Sonnen: If McGregor lasts one round, boxing is ‘fake’
Sonnen says McGregor making it past the first 30 seconds against Mayweather will discredit the sport of boxing.
The public dismisses boxing as a fringe, fake, and phoney sport, and the public may just be right. The fact that you can take a guy that has never lost in professional boxing and put him in there with a guy who has never done professional boxing and have a lot of people – including people in the industry of boxing – think that the guy who has never done it is going to beat your undefeated greatest of all time is an embarrassment for the sport. If Conor McGregor lasts 30 seconds with Floyd Mayweather it discredits boxing, and I think he will. If Conor McGregor makes it out of one round with Floyd Mayweather, the entire sport of boxing is a fake, phoney myth. And that’s the kind of pressure they’re under.
Roach hopes St-Pierre fights McGregor in the last fight of his deal
Roach says he hopes St-Pierre’s last fight on his contract will be with McGregor.
Who wouldn’t want that fight? I mean, it’s a big fight. We’d have to maybe cut weight and meet in the middle somewhere, something like that, but there’s a lot of negotiations to still happen of course, but yes. Who wouldn’t want that fight? We’ll see. The thing is [Georges is on] a three fight deal, and we have to win and that’s what we plan on doing.
Corbin would like to ‘slam’ McGregor’s head
WWE’s Corbin says McGregor is all talk no action.
I would go with Mayweather. I mean, the guy is unprecedented; he has zero losses. And he has an ego, I mean who wouldn’t? I have an ego, I like to tell everyone I’m the best and carry myself that way, but I mean nobody has touched Floyd. And he has created a legacy, and Conor McGregor is a professional at running his mouth. I think, you know, he’s called out a few WWE Superstars. I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at Conor McGregor. And he’s like 165 pounds, 185 pounds soaking wet. So I would like to slam him on his head a few times.
Khan: ‘Bam-bam-bam’ to drop McGregor
Khan says again that he is interested in joining the UFC and wants to fight McGregor.
I always said I’d give it a go, I’m a fighter who likes to fight and try different things. I don’t know if I’d be any good at it but I’d give it my all. [McGregor] wouldn’t know – I’d just hit him – bam-bam-bam-bam, but if he grabbed me I’m done, I’d have to work on that. Nate [Diaz] choked him out and Nate said to me ‘he’s not the best when you get him on the floor’, so he’s normally a stand up fighter. In boxing I think I beat him quite easily in boxing but in MMA I think it might be tough but you just don’t know. Conor’s a fighter who’s put the UFC on the map, he knows how to market himself. This is what fighting is all about, it’s all about promoting yourself, sometimes being that bad guy and making yourself a big name.
Kavanagh: McGregor wrote list of things he did wrong after winning Aldo fight
In an interview with The Irish Mirror, Coach Kavanagh says McGregor wrote him an essay on everything he did wrong after knocking out Aldo for the world featherweight title.
When I meet someone in sport or business I’m always interested to find out, how did they get over their biggest loss? I’ve had plenty of losses and failures but it’s about what you do with them. You don’t see a loss or a failure as a reason to quit you see it as an opportunity to learn. Conor and I have done that since day one. We’ve had plenty of losses in the cage but we use them to improve ourselves, come back and have plenty of wins too. Certainly at the beginning if Conor had a loss he would treat it as a reason to quit and I’d have to drag him down from his house. But that doesn’t happen anymore. You see him at his last loss, as soon as the fight was over he was analysing what he did wrong. He was humble in defeat. We got back in the gym, got ourselves a four- month plan and showed the world what we can do with a loss. If I have a fighter and after a win they go on a bender for four-and-a-half weeks, I forget about them. They’re wasting my time. I always use this story that when Conor beat Aldo to unify the 145 level, he argues it was an 11- second fight but it was 13 seconds on the record book, one punch and it was over. But he’s the most self-critical fighter I’ve ever met, and that night we went out for a bit and when we came home he wrote me an essay on everything he’d done wrong. It was only a 13 second fight.
Bisping: McGregor will ‘forever be the featherweight champ’
Bisping says that even though McGregor had his title removed by the UFC, he will always be the featherweight champ.
In a lot of people’s eyes, lets be honest be beat both of them – he beat Jose [Aldo] in thirteen seconds and he beat Max Holloway. Max Holloway was the only person [at featherweight] to take him to a decision, that’s granted. He’s older now and he has drastically improved but Conor does own a victory over him. I guess he [McGregor] will forever be the 145 champion, I guess. Because even though Jose’s the champion now it’s still fresh in everybody’s mind that Conor knocked him out in thirteen seconds. It’s simple as that. It wasn’t that long ago, that isn’t forgotten about.
Holloway wants McGregor rematch
Holloway says he wants to meet McGregor for a second time (he previously lost to McGregor in 2103) if he ever decides to return to 145-pounds one day.
The thing I always get hit with. Talking about this being a fake belt and the real champion beat both of these guys. I always say forget past tense, ask your boy how we match up now. His coaches believe I’m at the best at 145. His team believes I’m the best at 145. His fans know I’m the biggest threat to him at 145 or even in the whole UFC. So at the end of the day, I made no excuses. I’m not proud of the loss but get your facts your straight. Somebody got hurt in the first 30 seconds and somebody else got hurt in the last 30 seconds of the second round. I’m not trying to defend a loss. A loss is a loss but if you’re going to come and attack me, get your facts straight. Don’t show up to a gun fight with a knife.
McGregor ‘looking forward’ to Diaz trilogy fight
In a tweet referencing the recently-released video of his second fight against Diaz, McGregor says he is open to fighting a third time.
This is amazing video of a great chapter in my career.
I look forward to the trilogy fight down the road. It was a hell of a fight!Enjoy 👊 https://t.co/13VQNufJNo— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 27, 2017
Khan: McGregor is ‘all talk’
At his King’s Boxing Gym in Oakland California, Khan says McGregor cannot beat Mayweather.
McGregor keeps saying he wants to come into boxing but he’s all talk. I know he’s doing a little bit of boxing here and there, but boxing and MMA are two different sports. I think that [McGregor] not made as a boxer, but he might do well, he’s got that punch power that everyone says. [Mayweather] can break anyone down, take away that power, pick them off and I think McGregor just falls short in boxing. It’s his first fight he’s having as a professional boxer, 12 rounds, against the best boxer, with the best defence. [McGregor] could start off maybe taking one or two warm up fights then taking someone decent then taking Mayweather at the end. Floyd is one of the best fighters in the decade we’ve had in boxing and McGregor wants to fight the best out there. Floyd’s getting a bit older now, he might not be physically stronger now, or physically in great shape but I know one thing about Floyd – he’s mentally a great fighter.
Mayweather living ‘stress free’ despite McGregor
Mayweather comments on living stress-free.
I still got Conor ‘You Gotta Take This L’ McGregor…it’s all about living stress free…I reached the age 40…I think of things totally different.
Dillashaw: McGregor has ‘big holes’ in his game
Dillashaw says McGregor’s boxing is not good enough to beat Mayweather.
Mayweather man, I think so. Just cause of the experience. I always doubt him though, I always doubt McGregor. We’ll see, he’s big – my training partner Chad Mendes made fun of him. Going into that fight we knew of some big holes in Conor’s game, Chad exploited it. Chad got to train ten days for that fight, beat him up for two rounds, then gassed out and got beat. I just doubted the holes he had in his game, Diaz exploited it as well that he does have some big holes. Now he’s going to fight the best boxer ever and it’s pretty huge but, McGregor’s huge man. He’s a big dude. He walks around at like 180 probably. That’s a big difference between Mayweather.
White: McGregor can’t fight Mayweather without the UFC
White says that McGregor cannot fight without UFC approval.
We haven’t spoken since [McGregor’s Manchester talk]..He came out and said ‘I can do this without them [the UFC]’ and I guarantee you he can’t do it without us. What I’ve said was that I’ve always been respectful of Conor with the things he wants to do and everything else but if he wants to go down that road it will be an epic fall. And everybody knows exactly what that means. I don’t think anything else needs to be said. That’s it…There’s nothing to talk about. Conor McGregor is under contract with the UFC. He’s out on maternity leave right now and after his girl has the baby we’ll offer him another fight.
Mayweather responds to McGregor’s ‘I run boxing’ comments
Mayweather responds to McGregor’s comments that he ‘runs boxing’
I feel like he’s entitled to feel the way he wants to feel. You have to respect that…I just want to say, ‘Good work Dana White’. Conor McGregor you finally opened your mouth and you back to talkin’ shit. That’s cool too. But with me, It is what it is. If people know anything, that’s I can fight.
Aldo: McGregor-Mayweather won’t happen
Aldo says McGregor will not fight Mayweather, because of UFC contract rules.
We have a contract with the UFC, every athlete does, and everything has to go through the UFC. It’s hard for Mayweather to accept a fight with [McGregor] being a UFC fighter. He does boxing events, so it’s 80 percent for him and 20 percent for the rest. It’s the opposite in the UFC. The UFC makes 80 and athletes make 20. That’s what happens. That’s the real story. So it’s not about Conor signing the contract or not, it’s Mayweather accepting to make less, or make his event.
He also says he will never fight McGregor again:
Never. Never. I think it was close once. Today, with this fight between the UFC and him, from both sides. The UFC has tried to do this fight, and he didn’t want it. He’s running. He won’t accept it. But we’ll see. I don’t know if this fight happens. I don’t think about McGregor today. I couldn’t care less what he’s doing. Like I said, I want to remain champion, I want big fights. If one day I fight him, great. If not, I’ll continue my life, continue being champion, continue being the same person, fighting and winning. I don’t think about Conor today. I only talk about Conor because you ask. F-ck him.
Rogan: McGregor could be the ‘touch of death’ for Mayweather
Rogan says McGregor is dangerous to Mayweather.
Mayweather is a way better boxer. There’s just no doubt about it. He’s one of the greatest boxers, if not the greatest boxer that has ever lived…But that said, Conor McGregor is not incompetent. He’s very dangerous. Floyd Mayweather’s a way better boxer, but Conor McGregor is dangerous as f-ck and he has a really deceptive ability to move in and move out. He can cover distance very quickly and he can do so in a weird way. But if Floyd can figure him out and start using his jab and using his movement – see, Floyd has traditionally had problems with southpaws but he’s never lost to one…That’s a freak athlete and those come along and when those come along, if they’re smart too, and then they’re really good at learning the sport too, a lot of people are f-cked. And that’s where Conor McGregor is. He’s a freak athlete in the sense that he has what Firas Zahabi [calls] it the ‘touch of death.’ That’s the best way to describe it. He just zaps people.
He alsolikens McGregor’s punch power to heavyweight great George Foreman.
McGregor is a freak athlete with a touch of death who just zaps people. Look at the way Foreman hit [people]… his single-shot power-punch was so extraordinary that hardly anyone could stand in front of him.Foreman was so scary. So these freak athletes come along and when they’re smart and learn the sport, a lot of [opponents] get f-cked. That’s where Conor McGregor is.
Sonnen: McGregor-Mayweather fight ‘is on’
Sonnen tweets that the McGregor-Mayweather fight is definitely taking place.
Connor vs Floyd is ON!
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) March 17, 2017
He later says he was told the information from a ticketing source:
For some reason, both of these fighters have said they’re fighting, but no reporter has announced it. Now I have information from someone higher than that, which is a guy at a ticketing company where the ‘build’ was sent in…In that industry, [a build] is when you submit to the ticketing company, what you want, what your card is, what your date is — essentially, your schematics, this is what the arena layout is going to look like. That’s called the build, that’s the first step to lining up your tickets. The build was submitted, and I got it right from the ticketing guy. Whether that information is accurate or not, I believe it is. I believe it is enough that I reported it, I tweeted it. I will tell you again, I don’t know how to use any clearer language, Conor and Floyd are going to fight.
Criticises ‘pussies’ with padded records
Lobov compares his style of fighting to those who — he says — select easy opponents.
The game is filled with pussies, you know what I mean? It’s filled with them guys. Of course, how cool is it, you know, you go in there, you tell all your mates that you’re going to be fighting and you go in and you kill the guy in 10 seconds. It looks great, of course. It’s not like me. I come in there and I’m taking on the best guy in the f-cking city or in the area or whatever and we have an absolute war and it’s three rounds and I’m beat up and I can’t even f-cking train for four or five weeks. Of course, that’s the hard road. It’s not pretty, it’s not easy, but I felt that if you want to be a fighter, if you want to be in the sport, then this is the right approach. So hopefully in time it will change. I will keep exposing all of the guys that are padding their records, I will keep pointing the finger at them and I will never have respect for anyone who tries to pad his record. If you want my respect, you gotta earn it. And I always give credit where credit is due.
Woodley: McGregor-Mayweather ‘good for UFC’
Woodley says the McGregor-Mayweather fight will be good for the UFC.
I think it’s a phenomenal thing for the UFC. It’s a phenomenal thing for combat sports. Anytime you can bring boxing and MMA together in common sports, I think it’s a great opportunity. These guys are the top of the top in their divisions. I think this fight on paper may not be the most stylistic matchup but in general, I think it’s a great fight. It’s going to bring in a lot of money. We’re fighting over millions of dollars. These guys are going into the tens of millions of dollars and Floyd’s going into the hundreds of millions,” Woodley said. “So I think it’s a fight that needs to take place.
Arum: UFC wants half of McGregor’s purse
Boxing promoter Arum says the UFC is asking for half of McGregor’s fee to fight Mayweather.
Business-wise it’s different because, like PT Barnum says, ‘A sucker is born every minute’!..They proposed a deal to Conor that on his share of the purse, they take 50 per cent. Gimme a break! If the fight doesn’t happen – not that I think it’s going to be a great fight – the blame will be only on the UFC.
He also says McGregor can’t beat Mayweather.
McGregor has no chance with Mayweather in the boxing ring, Mayweather has no chance with McGregor in the Octagon. It’s a different sport…You could put Conor McGregor in the ring with a guy who had three or four fights and he still wouldn’t have a chance. To go right in to face one of the great fighters of our era is a little bit much.
