GettyMcGregor and Mayweather have been dancing and side-stepping around the much-awaited fight of the decade so much they could’ve racked up miles in the Octagon.
But Conor McGregor, the reigning UFC lightweight champion made it very clear he wants the fight to happen, silencing those who think the pair are talking around the battle.
Speaking in Manchester on Saturday night, Conor dropped not-so-subtle hints that the fight preparations are underway and that he’d relish the challenge of taking on Floyd Mayweather, who is undefeated and widely considered to be the greatest boxer of his generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXlGSfEB8c
As reported by MMA Fighting, McGregor said:
That fight is more than just being explored. That fight has been in the works a while now. Look, there’s a lot of steps to get through to get the fight going, but it’s the fight to make. It’s the fight the people want. It’s the fight I want. I know I’m confident going in there.
I’ve got the reach. I’ve got youth. I’ve got the confidence. I’ve got the unpredictable style. You can’t prepare for a style like me. A guy said to me, ‘Why conquer one world when you can conquer two?’ So I’m going to go conquer two worlds.
PAConor confirmed his belief that he will fight Mayweather soon, adding, ‘I believe the next time I step into a combat arena will be through the ropes wearing 10-ounce or eight-ounce gloves. I believe so.’
McGregor also took the chance to make a sly dig at his UFC opponents as he said:
The sound of laughter and the sound of doubt motivates me. So I’m enjoying that. I seek that. I don’t feel that going to fight any of these other UFC bums right now. They need to rise up. Right now, they’re down there. I’ve got this situation where people are truly doubting me, like they doubted me at the very, very beginning, and that’s motivating for me. That’s what’s going to drive me to the gym when I need to go to the gym, and to put in that work to get that win. So that’s where we’re at right now.
While talks of money are on the table, McGregor still has to wait to apply for his boxing licence until he has paid off a fine owed to the Nevada Athletic Commission after the UFC 202 press conference skirmish with Nate Diaz last August.
Meanwhile, McGregor is happy to flex his vocal muscles, saying of Money Mayweather:
He’s not trying to have a real fight. He needs rules to protect him. I don’t need rules. So he can say he’s this and he’s that, but in reality, he’s scared shitless. He is scared shitless. If I decide to just fight him straight-up – look, fuck the UFC, fuck MMA, fuck boxing, fuck sports fighting. Let’s just say we fight. It’d be the easiest fight ever.
GettyIt wasn’t just Mayweather that got a tongue-lashing during the hour-long press conference. McGregor brought up old wounds when he spoke about a voice call between Nate Diaz and Mayweather, during which the two fighters swapped insults about McGregor.
UFC rival, Nate Diaz was back in the firing line when McGregor said:
Nate’s a bitch. Nate’s a fucking bitch, and let me tell you why. I had the biggest respect for Nate – and I still have big respect for Nick, he’s out doing his thing – but when [Nate] took that phone call or that video call from Floyd Mayweather, and was like, ‘Hello Floyd fans!’
He was Floyd’s bitch that night. I was like, ‘You fucking pussy. You absolute pussy.’
Between Mcgregor’s high-profile rivalries with Mayweather and Diaz, The Notorious is set to be one of the highest earning fighters in history this year.
He’ll need to come up with a few more cutting jabs too.
Watch this space.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.