We have all heard about rumors about potential super fights, but very rarely do we hear about athletes who want to cross their respected field to compete with one another.
“The Notorious” Conor McGregor (19-3 MMA) and Floyd “Money” Mayweather (49-0 Boxing) have shown an extreme interest in fighting each other. A rumor a couple of weeks ago stated that there is already a date slated for the two to compete in late September. Other than for financial reasons however, why does this fight make sense?
McGregor is no stranger when it comes to money. He flaunts not only his success in the cage, but also the numbers he has brought in, and he does it well. McGregor’s last fight was at UFC 196 against #5 Lightweight, Nate Diaz, in which “The Notorious” lost in the second round via rear naked choke. Since then, Conor has been seeking revenge on Diaz, but nothing yet has worked. Conor was slated to face Diaz at UFC 200 in the main event, however, he was pulled off due to complications with media obligations.
Let’s not forget though, Conor McGregor is indeed the current UFC Featherweight champion. McGregor has not competed in the Featherweight division since KO’ing former champ, Jose Aldo is just 12 seconds in December.
So what’s Mcgregor’s next move?
For his legacy, it would seem best to rematch Nate Diaz, which is already in the works for UFC 202, and maybe touch on the boxing arena later on. However, Conor is drawn to money like a bee to honey. If Floyd offers McGregor enough of what Conor wants, which by the way is $100 million, Conor could say bye-bye to MMA at least for the time being.
But what if McGregor loses? Which is a very high possibility. “The Notorious” is a very good striker and has tremendous power in his hands, but a boxing match against arguably one of the greatest to ever compete? Statistically, there isn’t much of a chance there for the Irishman.
Many people are saying it wouldn’t affect his career, but a loss is a loss, no matter the form of combat. Also, if McGregor took the fight with “Money”, he would most likely be forced by the UFC to defend his Featherweight belt, or leave it altogether, possibly ruining his revenge to Diaz.
We aren’t sure what McGregor’s next move is but we do know one thing for sure though, whatever is Conor’s next fight is, whether it’s boxing or MMA, we will be tuned in.