table, I took it, kicked ass, and became the A side. Now I’m the A side, come kick my ass and you become the A side…Conor McGregor, stop blowing smoke up peoples’ asses, you little bitch. If you want to fight, let’s make it happen you punk.
Coach: Nurmagomedov may retire
Coach Mendez says Nurmagomedov may retire after his UFC 209 health issues, depending on the results of a physical in Germany.
Being that his father, like I said, is a huge influence on him and if that’s what him and his father decide to do then that’s what will happen. And I support it if that’s what they want. But you know, time will tell, right? I mean, he first has to get that title and I think that’s a very important thing in his life, and I would think if his body is not 100 percent healthy and his mind is the way it’s always been, like wanting to be the best, then it may be longer than 30 because of the fact that things like this happen – delays, injuries, he gets injured, his opponent gets injured. But I see it potentially happening if that’s what they wish.
Bisping: ‘No way’ McGregor will fight Nurmagomedov now
On his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping says McGregor will not fight Nurmagomedov.
One million per cent, it kills his chances of ever fighting Conor and it puts the UFC in a very difficult position. If they make that rematch between Khabib and Tony, and Khabib wins, there is no way Conor is going to accept that because he is going to say, ‘I’m not going to take that risk of having an entire fight camp for him not to make it to the Octagon so I’m not going to do it’.
Diaz: McGregor could beat Mayweather with an early strike
Diaz says McGregor can beat Mayweather if he strikes early.
I think it’s a big publicity stunt…[McGregor’s] got an amateur style, where he’s got the good movement and punches for six, eight minutes. That time equates to about two rounds out of the 10 in a full boxing match. Anybody can be good for … six, seven minutes — anybody — and they all have that puncher’s chance. But ready to go round after round and he’s gonna be a hard person to get a hold of, so it’s gonna be rough one.
Woodley: McGregor using Mayweather to dodge MMA fight
Woodley says McGregor would rather lose to Floyd Mayweather than face fighters in the UFC.
We know Conor don’t want it [a fight with me]. Conor ain’t nothing. Conor is now in a position where he would have had to fight somebody real. He would have had to fight me, Tony Ferguson or Khabib. He knows we’re not a good matchup for him, we’re not going to fall into his antics, him talking crap, it’s not going to bother us. He knew he had to make a choice. His best option is to get the Floyd fight, take the L, walk away in the wind with $70 million and remain a legend in MMA.
St-Pierre: Bisping ‘no Conor McGregor’ when it comes to trash talk
St-Pierre says Bisping is not good at trash talk.
I don’t consider Bisping as a good trash talker; I think he’s horrendous. I think he’s terrible. He’s not even good at trash talking. He’s doing the best thing for me. The more he talk the more he embarrasses himself. I don’t really care. Some guys, for example like Conor McGregor or Chael Sonnen, I would never be able to get into a war of words with them because they’re just so good. But Michael Bisping, he thinks he’s good but he’s terrible. Everything he says doesn’t make sense. The more he opens his mouth the more he embarrasses himself, so for me it’s a good thing.
Mayweather: ‘Little bitch McGregor got famous off of my name’
During his UK tour, Mayweather takes a shot at McGregor.
I’m just mad that this Conor McGregor, this little bitch Conor McGregor, got famous off my name. Pacquiao did the same thing. Stop that shit.
Mayweather to McGregor: ‘Sign the paper’
Mayweather says he’s waiting on McGregor to put pen to paper so they can make this fight official for later this year.
The Conor McGregor fight, I don’t know if it’s going to happen. If it do, it do, if it don’t, it don’t. They ask me about this fight always. They’re always asking me about the fight. If Conor McGregor really wants the fight to happen, stop blowing smoke up everybody’s ass. Sign the paper. Sign the paper. You said you’re a boss. Just sign the paper and let’s make it happen.
White: Ferguson ‘devastated’ by Nurmagomedov pull-out
White says that despite Ferguson being paid his fight purse (“show” money) of $250,000 for UFC 209, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission records, he was emotionally crushed he couldn’t compete in what was the most significant and highest-profile fight of his career.
The thing is that he was devastated. He came over to our offices, and he was as bad as anybody I’ve ever seen when a fight pulls out.
White doesn’t know what to do about Nurmagomedov
White says he does not know what to do about Nurmagomedov next.
To be honest with you, Khabib fought [at UFC 205] in New York in November then here in this fight. Two back-to-back weight cuts like that. I don’t know if he can make the weight or if he needs to get a better plan or a dietician. Something. He got within six pounds and was in really rough shape. He’s going to have to take some time to recover from this weight cut, and then I don’t know what to do.
Mayweather: ‘If McGregor is smart he’ll let me kick his ass’
Mayweather says McGregor should fight him and make tens of millions in a boxing match before the Irishman loses in the UFC.
The difference between me and him is this: He has to fight. If I was him and I was smart, before I lose again in the UFC I’d let Floyd Mayweather kick my ass for a lot of money. It makes business sense.
Mayweather also notes that McGregor is an employee:
There’s a difference between being an employee and an employer. If someone says ‘I want to fight Floyd Mayweather’, I can simply say ‘yes, let’s make it happen’. But when you’ve got a guy like Conor McGregor he has to talk to Dana White (the UFC president). Dana has to talk to Dana’s bosses. Conor’s not a shot caller. When they said ‘Why is Floyd Mayweather not fighting Manny Pacquiao?’, it was because Manny Pacquiao had a boss. I don’t have a boss. We could have easily made the fight happen years ago. Everything happens for a reason. The first time I was going to fight Manny Pacquiao I was guaranteed $50 million but I had patience. And when I had patience that fight became a $300 million fight. This guy said I’m a pussy, I’m scared, I’m a chicken. All 49 said the same thing and all the results were the same. So with that being said, if Conor McGregor really wants to fight me, we can make it happen. But is he blowing smoke up everybody’s ass? We need to know.
‘Your Next Conor’
Ferguson sends a message to McGregor.
Your Next Connor… @TheNotoriousMMA #DefendOrVacate • #UFC #UFC209
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) March 5, 2017
Cruz: Ferguson should fight McGregor next
After Nurmagomedov pulls out of his fight with Ferguson, Cruz says Ferguson should fight McGregor.
We got to sit and wait and see what the UFC decides. The UFC are master matchmakers…It kind of messed up this card pretty good, because a lot of people were looking forward to it. So give ’em time to think about it. But I would says, looking from the outside in. You gotta kinda give the shot to Ferguson..You can’t hold Ferguson back because Khabib’s hurt.
White on calls for money fights: ‘If you’re not Conor McGregor, shut up’
White calls out fighters who are asking him for ‘money fights’.
I’m getting tired of the term ‘money fights’. [Fighter’s say] ‘I want the money fights!’ What, are you all going to move down and fight Conor [McGregor]? Listen there’s no bones about it: Conor is the guy. Conor brings in big gates, big pay-per-view numbers and everything else. Shut up if you don’t. If you’re not him, shut up.
White: No replacement fighter, Ferguson cancelled
White says that, despite several offers, there will be no replacement fight after Nurmagomedov dropped out of his fight against Ferguson. White says he did talk with White says he did speak with Michael Johnson — the last fighter to beat Ferguson — but ultimately cancelled the fight altogether.
The latest is I’m on suicide watch right now…The problem is that we’re one day away from the fight. it’s very hard. I respect the fact that so many people want to take the fight, but we’ll see what happens.
Big Show: I’d ‘floss my teeth’ with McGregor
In an interview with Forbes, Big Show says he cannot see McGregor in wrestling.
Hell No! Who’s Conor McGregor gonna fight? I’ve dated women bigger than him. What does he weight 135, 145? He reminds me of that little dog that runs around yapping all the time with a cigar in his mouth. He’s a little dog that barks. He’s an amazing athlete in his weight class, but he starts talking trash to me, Big E Langston, Braun Strowman would floss his teeth with Conor McGregor. I love Conor, I love how he runs his yap, but that’s like me saying I’m going to dunk on Shaq. That’s completely insane. I’ve got a two-inch vertical, you know that.
Kavanagh ‘can’t imagine’ McGregor not fighting Ferguson-Nurmgomedov winner
Coach Kavanagh says he expects McGregor to fight the winner of the UFC 209 bout between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov.
I would love the challenge of it, for Conor to test himself in that area. I’ll be honest, right from the beginning I’ve been hearing ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’ … We’re kind of used to being told to what we can’t do, but we don’t pay too much attention to it, we just get on and make things happen. I’ve said it before, the Nate rematch interests me a lot because it’s one-one and how the styles match up. Almost on a par with that, not much difference, would be the winner of Khabib-Ferguson this weekend. I think Khabib does it, I think Khabib will be the winner, so I think Khabib will be the match-up out of that. I find it hard to imagine not seeing [McGregor back in MMA]. Even if and when the Mayweather fight was going to happen, and he got that out of the way. I know, like myself, I do believe his true love is free combat sports and there is no ‘free-er’ combat sport than mixed martial arts. I can’t imagine him not fighting the winner of [Khabib vs. Ferguson]. Now we gotta see what happens with the Mayweather talks and all that, but yeah, I do believe that will happen.
White: McGregor vs St-Pierre was ‘not even close’ to being booked by UFC
White says a St-Pierre-McGregor fight was never realistically discussed.
We were) not even close [to making a fight between McGregor and St-Pierre]. Georges said he could make 155 pounds. But let’s be honest here – everyone wants to take a shot at Michael Bisping. They think he’s beatable, and obviously Georges St-Pierre is no different. So he’s going to step up and try to take his 185-pound title.
Muhammad Ali’s ex-wife: ‘He’d be a McGregor fan’
Khalila Ali says her ex-husband would have supported McGregor.
Ali don’t like anybody dull, he likes everybody exciting. He’d be a Conor McGregor [fan]. Conor McGregor’s the guy.