Pacquiao willing to fight McGregor
Pacquiao says he is open to fighting McGregor if the Mayweather fight doesn’t happen.
In boxing? In boxing [I would fight McGregor] but not in [UFC], just boxing. I didn’t see [footage of Conor sparring]. But if we are talking about Conor McGregor and boxing, it’s different. Boxing is different than MMA.
Nunes: Rousey can come back
Nunes, speaking of her own experience in past defeats, says Rousey can come back.
I already passed this moment in my career. It’s harder to lose but if you be strong, you’ll be able to come back like I did. Make some changes, adjust. The passion in her life, the family has to be with her. The base is very important. Make some changes in her camp, move to another gym and come back strong.
She also says she was surprised Rousey continued to trade blows with her.
I think it was ego. “I knew she was gonna try to strike with me and I think that was the completely wrong strategy to fight a girl like me.
Nurmagomedov: Ferguson tougher than McGregor
Nurmagomedov says McGregor is holding up the division, and that Ferguson is a stronger opponent.
Because he never defends his belts. He never [defended] his Cage Warriors belts, never defended his featherweight belt, and now UFC lightweight, I don’t think is different. But he has to defend. We’ll see. I don’t think about this too much. I think about Tony and March 4. This is the biggest fight in my life…I feel Tony’s tougher than Conor. Because if I take [Conor] down, fight finished. If I take down Tony, we have to fight. Take down Conor, what’s he going to do? His condition is very bad. His spirit, his heart is small. I think Tony’s tougher than Conor.
Ferguson: McGregor will get his ‘ass kicked’ by Mayweather
Ferguson says he’s frustrated by McGregor holding up the division.
It’s for an interim title. It should be for the real shit. Am I little pissed about it? Yeah. Is Conor going to defend his belt? Little shit. Probably not. He’s going to run. Go ahead. Go run. Go try to box so you can get your ass kicked, too, then when you’re ready to come back they’re going to strip your belt. At 155, I’m going to be holding that and you’re going to be like ‘oh I want my belt back’. I don’t give a f-ck. This is the real fight. The fight’s between Khabib and Ferguson. That’s the real deal fight…Honestly I could give two shits about it. He’s got his family, he’s got his things, he’s got his hands full. He’s a grown-ass man, he can handle his own shit. Same thing with me. I’m here to kick everybody’s ass in this division. I’m not going to excuse anybody of an ass whooping.
Woodley: Race a factor in treatment of fighters
Woodley says he has not been treated as well as other fighters because he is African-American.
People don’t like to hear it, but it’s the culture of our sport. We’re dealing with a different set of rules…UFC fans in general go through niches, genres of people. This is the genre where they want to see a clean-cut guy like [Thompson], doing razzle-dazzle, super flashy…The second I bring up race in the sport, I’m immediately race-baiting. But I can point out clear facts, where no other champion has been treated like me.
Let’s put the cards on the table, real is real. If I was a different complexion, I think people and fans would treat me a different way…I’m by far the worst-treated champion in the history of the UFC.
Mayweather taunts McGregor’s earning power
Mayweather tweets about what he ses as McGregor’s (lack of) earning power.
Before you ask for $25M, be worth more than $25M. You have the "2" and the "5" right but you meant to say $2.5M not $25M. pic.twitter.com/07vaWF0hen
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) January 19, 2017
Woodley: McGregor can last a couple of rounds, but will lose against Mayweather
Woodley says McGregor can survive in the ring against Mayweather.
I think it is going to happen this year. I have very strong insights that it will happen.Conor is from a karate background; he’s a striker by nature. He could probably last a couple of rounds… He will lose. He will lose convincingly but he could last at least six rounds. “Conor has been known to take some crazy punches with 4-ounce gloves on. If you hit him with 8-ounce gloves on, it’s a different thing.
Conlan will ‘raise the roof’ in NYC with McGregor
Conlan, who is currently training in Los Angeles, talks about his upcoming New York debut.
I’ve had a thousand people contact me about going to the fight which is incredible but I’m not getting carried away believing I have a massive fan base when I haven’t even boxed – it’s also a great excuse to go to New York for St Paddy’s weekend. It’s a lot of expense coming out here to watch me and I know I’ll not get this kind of support all the time so it will be a very special night. Conor and I will raise the roof. He is the hype machine. Everything he touches at the minute seems to be turning to gold. The fact that he’s on board and willing to come along and support me just shows I’ve earned a bit of respect in the fight world. But to have him there with me, two Irishmen… it just brings the whole thing to a new level. What I have planned for my debut is going to be mental. The ring entrance, everything – I have the whole thing planned. I even have my kit picked already. I’m going to make a show, and make entertainment for boxing again.
Caruso ‘pissed’ at McGregor for missing xXx film
Caruso says he was angry that McGregor did not appear in his film xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.
I wasn’t disappointed, I was really pissed. Conor had said yes he was going to do the movie [then] he went and got his ass kicked by Nate Diaz. After that, he sort of backed out but didn’t back out. We had liked Michael Bisping from the onset and so we reached back out to him and got him. I think it all works out for great reasons – and then to have Michael become the world champion while you’re getting to know him.
Rogan: McGregor-Diaz trilogy fight will happen
Rogan says that if McGregor stays at lightweight, he will be challenged to a third fight by Diaz.
They’re already saying that Conor shouldn’t have fought Nate because Nate was too big for him. But Nate is a 155er. That’s a fight that’s going to happen again if Conor stays the 155lb champion. It’s going to happen again, it has to.
Sharpe: McGregor can now demand $25 million for UFC fights
Sharpe says by telling McGregor what he’s worth in a fight against Mayweather, White has given the Irishman more negotiating power ahead of his next bout in the UFC.
If I’m Conor McGregor, I say I appreciate that Dana White because for the longest time you told me and you told everybody that would listen and every fight fan in the UFC, Ronda Rousey is the biggest draw. You just went on television or you went on radio and said ‘Conor McGregor is the ‘A’ side’. So whether I fight Floyd Mayweather or not, it’s going to cost you $25 million plus a back end part of the pay-per-view going forward. That’s all he’s done. Conor McGregor’s going to double down now. I want to talk to you about a piece, but going forward it’s $25 million for me to step into the ring and then we’ll negotiate the back end on pay-per-view buys. Because if I’m the ‘A’ guy, I don’t really need Floyd. Because I’m the ‘A’ guy. People are coming to see me.
Roddy: McGregor ‘more serious’ about Mayweather
Striking coach Roddy says there has been a change in McGregor’s attitude to a potential fight with Mayweather.
He would mainly bring up Floyd in passing, but over the past month or two it’s started to become more serious. It was just chitchat before but now everything is a lot more direct. Saying that, I still have no idea if this fight can ever happen, but it definitely seems to be getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.
As to McGregor’s performance:
We all know what happens when Conor lands that left hand. It doesn’t matter who it is, if that hand lands on your chin you’re going to sleep. It’s kind of like a trade off between their two skill sets. We know that Conor can knock anyone stiff, but will he be able to land a solid connection on Mayweather, a guy who is probably the greatest defensive fighter of all time? Everybody has found that very difficult, but Conor poses a very different threat. Any time Mayweather has taken a serious shot, it’s always been against a southpaw. Conor is obviously a southpaw and he will be coming in and attempting to hit Mayweather from angles he probably hasn’t seen before because they come from different disciplines. Conor will be a lot bigger too. This is going to be a tricky fight for Mayweather because it won’t be like anything he has seen before in a traditional boxing match. Conor moves in such a unique way, it would be nearly impossible for Mayweather to get someone to replicate his style, especially because none of us have ever seen Conor contest a professional boxing match before.
Chiesa: McGregor won’t end year as Lightweight champ
Chiesa says McGregor cannot win against fighters coming up in the Lightweight Division.
Sooner or later, Conor is going to have to come out and fight. Whether he’s taking this hiatus himself or the company is putting him on ice, who knows? But I don’t see him staying champion. I know he’s good. I’m not knocking him. We have to recognize the guy can f-cking fight. But you have to look at the guys coming up in the lightweight division. Tony Ferguson and Khabib, you have to fight the winner of that fight. I mean, dude, you’re good, but you’re going up against a guy who is 24-0, multiple sambo world champion, or a guy that would be on a 10-fight win streak. Conor is good, but I really don’t think he’s a true lightweight. That’s what I’m saying. With the landscape of this division, I don’t see Conor ending his year as champion. And you put me in there, I’m going to drag him to the ground and beat him too. I’m a huge lightweight. I’m as big as Nate or bigger, and we saw how many problems Nate gave him.
Holyfield offers to ‘squash’ McGregor for $25 Million
Holyfield tells Dana White that he will fight McGregor for $25 million.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPWM_c6DssH/
Rogan: Mayweather can’t pull as many PPVs as McGregor
Rogan says Mayweather doesn’t have as much power in negotiations as he thinks.
Hey dude, it’s a lot of f-cking money. Here’s the deal; Floyd Mayweather’s last pay-per-view had 300 thousand pay-per-view buys. Conor’s last two pay-per-views were 1.3 million and 1.5 million.
https://youtu.be/xP6KNkK257Q?t=1m
Rogan: McGregor can beat Mayweather using MMA gloves
Rogan says McGregor can beat Mayweather if he uses MMA gloves:
Let me tell ya, here’s where Conor McGregor can win… MMA gloves. Let’s have a boxing match, with MMA gloves. Floyd’s had some serious problems in the past with his hands. And he uses those big ass pillow gloves because of it, and he’s been known to not really sit down with his punches. He just picks guys apart. There’s no doubt about it, Floyd is a masterful boxer but that’s a big transition for him, to fighting with smaller gloves.
Nunes: I’m the female Conor McGregor
Arriving at LAX, Nunes says she is pound-for-pound better than McGregor.
Yes, for sure. I am am a well-rounded fighter. Wherever the fight goes I am competent. Stand up. Ground game. I will do it if the UFC gives me the opportunity. Let me grow!
About Rousey:
[I haven’t spoken to Ronda]. This is the best moment for her to be with her family. This is MMA. This is our job. We cannot say sorry. We signed a contract. [If she wanted to talk to me, I would] why not?
Silva wants a catchweight superfight with McGregor
Silva says he wants to fight McGregor.
Now that I’m old, I’m beginning to challenge everyone. Oh, I want to beat this dwarf… what’s the boy’s name again? McGregor. It is not provocation. It’s just that I forget, I’m old. Old men know what it’s like. I have this urge to test myself against him. I think he’s a guy who has an unusual ability. I do not know if he would reach a weight of 81, 82 kg, which is the weight I can get to, but it’s a guy I’d like to test myself before I end my career. I think it would be a great fight for the world of fights and UFC history.
He also says McGregor may beat Mayweather:
I think everybody has a chance. When you step inside [the ring] to fight, you have a chance. Of course if you’re fighting Mayweather, people would say ‘oh, McGregor won’t last a round,’ but we never know. The movement is different [in boxing], how you have your feet on the ground is different, the timing is different [in] boxing. The only way to see is putting them to fight. He would have to stop at least a year to be able to do a close fight, and I believe he should do it.
Kavanagh hints at McGregor-Mayweather fight
Coach Kavanagh posts an image to Instagram showing McGregor fighting Mayweather.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPSxGReg2Il/
Bookmakers open odds on Mayweather-McGregor fight
Las Vegas bookmarkers open odds on a potential McGregor-Mayweather fight, with the odds favoring Mayweather as 1-20 favourite (bet 20 to win one), while McGregor is 10-1 (bet one to win 10).
Nice. @danawhite offers @TheNotoriousMMA & @FloydMayweather $25M each on @TheHerd. BetOnline.ag odds open:
Mayweather -2000
McGregor +1000— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) January 13, 2017