Joe Cortez: Why McGregor vs Malignaggi must happen
Cortez, the referee who oversaw the sparring sessions between McGregor and Malignaggi ahead of McGregor’s fight against Floyd Mayweather, says the dispute between McGregor and Malignaggi should be settled in a rematch for real.
I can tell you that I was there for 12 rounds with them and there was a lot going on. A lot of boxing fans and MMA fans want to know and I can tell you from being there that the fight should happen. It was very competitive. That is what I am saying. I know for a fact that it would make a good fight. It would be a better fight than McGregor vs Mayweather.
McGregor: If I had another go around, I’d get Mayweather
At a Q&A in Glasgow, McGregor says he was impressed with his own performance against Mayweather.
I improved my boxing skill to an extent. Everyone was saying to me get in and ragdoll him and muscle him from the bell. And I could’ve gone in and done that. But I out-skilled him, I outboxed him early. You can’t deny that. I outboxed him and he didn’t know what the f**k was going on. He just covered up his head and walked forward. When the f**k have you ever seen him do that?… It is what it is, but I still feel like I could beat him under boxing rules. We’ll see what happens though.
He also says a rematch would have a completely different outcome:
I know if I went another go with him, under boxing rules, I’d get that win. I know that. I know by the feeling of him in the first fight. He had to change his whole approach. He fought completely than he (usually) fought, he couldn’t figure out what I was doing early on. I feel with the lessons I learned from that first fight, if I had another go around, I’d get him.
McGregor ‘absolutely devastated’ after Las Vegas shooting
McGregor says he is ‘absolutely devastated’ on hearing of Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, the city where he trained and fought Mayweather. Dana White says that the UFC organisation will donate $1 million to the families of the victims of the attack. McGregor posts on Instagram:
Absolutely devastated upon hearing the news in Las Vegas…a city so close to my heart.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZxKtfigdqn/
McGregor vents frustration over $10m fine and Mayweather fight stipulations: ‘like I wasn’t taking it seriously’
In Glasgow for An Evening With Conor McGregor event, McGregor reveals he would have been fined $10million (£7.5m) in his mega fight against Mayweather, had he been disqualified for an illegal move, as many people were predicting, prior to the contest. McGregor:
Here’s when I knew I was up against it: The ref was like, even if I lift my leg up, it’s a point deduction. I’m like, ‘How is that a point deduction without even a warning?’ So they’re telling me they’re going to deduct points straight off the bat. And if I do get disqualified for any reason, it was a $10million fine. Ten million f***ing dollars!
McGregor says he expected a little more respect:
They were making up all these f***ing stipulations like I wasn’t taking it seriously. Like I didn’t have a hall-of-fame referee at my camp present at every single spar. Do you know what I mean? I had a boxing referee in Ireland, a great boxing referee in Ireland and then Joe Cortez in Vegas, every single spar. I put in so much work and had given so much respect to the rule set and the discipline, I was kind of expecting it back.
McGregor has drink thrown over him ‘by Rangers fan’ after he sings Celtic chant in Glasgow
McGregor has a drink thrown on him by an angry Rangers fan after leading a Celtic chant during an Evening with Conor McGregor event in Glasgow. During his introduction on stage, McGregor starts shouting:
What’s up Glasgow Celtic? The only football club around here we’re talking about. Glasgow is green and white!
This was greeted largely by cheers, but also a few boos, before he shouted ‘where’s Rangers at?’ in an attempt to placate the blue half of the city. He then began to chant:
There’s only one team in Glasgow. There’s only one team in Glasgow. Walking along, singing a song, walking in a Celtic wonderland.
McGregor then found himself doused in liquid, presumably from an unhappy Rangers fan.
https://twitter.com/UFCrelated/status/914884362117709831
Dana White gives update on McGregor-Diaz III
Talk of a series decider between McGregor and Diaz that would headline UFC 219, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 30, is dismissed by White. White categorically denies the rumours of McGregor vs Diaz III being set by tweeting:
Not true AT ALL.
Not true AT ALL
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 24, 2017
McGregor’s London Q&A cancelled
McGregor’s Q&A London event at O2 Arena’s Indigo on Saturday evening is cancelled. An Evening with Conor McGregor – Up Close and Personal was set to be attended by hundreds of the Irishman’s adoring fans, some of whom had paid close to £1,100 to have a meet and greet with him. Multiple sources confirm that the intimate Q&A, which was meant to be chaired by former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy, has been called off, but the cause for the event’s cancellation is unknown. McGregor was expected to give fans an update on when he plans on returning to the Octagon.
Noel Gallagher: Conor McGregor is ‘a dude’
Speaking on Absolute Radio Breakfast Show, Gallagher says he is a big fan of the Irish boxer.
The trash talking is why I love him. He’s a dude, an absolute dude. He makes me cry laughing. Charisma will get you a long way. If you’re talented and you’ve got charisma then the world is your oyster…That guy has got it and it’s like wow, where have you come from? What planet have you come from? It’s unbelievable…I’d love to meet him.
Noel Gallagher shares his opinion on @TheNotoriousMMA ..🔥 pic.twitter.com/C4TnbpXVAm
— Conor McGregor News (@ConormcGregor5) September 25, 2017
Coach Kavanagh: McGregor ‘punched himself out’
Coach Kavanagh says McGregor’s biggest mistake was pushing too hard in the early stages of the fight against Mayweather, and succumbing to fatigue before being stopped in the tenth round. McGregor admitted that his inability to effectively manage his energy reserves played a big part in his loss.
We had also been inefficient with our energy by throwing a lot of shots in the first minute of each round, most of which Floyd caught on his gloves and forearms. When we faced that style last year against Nate — walking down, hands high — we had more success because the smaller gloves in MMA can fit through the gaps…We had also practiced a lot of hand-fighting and rotating elbows over the guard for that fight, as well as the low-kick. Obviously, those techniques aren’t options in boxing. But that’s eventually what wore Conor down. He sort of punched himself out a little bit and got caught with some shots towards the end. The referees are a little quicker to stop fights in boxing too, as opposed to what we’re used to in MMA. Having agreed to fight under boxing rules, we have no argument with that. I think it was in the fourth or fifth round when Floyd switched styles and he almost took the Nate Diaz approach of just walking forward and covering up. Conor called him ‘a Mexican’, which was a reference to the style of boxing. It’s even more effective in boxing than it is in MMA because you can catch more of your opponent’s shots on the bigger gloves. That he decided to go down that route genuinely surprised me. It’s an approach I’ve seen him use extremely rarely. I guess it was a display of both experience and technical nous — he was able to switch between styles until he found the one that worked best for him
Tony Ferguson: McGregor and Diaz are pussies for not fighting
McGregor and Diaz have both been on Ferguson’s radar ever since his proposed interim lightweight title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through. Ferguson was offered a summer bout with Diaz, but Diaz pulled out of the proposed fight, leading Ferguson to call him a ‘bitch’. Ferguson is also upset that McGregor has not come back to MMA to fight him.
Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor] are a bunch of b****es. They want to go and they want to talk – look, we can f*****g put this s**t out on video and we can make this a money fight. If you guys really wanna get gangster, let’s do that sh-t. If you want to f*****g put on money, let’s put it on paper…Nate, I will f****n’ Stockton slap the sh-t out of you, kid. You don’t f*****g know me, dude. Straight up. Same thing with Conor McGregor…You guys are a bunch of b****es, and you guys are a bunch of fakes. If you wanna’ fight while we’re here in the UFC, why don’t you come and sign on the dotted line after you get your sh-t together and defend your f*****g belt, Conor?
Conor McGregor to face Nate Diaz in return to UFC
The Sunday World reports McGregor is planning to fight Diaz, in the third round of a trilogy, tentatively scheduled for December 30, in Las Vegas. The Irishman has split the first two bouts against the American fighter, with Diaz winning the first by submission, and McGregor winning the second with a majority decision. It is reported that McGregor’s friends and family are so sure of the fight being announced that they have already booked flights to Las Vegas. Insider:
Conor has told them that only the ‘Is’ have to be dotted and the ‘Ts’ crossed for this to go ahead.
Coach Kavanagh wants McGregor back in MMA
After it was claimed that Canelo Alvarez’s representatives, Golden Boy Promotion’s, entered negations with Conor McGregor’s team shortly after his controversial middleweight title unification fight with Gennady Golovkin, John Kavanagh, McGregor’s coach, says that he doesn’t think it will happen:
Floyd Mayweather: I’m glad I didn’t knock McGregor unconscious
After Mayweather stopped McGregor in the 10th round of their superfight, McGregor says he thought the fight could have gone on longer.
I thought it was close though and I thought it was a little early of a stoppage. I get like that when I’m tired. I get a little wobbly and flowy. But fuck, get me into the corner and I’ll recover and I’ll come back. And I’d like it to hit the floor. There’s a lot on the line here, [Byrd] should have let me keep going I thought, but fair play to [Mayweather].
However, Mayweather says he didn’t want to end McGregor’s career by knocking him out cold.
He has a career. He still has a career. He’s still young. [Knockouts are] very, very damaging. We have to think about these fighters. Even with my uncle Roger. Right now, I got a call, just before I came here, he keeps walking offer, wandering off – no one can find him. He ends up in a hospital. So, brain damage… it happens…In combat sports there are two names. There are two names. Mayweather and McGregor. There are two names. And even with me being off two years, I still was the biggest name. Even with me retired, I’m still the biggest name in boxing and MMA.
‘Racist’ Paddy Power ad for Mayweather v McGregor superfight banned
After complaints from nine people, an advert for Paddy Power that urged punters to “always bet on black” before the Floyd Mayweather fight with Conor McGregor has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), who said it was likely to cause “serious offence”. Paddy Power claimed the ad was not intended to cause offence on the grounds of race.
Sonnen: McGregor sells ‘confidence’
Sonnen says McGregor is selling something more than entertainment.
People always miss what Conor’s selling. He’s selling trash-talk’ or ‘he’s selling entertainment.’ Well you’re close. I mean, there is some trash-talk there and he’s definitely entertaining. But if you could only use one word, he’s selling confidence. That is the number one thing. Anybody, any weight class, and it’s one thing to say it. It can be entertaining when a guy says it and goes and cuts a promo. But when you got a guy that walks the walk. You got a guy that will take on Jose Aldo, who hadn’t lost in ten years. You got a guy that will change weight class and go up to 170 and take on Diaz, go down to 155, world championship and take on Eddie, switch sports and take on [Floyd Mayweather]. It’s confidence that he’s selling. It’s confidence that’s on display. It’s a confidence that so many people wish they had. By so many, I mean everybody. Everybody wishes they had this kind of confidence and then go out and try to follow through on their dreams.
Rogan: McGregor will box again
On his podcast, Rogan says that, despite being beaten by Floyd Mayweather, McGregor will continue to box professionally.
I don’t think [Conor is done boxing]. Look, he went the very first fight against the greatest ever and he didn’t look too bad. If there’s a legit, big fight – say if Canelo Alvarez steps up and says that he wants to fight Conor McGregor, [Conor] might do it…It wouldn’t be a smart move. The difference between Canelo and Floyd – Floyd was just a brilliant boxer. Canelo is a murderous puncher and he’ll f**k you up. He’ll hurt you. [Golvokin] is not a good fight for him either. Neither Canelo nor Golvkin is a good fight for him. They’re terrible fights for him. Those guys are different.
McGregor to visit Glasgow to thank fans
McGregor will get paid £100,000 from one night in Scotland, for a meet-and-greet event with fans in Glasgow. Supporters will have to fork out up to £1,100 for the chance to get up close to the superstar at the city’s SEC Armadillo on September 29. But the real reason McGregor is visiting Glasgow, is because he was bowled over by a display unveiled by Celtic fans last month. An insider:
Conor’s not short of a few bob. There’s no bigger name right now, and he’s in demand across the globe, but the truth is he was really keen to come to Scotland. He loves his Scots fans and really wanted to thank them personally. It had been agreed in principal before the negotiations even started.
A breakdown of McGregor-Mayweather ticket sales
A breakdown of ticket sales for the McGregor Mayweather fight is released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The hottest ticket was priced at $5,000, but these seats, located at the top of the lower level seats at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, were deeply discounted, sinking to $1,500, close to fight night. Overall, the event was well short of the $72.2 million live gate record set by Mayweather’s fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2015. Yet it still generated a massive box office payout, with $55,414,865.79 in revenue on 13,231 tickets for an average of $4,188.26 per ticket. The event’s pay-per-view buy rate, on the other hand, is expected to break the all-time record of 4.6 million set by Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
Breakdown of ticket sales:
- $10,000: 2,942 available – 2,254 sold – 29 complimentary
- $7,500: 1,814 available – 1,145 sold – 18 complimentary
- $5,000: 4,737 available – 3,183 sold – 22 complimentary
- $3,500: 3,233 available – 1,601 sold – 68 complimentary
- $2,500: 2,735 available – 2,716 sold – 0 complimentary
- $1,500: 1,809 available – 1,781 sold – 0 complimentary
- $500: 428 available – 414 sold – 0 complimentary
Total tickets sold and complimentary: 13,231 Total live gate: $55,414,865.79
Mayweather first TV interview since McGregor fight
Mayweather appears for his first television appearance since the fight with McGregor, on Steve Harvey’s new talk show. Harvey asks if Mayweather and McGregor have spoken at all since the fight.
No, we haven’t spoke since the fight. We had a beef and settled our beef. We had a beef. I feel like I was the better man. Like I told him, experience will play a major key. But I said on paper everything leans towards Conor McGregor. You know, he’s 28, I’m 40-years-old. But, being in the sport 21 years, I just feel like the wisdom that I have, the IQ is totally, totally different. Especially when it’s at the pinnacle…I knew that he was used to fighting 25 minutes. I said once we get him past 25 minutes, he’s a dead man walking. Dead man walking.
Ferguson on possible McGregor-Diaz III: I will Stockton slap the s**t out of Nate
Should Ferguson win the interim lightweight belt at UFC 216 against Kevin Lee, he would expect to be first to face current UFC lightweight champion McGregor, whenever McGregor decides to return to MMA. But rumors, and McGregor’s coaching staff, suggest that McGregor will complete his trilogy with Diaz when he next defends his lightweight belt. Ferguson says the UFC needs to honor his belt and make McGregor face him should he win.
I believe that they absolutely need to. If that’s my belt and he has the belt, they need to unify both belts. F**k that Nate Diaz three shit. Both those b**ches f**in – they want to try and act like they want to go and make money. Nate don’t want to fight. He’s trying to recover from a f**king hit that he took with his management and all that other things. McGregor’s gotta defend or vacate. He’s gotta defend that belt, he needs to come back. If not, there goes his legacy, there goes the UFC s**t. I mean, really, legitimately, why do we have rankings? Why do we have a belt system? Why do we have all this other stuff?