Roach: Mayweather says fight is going to happen
Roach says Mayweather visited his gym, and told him to coach McGregor if the fight is announced.
Mayweather did come out to my [Wild Card] gym last week, and he asked me to take that job if it’s offered. He told me the fight’s gonna happen, and we’re gonna make a lot of money. I told Mayweather that it would take me at least three years to get him ready to fight you. Conor McGregor’s a tough guy, but being a tough guy doesn’t really help you much! He looks like an OK boxer, but he’s almost like a beginner…I do know that Floyd’s been training at one of my gyms, and he’s been sparring with some of my professional fighters, and I hear he’s not doing too well with my professionals.
Posts Mayweather-McGregor poster
Mayweather posts an image of a poster for a fight with McGregor on Facebook. The poster is undated.
Cruz: McGregor a ‘failure of his own success’
Cruz says that McGregor’s pay means he should do promotion.
When you look at what the UFC wants, they want you to do the media. Conor is a failure of his own success. He’s so good at this media that they’re going to ask him to do a ton. But I’ll be honest, if the UFC said, ‘hey Dominick, we’re going to pay you 100 times what you’re getting paid now and you’re going to make Conor McGregor money,’ I’ll go live with Ariel Helwani for my entire camp, eat everything you eat, do every radio interview you do, go out there and be ready to fight…So it’s like, it’s kind of a mixed thing. He’s getting paid a lot of money to do this stuff, a lot of money, and people want to see it. He’s in high demand. So, because he’s in high demand, that makes him a failure of his own success, if you get what I’m saying.
Van Heerden: McGregor will take Mayweather fight offer
During his sparring sessions, Van Heerden asked McGregor about the chances of a fight with Mayweather actually manifesting.
He laughed about it and he said ‘Mayweather started it and I’m going with it. And everyone wants it, so if it’s there I’m going to take it’. So that’s all he said and we all had a laugh about it.
On a fight with Diaz:
I spoke to Conor and he is so positive. He actually said ‘You know what? If I get the rematch with Nate, I’m now more confident than ever that I will beat him. I know where I made my mistakes and it was in training camp. I will do better next time. I’m confident I will beat him’
ESPN interview
McGregor talks to ESPN about his fight with Diaz:
What kind of fighter would I be, if I said, ‘Hey, I didn’t get you at 170, let me try to get you at 155. I’ll make my adjustments. I ate up to the weight. This time, I won’t do that. The first eight minutes of the fight was easy. Let’s be honest, I slapped the head off him. Once the gas tank went, that was it. I drowned. He landed that one punch that rang the bell and went, ‘[Gasp], I’m back.’ He was close to being done. One or two more shots and he would have been wrapped up. Swinging on gymnastic rings on fight week isn’t the best thing. Usually, I wrap myself in bubble wrap and only do fight specific things, but just because of that weight, no weight cut, I had put it in my head that, ‘I’m free.’ I had energy to burn. I was doing so much bounce footwork, the balls of my feet were burned to a crisp. Looking back, it was ridiculous. I don’t know what I was thinking. Look at me right now. Fish, red cabbage, asparagus — I’m nowhere near a fight and I’m on the clock with nutrition.
On the interim title fight between Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo at UFC 200
The fight was my idea. I wanted to have my revenge at 170 and they’re crying and complaining about the 145-pound belt, which I just won three months ago. That division was killed, it was dead. Jose went down in 13 seconds. What more can I do? I traveled the world with that man. I finally got him in the Octagon and he only lasts 13 seconds. I didn’t see a challenge there anymore. So, I wanted to create interest from a fan’s perspective and my perspective. I want to see them two go at it, with an interim belt on the line. Then I will see people walking around my division with a belt and that will intrigue me. It will make me want that belt again.
Nelson: McGregor won’t fight Mayweather in September
Nelson says McGregor will not fight Mayweather in September.
They are definitely hyping it up, both of them. Both of them are taking part in it so I think they’d definitely like to build it up – build up the money and make it happen at some point. But, I don’t know how it works with the UFC, they’d have to make some sort of contract with them and include them somehow because most of us know how the UFC deals (are). You can’t just go off and do a super-fight with Floyd Mayweather if you’re signed with the UFC. We’ll see how things go, I definitely don’t think it’s going to happen or whenever they said. September or something is it? I don’t think either New Year’s (Eve) I think that’s a bit too close. I think they’re just putting dates and stuff like that will just hype the whole thing and keep hyping until they get a few hundred million.
Schaub defends McGregor
On Cowherd’s show, Schaub defends McGregor
Dana White has a tough job. He’s like the warden of Shawshank…I’m always fighter first. I voice that opinion, which sometimes gets me in trouble but as long as you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be alright. But with Conor, we’ve never had a Conor. Conor’s talking about fighting Floyd Mayweather for $50 million. Go find another guy who could do that. We don’t have him…He’s our pink elephant in a circus full of grey elephants. He’s the pink elephant. You’re going to be able to make some adjustments to that guy. Now I understand he had obligations with the press conference, stuff like that, but he sends out a tweet – his tweet when he retired, was bigger than Kobe Bryant’s retirement tweet. What are we talking about?
White: McGregor ‘obsessed’ with fighting Diaz
In an interview with ESPN’s Sportscenter, White says that he is working on McGregor-Diaz matchup.
We’re working on what’s next for him. We’re trying to set up a fight right now. It’s been a little challenging. Obviously the fight he would love to do is the rematch with Nate Diaz. I’m trying to get the deal done…Conor is obsessed with this rematch. I don’t know why, but he is. It’s just his type of personality. He’s obsessed with it. He’s obsessed with fighting Diaz again – at 170 pounds. I don’t know if [the fight] will ever happen, but I’m trying.
White looking at other fights for McGregor
In an interview on FOX Sports 1’s The Herd, White says the UFC has begun looking at alternative opponents for McGregor’s next fight after unsuccessfully trying to reach a deal with Diaz.
It’s just madness. It’s just been tough. It’s been a tough go-through, so we’re looking at another fight for Conor right now and we’ll see how this thing comes together. But Conor is just so obsessed with Diaz at 170, it’s been crazy. The reality is that since that Conor McGregor fight — obviously when you win a fight of that magnitude, it has definitely rubbed off on Nate. People do want to see Nate fight. People do want to see this fight again, and I’m one of those guys who, I want to make the fight that people want to see, and I believe people do want to see this fight. But, people do want to see Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo again too. I’m sure they would want to see him fight Rafael dos Anjos at 155 for that title, so there’s a lot of fights out there for Conor, if we can’t get this Nate fight done.
Seamus wants McGregor WWE fight
Sheamus says he would like to fight McGregor in the WWE ring.
It’s entertainment, it’s WWE. I’d do anything. I’d fight anybody, any time, any place, anywhere. I think the gift of the gab would definitely get him through there. I think he’s kind of tailor made for that sort of situation. It’s very hard not to get Conor McGregor to talk. I think he’d do great.
Faber: ‘Stay away from boxing, Conor’
I want the fights that matter, and I don’t know what that timetable is, but I’ve told the UFC brass I want big fights – fights that are going to put money in their pockets, money in my pockets, and staple me as one of the best of all-time.
I actually like Conor. He’s got a mouth on him, I love talking back and forth with him. He’s got some wit about him, he’s got a weakness for Northern California fighters [Nate Diaz] and he’s got a weakness in his submission game, we know that. But he’s a powerful dude…[But] stay away from boxing, Conor. Not that he can’t do great over there, but this is a sport he loves, this is a sport he’s been training for.
White waiting for Mayweather call
White says that he’s still waiting on Mayweather to call him.
People hit me up and say, ‘Did you see Floyd just posted a poster of them squared off and said they’re fighting in September?’ and this and that. Listen, I don’t care what Floyd says. There’s only one way this fight’s happening (and that’s) through me. Floyd’s got to call me. Floyd and I haven’t talked. Here’s the reality: I haven’t talked to Floyd Mayweather once. If you look at how long and how hard it took to get the (Manny) Pacquaio (vs. Mayweather) fight done, that’s the same sport. I don’t know what (Mayweather’s) angle is on this thing with Conor McGregor, but he’s not fighting Conor McGregor without calling me. It’s not going to happen.
‘Nobody will ever come close to this mans greatness’
McGregor pays tribute to Muhammad Ali, with a line from the film, Reservoir Dogs.
Nobody will ever come close to this mans greatness.
And if they do, they better wake up and apologise. #RIPAli pic.twitter.com/ED2wgignB2— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 4, 2016
Report: McGregor-Diaz for UFC 202 on Aug 20
MMA Fighting reports that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz is close to being finalized for UFC 202 on Aug. 20 in Las Vegas.
McGregor-Diaz confirmed for UFC 202
UFC confirms McGregor will fight Diaz in UFC 202 in Las Vegas on August 20. McGregor says ESPN.com he wants the rematch to take place at 170 pounds again so that nothing would be different from their first fight.
What kind of fighter would I be if I said, ‘Hey, I didn’t get you at 170, let me try to get you at 155. I’ll make my adjustments. I ate up to the weight. This time, I won’t do that.
Respond’s to McGregor’s PPV boast
In an interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter, Lesnar responds to McGregor’s boast that he has the largest PPV views.
I don’t know him. I know of Conor McGregor. This sport has evolved even from when I first entered the octagon. I think people are finding out that you have to talk the talk, and you have to more importantly, you have to walk the walk. For guys that can talk and walk the walk, I think it’s great. I think it’s great for the company. I’ve got no qualms with anybody. If somebody wants to state that they’re the biggest pay-per-view draw in the world, I don’t care…I’ve never come out and said, ‘I hold the most pay-per-view buys.’ All I know is what I got paid and I’m happy. Like I said, I’m a prize fighter. I don’t hang my championship trophies on the walls because they don’t pay the bills…The true competitor in me is still alive and well and I have to do this. At the top of my career, I wasn’t at the top of my game. I feel like I was cheated out of my career in the UFC. In my mind and in my heart, I never lost to a foe. I never lost to my opponent. I lost to diverticulitis. That was my opponent who beat me.
Forbes: 85th highest paid athlete
0 CommentsForbes magazine says that McGregor is the 85th highest paid athlete in the world in 2016. He earned a salary of $18m plus endorsements of $4m, giving a total of $22m. By comparison, Floyd Mayweather is in 16th place with earnings of $44m. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the table with earnings of $88m.
UFC star Conor McGregor fought three times over the past 12 months, including headlining two of the three best-selling UFC fights ever on pay-per-view. UFC 194 where McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds had 1.2 million buys. McGregor lost to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 (their rematch will be at UFC 202 in August) which sold a massive 1.5 million units. His cut of PPV revenue pushed McGregor’s earnings in the Octagon to $18 million. The Irishman also banked an estimated $4 million outside the Octagon through appearances and endorsement partners Reebok, Fanatics, Monster Energy, BSN, Bud Light, Rolls Royce and Electronic Arts.
Lawler: ‘I would have taken McGregor’s soul’
Lawler says he would have been McGregor’s next opponent if he had beaten Diaz at UFC 196.
I wasn’t too worried about it. Obviously that was a big fight. He’s a big draw but it wouldn’t have been good for him…Cause if I hurt him, I wasn’t taking his neck. [I’d have taken] his soul…I’m a lot different than most people and he found a way out. Diaz took his neck and was nice to him. I’m just telling it like it is and how I saw it.
Kavanagh: McGregor still interested in 145 fights
Kavanagh says he and McGregor have been watching the featherweight division and that what happens next will depend on how the next couple months play out
The short answer is I don’t know [if Conor will return to 145 pounds]. I’m very intrigued to see the Aldo and Edgar fight. I hope Aldo is fully recovered from the bad knockout. I thought (Chad) Mendes went back in there really quick after the knockout against Conor. People don’t realize the damage it does — it takes a long time to recover, and I think Mendes went down quicker in that fight because of that. Maybe if he’d let himself rest a bit more he might have had more fight for Edgar. I hope that’s not the case for Aldo, (I hope) we get to see a solid version of Aldo and a new kind of improved Edgar, and see what different from the first fight. So yea, let’s see that, and assess after the rematch. It’s kind of those two names and (Max) Holloway kind of in the mix, so it’s an interesting time….I thought Holloway looked fantastic the other night [at UFC 199]. I’ve said it ever since Conor fought Max, I had him as the second best 145er in the division.
Rogan: UFC right to rematch McGregor-Diaz
Rogan says that the UFC made the right decision in rematching McGregor with Diaz.
The emperor has been stripped down, okay? So now, he’s been exposed, someone has beaten him. So here’s the thing, what do you now? Do you want to make money? Because if you want to make money, you make the biggest fight you can right now while he’s been exposed. And the biggest fight for sure is (a rematch with Diaz). And when I say exposed, I don’t mean he’s not talented. I mean exposed meaning he’s a human and that he can lose. And that happens with every fighter. They lose and once they lose people go ‘oh, you can be beat. So, this is not an invulnerable perfect fighter who is unbelievable durable who can take punishment like no man. We’re talking about a guy who got dinged up (and) shot for a sh***y wide open takedown, got taken down, got demolished on the ground and got choked unconscious – quickly afterwards. But, you’ve got to put him in against Nate again. Because, that’s the big money rematch and if this guy turns out to be a guy who is going to win some and lose some and the beginning of his career he’s the unbeatable and wild Celtic warrior character, uhhhh, that’s all gone.