White on McGregor vs. Mayweather: ‘I almost feel like I have to make it’
White says he feels almost obligated to help get the McGregor-Mayweather fight organised.
This kid steps up. He’ll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime. A lot of people say it, very few really mean it. Conor McGregor, I call him the unicorn. I’ve never dealt with a kid like this. So for him to have this kind of opportunity, to make this kind of money, this type of a fight that people are so interested in worldwide, I almost feel like I have to make it…It’s a fight that people do want to see. It’s intriguing and obviously it’s a fight that Conor wants because financially it’s going to be massive for him. He’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for. This guy has stepped up at times when people were at his level would never step up. I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again — I’m the guy standing in the living room, I’m the guy on the phone when these guys are looking down the barrel of a new opponent a week before the fight and Conor McGregor doesn’t flinch.
Kavanagh: McGregor has started training for Mayweather fight
Coach Kavanagh says McGregor has started to put together the training agenda to fight Mayweather.
In my mind, it’s on. That’s the mentality we’re in. Like you said, there’s a lot of fingers in the pie on this one. There’s different promotions, different organizations, different commissions that are involved but as far as I’m concerned, I really believe it’s going to happen this year. That’s the mindset I have. Let the people in the suits worry about the paperwork. We’re training for it.
On the training program:
Boxing is one of the 10 skills you need for mixed martial arts. But now we’re only doing boxing so we can drop wrestling and jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing, we can just focus on the boxing. So of course we’re getting ready to fight arguably one of the best defensive boxers of all time, but the training will become simplified ’cause we only have to do boxing so it’s a new challenge I’m excited about.
Cormier: McGregor will ‘get killed’ by Mayweather
Cormier gives his opinion on a fight between McGregor and Mayweather.
Floyd kills him. Conor McGregor can’t box Floyd Mayweather. Let’s be real with ourselves. Neither one of these guys can do the other guy’s sport…[But] It’s looking more and more likely. Even if Conor was to fight for $50 million and the UFC took $20 million, you don’t make a $30 million pay day in MMA. You just don’t in one fight…I say go do it.
Hatton: Mayweather would beat McGregor by ‘an absolute shutout’
Hatton, who fought Mayweather at Welterweight, says McGregor can’t win against the boxer.
It’s two totally different sports and I think Mayweather would win by an absolute shutout… I struggled nailing him, Canelo struggled nailing him, De La Hoya struggled nailing him. No disrespect [but] I can’t see Conor doing it…Conor can punch and he is good with his fists but it’s a different game.
Mayweather: ‘Conor McGregor, stop ducking and dodging’
Mayweather calls out McGregor.
Conor McGregor, stop ducking and dodging Floyd Mayweather. I’m out of retirement just for Conor McGregor. Tell UFC to let’s make this fight happen…He called me out, he act like he wanted this to happen, so let’s make this happen.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSR5c2llHnN/
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.
Fan video: McGregor-Mayweather fight breakdown
A detailed fan-made video analyses all aspects of the potential showdown between McGregor and Mayweather
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.
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.
Muscle Madness fan promo
Muscle Madness releases a fan promo for the McGregor-Mayweather fight.
https://www.facebook.com/gearmaniaworld/videos/1526605604031399/
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.
Leonard: McGregor won’t last one round against Mayweather
https://newslines.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/FI-Leonard.jpeg 237 451 Mark Devlin Mark Devlin2017-03-23 14:36:522017-03-23 14:36:52Leonard: McGregor won’t last one round against Mayweather
Roach: McGregor ‘is not that good of a fighter’
Roach says that McGregor cannot beat Mayweather.
I’d love to see it. He’s fun to watch. He’s a character. [But] he’s not that good of a fighter. He’ll let his hands go and so forth. He’s a little wild. He’s putting himself on a very high level. I think he’s more of a four-round fighter at this point. For [McGregor] to get ready and fight Mayweather it’s a different style. [Mayweather is] probably one of the best boxers in the world today. He’s [Mayweather] not a risk-taker anymore. He’s not the most exciting guy in the world. But, he’s still a great boxer. [McGregor] can’t beat guys like that, in my opinion.
Lee brought in to prep Mayweather for McGregor fight
UFC lightweight Lee confirms he has been brought in to help Mayweather prepare for his proposed super-fight with McGregor.
That fight with Floyd, it’s going to happen. Floyd’s management reached out to me a little while ago and asked me to be a part of the camp. So I’m excited to do that, I could use a couple bucks in my pocket, that’s for sure…It’s a win-win situation for [McGregor]. If he loses — which he’s going to lose, he don’t stand a chance in the fight — he knows it going in he’s just there for the cash grab and then he’ll come back and fight Nate, or he’ll bump up and fight Tyron, before he jumps down and messes with us real killers at 155. He ain’t stupid…It’s great for MMA, because it has no downside. It’s horrible for boxing, I ain’t gonna lie. And they’re paying me, so I better…(laughs)…but it’s horrible for boxing. I think it’s going to kill the sport of boxing, but the money is too large to pass up.
His prediction for the fight:
Floyd isn’t going to knock out Conor. Conor’s a much bigger man. I expect Conor to come out and try to sling Floyd around a little bit in the clinch, try to wear him down. If things get too hectic about that seventh, eighth round, he might start — I don’t know, he might start to rough him up with some elbows. I’m pretty sure Floyd’s going to have us prepare him for that — being able to throw him around, and maybe even kick him a little bit. You never know.
Duffy: McGregor can’t beat Mayweather
Duffy, who beat McGregor with a 38-second submission in 2010, says McGregor cannot beat Mayweather
I think in combat sports, there’s always a puncher’s chance. In MMA, boxing, there’s always that puncher’s chance…I feel that Floyd is probably used to getting in there with bigger hitters than Conor. Boxers, them boxers really do hit [hard]. On the scorecards, I really feel it’s a landslide towards Floyd. He’s one of the best of all time. How he made Pacquiao look — and Pacquiao is one of the best boxers we’ve seen in a long time — I think that just proves the level he’s at. Canelo’s probably a bigger hitter than Conor, [look] how he boxed him. It’s different. It takes a while to get into that sport, and to get up to par. I think if he pursued boxing for a long time, he could’ve done very well, definitely, but Floyd has been doing this since he was a child. I really just can’t see it going any other way.