Macklin: McGregor has ‘woken the sleeping giant’ of Irish fans
At a press conference for Michael Conlan, Macklin says McGregor has built up huge support with Irish fans.
The real star, the guy who’s really woken up the sleeping giant that is Irish fight fans, is Conor McGregor. Not a boxer, he’s an MMA guy. He has really shot to superstardom. He is the biggest star in combat sports. And Conor will be carrying out the Irish flag for Michael.
"For a long time, Irish fight fans have been a sleeping giant. They've been woken by @TheNotoriousMMA." – @mattmacklin. #TheConlanRevolution pic.twitter.com/tszJmHzsQF
— eir Sport (@eirSport) March 15, 2017
Bisping: Mayweather returning to boxing after being scammed
Bisping says Mayweather was prompted to return to the ring because he was the victim of a scam.
I was talking to someone in Las Vegas, and I heard that Floyd recently got scammed out of a lot of money. The number was very, very big. I don’t think Floyd needs the money, but he wants to replace this money that he got swindled out of…My bet is that the fight will happen. Will it happen in June? I don’t know, that might be a bit too soon.
White: McGregor-Mayweather ‘nowhere near being done’
White says that the fight between McGregor and Mayweather has not been finalized.
[It’s] nowhere near being done. There is no target date whatsoever.
Nelson: McGregor can beat Mayweather
Nelson, McGregor’s training partner, says that he has recently met MCGregor in the gym.
He’s more training boxing now, getting ready for the Mayweather bout. That’s the focus right now. He’s around but I didn’t train with him this time. It’s going to generate a lot of money. I think that’s the idea of it all. But I believe in Conor too. I have a hard time predicting exactly how this thing goes and how good Mayweather is at boxing compared to Conor. But I just know that Mayweather has struggled with southpaws. Conor is also bigger than him. Mayweather is almost always the bigger guy, except maybe when he fought Canelo. Conor has the reach as well. I think Conor could trick him in his own game. I’m just looking forward to seeing it.
Rogan explains how McGregor can beat Mayweather
Rogan says McGregor may have something up his sleeve.
There’s something about [Conor McGregor]. I’m telling you, there’s something about that dude. He’s got something going on. He’s got a little something extra special but he would need everything to line up. Mayweather would have to dismiss him as a threat. He’d have to not train hard enough, he’d have to not seriously consider the possibility that Conor connects on him and knocks him out. And then Conor would have to do some roughhousing. He’d have to hold him in the clinch. He’d have to hold him and hit him. He’d have to try and get off as many shots and bully him around and wear him out. It’s a possibility. He’s a much bigger man. He’s a much bigger man. If you compare the two of them frame-wise, if they ever do do it, and they’re standing right at each other, looking down at each other doing eye-to-eye, you’re gonna go ‘oh, shit.’ [Conor]’s a big f-ck. He can make that 145-pound cut when he’s on death’s door, but Mayweather makes it easy.
Mayweather to McGregor: ‘Stop ducking and diving’
Mayweather says McGregor will damage the reputation of the UFC if he avoids fighting him.
I’m out of retirement now just for Conor McGregor. Tell the ufc to let’s make this fight happen. I don’t want the UFC to look bad – because us boxers we’re not ducking and dodging anyone. So I don’t want Conor McGregor to duck or dodge me. He called me out. He acted like he really wanted to fight to happen. So let’s make it happen.
Mayweather: ‘Real men fight standing up’
Mayweather says MMA is not ‘real’ fighting.
We gonna fight standing up. Because real men fight standing up. I’m from old school. I’m not gonna kick my shoes off. I’m not gonna be between no man’s legs, wrestling on the ground. I’m gonna stand up and I’m gonna kick ass. That’s what I do. I’ve been doing this for 21 years.
St-Pierre: McGregor not the No.1 fighter in world
St-Pierre says that, while McGregor is good at attracting publicity, he doubts his fighting skills.
I believe Conor McGregor is the biggest draw for the sport in terms of popularity. But I don’t know if, in terms of fighting, he’s the best guy pound for pound. He’s the guy that makes the most noise, of course, but skillset talking, I don’t think he’s the number one guy. He’s the guy that makes the most noise, of course, but skillset talking, I don’t think he’s the number one guy. But he’s been proving a lot wrong in the last few fights, including myself, I was very impressed. We’ll see what the future holds for everyone.
McGregor and Mayweather want different fight dates
Despite Mayweather saying that he wants to fight McGregor in June, Conlan says McGregor wants to fight in September.
He says, September. It’s on. It’s done.
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.
https://www.facebook.com/TheMcGregorEra/videos/454528548213168/
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.
https://youtu.be/7Xxa4k7auNo
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.