McGregor granted boxing license in California, Mayweather rep responds
At UFC 205 Conor McGregor became the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously. Post fight he announced he…
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At UFC 205 Conor McGregor became the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously. Post fight he announced he wanted to take off until May for the birth of his first child.
He exhibited zero intention to defend the featherweight belt, and it was removed. Interim champion Jose Aldo became the champion, and oddly, UFC 206 which was in desperate need of a title fight, saw Anthony Pettis vs. Max Holloway elevated to an interim featherweight title fight.
McGregor also exhibited no interest in any fights at lightweight, notably dismissing #1 contender Khabib Nurmagomedov as a pull-out merchant. ‘The Eagle’ may fight Tony Ferguson for an interim title in March.
What is this, boxing?
Speaking of which, the only contest McGregor has expressed interest in a boxing match with the greatest boxer of his generation, Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather is 49-0 and wants to break the 49-0 record set by Rocky Marciano. Mayweather also wants money, and believes a boxing with Notorious would do it.
UFC president Dana White has the right to waive the portion of McGregor’s UFC contract that prohibits him from participation in other combat sports. White never shut the door on a McGregor vs. Mayweather fight. He says it has to begin with a call from Mayweather, which has never happened, and then proceeds to a negotiation over rules. The conversation starts with punches and kicks, knees and elbows.
McGregor has 0 chance of becoming the first person in history to beat Mayweather under prizefighting rules. Mayweather has 0 chance of winning under kickboxing rules, even limited clinching international rules, and less than 0 chance under MMA rules. And a kickboxing match even if Mayweather won which he wouldn’t would leave him 50-0 in boxing. So Mayweather adamantly wants boxing only, which White knows, which means the revenue split would have to be adjusted accordingly.
Now, McGregor has gotten licensed to boxing in California, and is reportedly eyeing other states. And Mayweather’s management is playing hard to get.
ESPN‘s Dan Rafael reached out to Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
“It’s all a game. It’s all a calculated effort to gain more fans,” said Ellerbe. “He got a boxing license. Congratulations to him. Conor McGregor can say anything he wants to but he has a boss and his name is Dana White. He is under contract to the UFC and if he wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match he can’t because his bosses wouldn’t allow that to happen. The brass who recently purchased the UFC are very smart people and they would never — and put this in bold caps — let him step into a boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather because everyone knows what the outcome would be. He would get his ass beat from pillar to post.”
“Call it was it is — it’s a black-and-white issue. The reason why it generates so much attention is because it’s a black-and-white issue. If we’re talking about Floyd against Anderson Silva, when he was No. 1, we wouldn’t be having this kind of conversation.”
“At the end of the day, he’s under contract with the UFC. He’s told what to do. He’s an employee. He’s done a masterful con job to try to trick people that he could actually pull this off. It’s another creative way to create more interest. Nobody is mad but it’s a con job trying to make people think this is real and even mentioning him and TBE in the same breath is disrespectful, completely disrespectful. Isn’t this the same guy who tapped out three fights ago?”
The con job, of course, is that Mayweather’s team is the one that floated the idea.
“He’s a very good MMA fighter, give credit where it’s due,” said Ellerbe. “It’s kind of played out now. Just stop it. The con game is over. Go out there and worry about dominating the UFC because three fights ago he lost, he was quitting. You couldn’t even mention the word quit with Floyd Mayweather. And, like I said, he can’t do anything without the UFC’s approval. There’s no way they spent all that money so they can get their biggest star killed. It would never happen. If they want to get him killed put him in there in a boxing match.”
“Think about this. Floyd is a guy who spent his entire life developing his craft and becoming the best to do this. And he beat a number of great fighters and is undefeated and built his legacy on hard work and dedication. He beat world champions over a 20-year period and here’s a guy, McGregor, who has about 20 fights and lost three of them, and three fights ago he was seen on the mat quitting. What are we talking about? And I have a great deal of respect for what he does for a living. Floyd and I have nothing against UFC or any of their fighters. I respect all fighters who step in a ring or the Octagon, but Floyd is in the Bahamas enjoying life. He’s not thinking about Conor McGregor or anyone else.”
“He has a good little hand game, a superior hand game compared to the UFC fighters he is competing with but fighting Floyd Mayweather is a whole other story. That bulls*** you’re throwing over there in UFC would get you killed against Floyd.”