Floyd Mayweather (50-0 boxing) has drawn much interest with a few recent social media posts suggesting his toying with the idea of competing in the UFC. Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) believes the undefeated boxer must make that move.
“I went into his game; he should come into mine,” McGregor told reporters Wednesday night in New York.
Sure, it seems a near impossibility to most. After all, Mayweather turns 41 later this month, and his entire persona has been built around his undefeated boxing record. But “Money” Mayweather also likes big paychecks, and his August 2017 boxing match with McGregor was one of the most lucrative pay-per-view events of all time.
So would it make sense to take on the seemingly uphill battle of stepping into the UFC octagon against one of the world’s pound-for-pound best MMA fighters in McGregor?
Showtime Sports exec Stephen Espinoza spoke with TMZ Sports on Wednesday night in Minnesota and said he’ll speak with Mayweather on the topic later this week – and the he’s not ruling anything out right now.
“Nobody thought that Mayweather-McGregor was a realistic thing, so I’ve learned not to question what Floyd is capable of pulling off,” Espinoza said.
“There’s a chance. Like, whatever he puts his mind to, he sort of wills it to happen. He willed the McGregor fight into happening, so if he sets his mind to it, it’ll happen.”
Unlike the period prior to the boxing match with Mayweather, McGregor said he is considering other options right now but does intend to continue his fighting career. “The Notorious” mentioned both current interim champ Tony Ferguson and top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov as potential future opponents (pending their April bout at UFC 223), as well as a third fight with Nate Diaz.
But as crazy as a Mayweather appearance in the UFC might seem, there’s no question the amount of fan and media interest generated in that pairing would trump any of those other matchups, and for that reason, McGregor said he’s keeping the door open for the possibility.
“We’ll see,” McGregor said. “I’m currently in negotiations to face my next opponent. We have many options. There’s the current interim lightweight champ. There’s an undefeated Dagestani and maybe a big Russian event. There’s obviously the Diaz trilogy. Of course the Mayweather fight is there. There’s many options, so we’re just at the table at the moment.”
And while “F*ck the Mayweathers” has become a McGregor battle cry in recent times, even the fiery Irishman admits if the boxing champ does decide to step out of his comfort zone, it would be an admirable move.
“I’d do as I please against him, but if he does do it – I know he’s flirting with it – I would have respect for him,” McGregor said. “I think he it would get his earned respect then if he was to step in.”
But if Mayweather isn’t serious about the possibility of an MMA fight, McGregor believes he should quit teasing the idea, lest he be hounded about from fans at every opportunity.
“If it is (serious), it will follow him for the rest of his days that he did not do it,” McGregor said. “I said I would do it, and I stepped up and I done it. It’s his time now.”
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, including UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
