De La Hoya: McGregor should fight amateurs first
De La Hoya says boxing will be a “joke” if McGregor takes on Mayweather without having warm-up fights.
It would be a joke, it would be an embarrassment for boxing, if an MMA fighter were to go into the ring. It would be a no-contest. It would be the same thing if a fighter went into the Octagon, it would be an embarrassment for MMA. If McGregor gets inside a boxing ring, he’ll get outclassed easy. McGregor has never fought a boxer, ever in his life. In all seriousness, he should start off by fighting an amateur boxer, win a few amateur fights, maybe go on to win the Golden Gloves or something, and then when you turn pro he should fight a four-rounder, [in] which maybe he’ll get beat. But he should get experience in boxing and then call out the best. You cannot be calling out a top fighter in boxing right off the bat.
Lobov: Mayweather won’t last six rounds against McGregor
Lobov, McGregor’s training partner, says Mayweather cannot beat McGregor.
Being honest, and I know I’m going to get a lot of hate from it, but I don’t see Mayweather making it past the sixth round. And if it was Pacquiao, I don’t see Pacquiao making it past two rounds. And look, I was the one that predicted the one minute against Aldo. There is an interview of me, I can’t find it now, but there is a video of me where Conor keeps talking about four minutes, saying around the four-minute mark he was going to stop Aldo, and me saying, ‘no, forget the four minutes. It doesn’t get out of the first minute,’ and sure enough it was. I’m sure I got a lot of hate for that too, but trust me I know something. I’ve sparred this man for a very long time and I’ve watched this game for a many, many years and I understand a thing or two. I certainly hope it will happen. I mean, we’re ready, we’re getting ready for that fight, make no mistake about it, Conor is ready to go, he’s a loaded weapon.
Diaz says he will fight McGregor-Mayweather winner
In an interview at at Virgil Hunter’s gym, in Oakland, Diaz says he will fight the winner of McGregor vs. Mayweather.
Yeah, so they said I was waiting for Conor McGregor but I wasn’t waiting for Conor McGregor. I already beat him twice, so I was just training and saying if I was gonna fight again anytime soon, it was gonna be a big deal fight….Now they’re talking all this McGregor-Mayweather stuff, I don’t know how real or fake it is, but it sounds like it could, who knows? Money talks. So all I know is I’m the only one with the credentials to fight both of those guys. They claim they’re the best in the world. Mayweather has been for years at boxing and McGregor, I just beat him twice and everybody forgets that. So, I got winner, straight up. I’m in the right place to be doing it with all the best boxers in the world.
Nurmagomedov: ‘I’m going to smash McGregor’
At his Q&A session ahead of UFC 209, Nurmagomedov criticises McGregor.
I don’t give a f-ck about Cono. I think about only belt. When I come to the UFC, I never thought about Conor ‘oh I want to fight with him, make money’ something like this. I think about only the belt. I think I beat Tony Ferguson, after Conor says he doesn’t want to defend his title because he never defends his title and I’ll fight with another tough contender…This chicken is no loyal guy. I know this. If you remember, the first time he fights in the UFC, after the fight he said ‘$50 G’s baby’ something like this, he asked to Dana please give me $50,000. He said give me $50,000. The UFC made him. If he never fought in the UFC, how he become like this? Now he has name, now he talk about he can fight without the UFC in boxing. For me this is disrespect to UFC. Now I think the UFC has to make plan. They have to put PR machine [behind me] This is true. UFC promote him all the time because the UFC has a very big PR machine. Now I think the UFC have to make plan. They have to promote me. Make fight like me versus him after I beat Tony Ferguson. I’m going to smash this guy. This is what I have to do for the UFC. This is how I see this situation. Because we have to make him humble.
Conlan: McGregor believes he’s going to beat Mayweather
Conlan talks about McGregor supporting him at his professional debut at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick’s Day.
Conor’s coming to the fight. Conor’s gonna walk me out and he’s going to carry the tricolour, which is our national flag. It’s a complete honour. I’ve known Conor for quite a while now. I got him the sparring partners he needed for Nate Diaz, for the rematch. Our friendship’s grown since then…We ran an event together in Belfast. I asked him in front of the whole crowd. He shook on it, gave me his word. He said, ‘It’ll be an honour’…He has serious talent, he’s a great fighter…You’ll have to see what happens when the fight is made with Mayweather, which I do believe will be made. I don’t doubt Conor at all in his ability, and he believes 100% in his ability. And I don’t think he believes he’s going in it for money, he believes he’s going to win. And you’ve got to respect that from anybody.
White: Nothing set on Mayweather, McGregor to fight in UFC next
White says negotiations with Mayweather are not progressing, and that McGregor will fight in UFC next.
I don’t know where we are with it. We are nowhere. Conor wouldn’t train with [Roach]. Conor’s got his own team and his own crew. I expect Conor’s next fight to be in the UFC in mixed martial arts and to be with the winner of Khabib and Ferguson…[Conor wants the Mayweather fight because it’s] gonna be millions of dollars. The guy’s gonna make anywhere between $30 and $40. [Khabib vs McGregor] is gonna be good. Two nasty guys, number one and number two in the world.
Mayweather: ‘Conor McGregor got power’
On his 40th birthday, Mayweather says he is ready and willing to accept the bout.
They keep throwing the Conor McGregor name out there. Conor McGregor, you know like I said before. I’m here, let’s make it happen…Every time Conor McGregor goes out there and compete and win, he do it standing up. When Conor McGregor did lose, he lost on the ground, he didn’t lose standing up. So he’s a hell of a fighter and he’s a very tough competitor, and he has the will to win. The UFC gloves is no different from boxing gloves, they’re just a little bit smaller, but if a guy got power, he got power and Conor McGregor got power…Let’s make the fight happen, let’s give the fans what they want to see. There’s only one fight out there that’s important. That’s Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
One of @FloydMayweather's birthday wishes? A possible matchup with @TheNotoriousMMA. pic.twitter.com/qRjHmUyBtY
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) February 25, 2017
Thompson: McGregor and Mayweather have reached agreement
Thompson, who is also managed by Audie Attar, confirms that McGregor and Mayweather have agreed terms.
Those guys are still making multi millions of dollars. I think that [$100 million] is what Mayweather originally wanted. But I know they kind of negotiated down. But yeah I think it is going to happen man – from the talk of it anyway. I mean, my manager is Conor McGregor’s manager, and it looks like the deal is almost done. It is getting closer and closer.
He also says that he thinks Mayweather will win.
Well you have a guy who trains mixed martial arts [Conor] – I am not really sure how long he has been training. And he is going up against [Mayweather] in what literally is a different sport, and [Mayweather] has been boxing since he was three years old…It is really comparable to putting Mayweather out there in a mixed martial arts fight. I mean how do you think that is going to go? I think Mayweather is going to dominate.
Conlan: McGregor not fighting Mayweather for money
Conlan talks about talking to McGregor about the Mayweather fight.
I was doing some strength and conditioning, and Conor was out here having talks with the (Floyd) Mayweather team about their possible fight. He came to LA to do some training. He ended up in the gym so it was good to catch up with him. I watched him do some training and he looked great. He looked in shape and he is confident the fight is going to be made. I think it will happen, and I am delighted for him. It is a massive fight, and I hope it happens. I won’t speak on who will win, or if Conor can pose Mayweather problems. I don’t want to get involved in that debate. But Conor believes 100 per cent in his ability, and he believes 100 per cent in himself. He isn’t doing it just for the money. He is doing it to win the fight. He can’t see himself losing. You can’t write someone off who 100 per cent believes in himself. When you have that belief, things happen…People will go crazy for it. But you see the people who complain about it, they will watch it. Boxing fans will watch it. MMA fans will watch it. Everyone will watch it, whether they agree with it or not. Simple as that. Every single person will watch this fight.
Glazer: McGregor and Mayweather should hook up on Tinder
Glazer says there will be trouble if Mayweather and McGregor meeting outside the ring while both fighters are in Los Angeles.
There’s a good chance [they will run into each other]. If I’m Floyd I only want to run into him in a boxing ring. I don’t want to run into him anywhere else…Although Floyd has a bunch of big dudes around him…I respect the hell out of Floyd as a fighter. He’s a great boxer. I’d love to see [McGregor] happen I’d like to see anything competitive. They can’t fight each other on Instagram, that doesn’t work. They should fight each other on Tinder.
Ferguson to McGregor: ‘Come back when you’re ready to be a man’
At a press conference for UFC 209, Ferguson says McGregor is trying to avoid him.
He’s trying to avoid me by going over to boxing. I honestly couldn’t care less. This is a man’s sport we play…I’ve been putting in my my work and my effort, and Khabib and me are going to have this war. Whatever Conor does, I gave him a pass. I don’t have to talk too much shit. He’s got a kid coming up. I told him, go spend some of that money, dude. Go do what you’ve got to do and earn that little thing that you’ve got, and then come back when you’re ready to be a man. I’m at 155. Once I’m done, I’ll move on and make sure whoever’s next is going to get it. But right now, the fight at hand is Khabib Nurmagomedov, and we’re here to do business.
Cowherd: McGregor should ‘tackle’ Mayweather to win
Cowherd says that, while under normal boxing rules, McGregor cannot beat Mayweather, the Irishman should try to rattle the boxing champ.
If I was Conor McGregor, my game plan would be to be a disruptor. I would tackle him, I would rattle him, I would go after him. I would headbutt him. I would get penalized. I would get points taken off. I would get into his head. I would do anything I could to ramp up Mayweather and induce him to make a mistake and get close…What Mayweather wants is to control the environment; punch, jab, punch, jab, land, punch, jab, hook, punch, score. Don’t get touched. If I’m McGregor? I wanna wrestle. I want it to be a bar room brawl. So I would go right after him and I’d border on inappropriate.
How Conor McGregor could beat Floyd Mayweather pic.twitter.com/1ULq09UqZE
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 17, 2017
Ferguson: ‘Money made McGregor ‘soft’
Ferguson explains his ‘McNuggets’ taunt against McGregor.
I’m not going to start thinking I’m the shit or focusing on Conor. I’m going to stay grounded, humbled and keep earning my way to victory. ‘TSKYH’ is tattooed on my arm. ‘Think Strong Keep Your Head.’ That means don’t be floating in the clouds…Money made McGregor soft. I say ‘McNuggets,’ because he’s made of that fake shit, that pink stuff from McDonalds that nobody wants. Do I get a little pissed [I’m asked about him]? Yeah, I get a little heated. But the real belt is between myself and Khabib. He’s 24-0. Dude, I forget how many wins I have. I don’t even care anymore. Those numbers keep racking up.
Ferguson says he will ‘end’ McGregor with snap-jitsu
Ferguson talks about his upcoming fight with Nurmagomedov at UFC 209.
For UFC 209 you can expect fireworks. I’ve been working on my hands like you would not believe, my head-movement, I don’t want to get hit anymore. It’s a flawless victory I am looking for. I’ll go out there and out-condition this guy, put the pressure on him and completely shut up all the fans out there who are haters.
If he wins he will face McGregor.
You know what, everybody’s got a shot. It’s a fighter’s chance and anybody can get knocked out on any single day. But this isn’t four-oz gloves, this is a completely different sport. When you get hit you can’t take em down like he tried to do with Nate Diaz. If Conor McGregor and myself were ever to go toe-to-toe I’d put him down, hard. I’d put him down with snap-jitsu, he would go to snapdown city and that would just be the end of Conor.
Anik: GSP vs McGregor would be biggest fight in UFC history
On his podcast Anik says St-Pierre vs. McGregor would be the biggest fight in UFC history and bring in more than two million PPVs.
It is absolutely massive. Is that a bigger fight than Mayweather -McGregor? I don’t know that I can take that leap, but it’s damn close.
Conor McGregor vs GSP would be the biggest fight in UFC History Would Do 2+ M PPV Buys' – Via the Anik & Flo podcast https://t.co/hzcVRnL3h2
— Conor McGregor News (@ConormcGregor5) February 22, 2017
Bayless: Mayweather wants no part of McGregor
On his Undisputed show, Bayless says to co-host Sharpe that Mayweather is simply toying with McGregor.
He’s doing it again. He’s dropping hints. He’s telling Freddie Roach, ‘Get ready to train him,’ because he knows Freddie will spread this news like it’s fertiliser. And he knows, Floyd does, that he can now lead people to believe this fight is this close to happening. And when it gets that close, in the end Floyd will bow out and he will make the excuse that Conor McGregor is making ‘outrageous, unrealistic demands.’ He does it every time, because he wants no part of Conor McGregor…[Mayweather] cannot risk this. He cannot risk losing to some MMA fighter and going 49-1 and having his legacy tarnished and tainted, with the disgrace of losing to Conor McGregor. Can you imagine what it would be to Floyd’s career? He doesn’t need this. Do you realise Floyd May-or-May-not-weather is about to turn 40 on Friday and Conor McGregor is still 28 years of age? Because he sees Conor McGregor, as Freddie Roach will be the first to tell you, has punching power. I think he has punching power that Floyd hasn’t seen before.
Sharpe:
There’s a simple creed in professional sports or any business: If it makes dollars, it makes sense. This makes plenty of dollars, and it makes a lot of sense. Because let’s just say when Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao, it did 4.4 million buys. Over $400 million in pay-per-view dollars, and the gate was $72 million. A lot of people are going to watch (because) ‘I want to see Floyd get his butt kicked.’ A lot of people are going to watch (because), ‘I want to see Conor get his butt kicked.’ Now let’s see what these styles are going to do stylistically, because they’re totally different.
Coach: Nurmagomedov won’t wait to fight McGregor if he boxes Mayweather
Nurmagomedov’s coach comments on the situation that will arise if he beats Tony Ferguson in UFC 209. In that case, Nurmagomedov should fight McGregor, but if McGregor fights Mayweather, Nurmagomedov will be forced to sit on the sidelines for several months before being handed the opportunity to unify the interim and undisputed titles. Coach:
The way I look at it is when Khabib wins, not if Khabib wins, it’s a matter of what Khabib wants to do next. I don’t think Khabib will wait for Conor. Conor is going to do what Conor wants to do. Khabib isn’t going to wait around for Conor.
St-Pierre coach wants return bout with McGregor or Bisping
Zahabi, St-Pierre’s coach, says he wants cross-division super fights.
I was really happy when there was a buzzing of Bisping or McGregor. I thought those two would be two epic fights. One, he would go a little lower, one he would go a little higher. But those are really, really intriguing fights. Of course, Tyron Woodley, he’s the champion and et cetera, but he has his fight with ‘Wonderboy’, and if ‘Wonderboy’ wins, then they’ll have a trilogy. And of course we don’t want to fight with ‘Wonderboy,’ we go way back together. So I think the welterweight title is not really something [GSP] is thinking about right now because of the current landscape.. but there is always the 185-pound belt. And of course, McGregor is such a mega-star that if you put those two on a main event, I don’t think that anybody in the world wouldn’t watch that. I think that even non-MMA fans would watch that.
White: St-Pierre might return at 155-pounds
White says St-Pierre may cut to 155-pounds on his comeback, which could potentially set up a weight match with Conor McGregor.
It could be the winner between Tyron Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, or it could be Michael Bisping. Georges has also talked about fighting at 155 pounds. He says he can make the weight.
Power talks about growing up with McGregor
Lincoln City’s Power talks about growing up with McGregor in Crumlin.
We used to knock around in the same circle of friends back home when we were growing up. He played Sunday League football where I did – actually he wasn’t a bad footballer, but he chose a different path. He made the right decision, he’s a better fighter than a footballer, but who knows, I might have been the same…I’ve not spoken to him in years – he’s a superstar now. The last time I spoke to him he was cage fighting in Dublin and wasn’t too sure if he was going to continue with it, but he’s a phenomenon. When he went over to America to fight in the UFC, we lost touch, but everyone who knew him then, we’re so proud of everything he has achieved. [Doing the Billy walk after I got the penalty] was just my way of paying a little tribute. There has been a lot of hype surrounding it since but I’ve not heard from him. I know BT Sport tried to contact him on Twitter, but I doubt he even looked at it. He’s a busy man, he’s got bigger things to worry about than a footballer he used to know from Lincoln, but I hope he’s seen it.