Conor McGregor has barely had a moment to take a breath after his TKO loss in Las Vegas at the hands of Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, but it seems the whole world wants a piece.
The inter-disciplinary fighter has been called upon by another champion to take on a different sporting challenge.
Forget the Octagon, and the ring; Michael Phelps wants to meet McGregor in the pool.
All of this talk… Should we race as well?? @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/l3JoMgb1qT
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) August 29, 2017
Phelps followed the progress of The Notorious and Money Mayweather avidly, along with the rest of the viewing world, once the pay-per-view system caught up with demands, of course.
Absolutely no illegal streams here!
He seemed impressed by the display of athletic prowess on both corners:
Hats off to @TheNotoriousMMA …… amazing competitor and unreal athlete…congrats to @FloydMayweather 50-0 congrats! #legend
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) August 27, 2017
50-0…..wow
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) August 27, 2017
Phelps, a 28-time medal winner, is used to high-pressured televised sport spectacles with one clear winner.
The 32-year-old Olympian recently raced a Great White Shark as part of Discovery‘s Shark Week, in a Battle for Ocean Supremacy.
The race was preempted by a trailer McGregor and Mayweather would be proud of:
[ooyala code=”x2bzRyYjE6pYC954Dynne-JQXILTyutg” player_id=”5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8″ auto=”true” width=”1920″ height=”1080″ autoplay=”true” pcode=”twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l”]
In the poorly CGI’d footage, Phelps racked up a time of 38.1 seconds, with the aid of a fin and flipper and the shark beat him by two seconds, coming in at 36.1 seconds.
So Phelps understands what it’s like to lose to a superior athlete on unfamiliar turf, sharing the same sense of bizarre achievement with Conor.
You can watch the race in the clip below:
[ooyala code=”g0dHYxYzE6HZQCvf5DpKZtkof0S-b32_” player_id=”5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8″ auto=”true” width=”754″ height=”480″ pcode=”twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l”]
If Saturday night is anything to go by, McGregor would come off the starting blocks strong – with all that kicking power finally being put to good use – but would probably tire before reaching the finishing line.
Still, I think he’d feel comfortable in the Speedos.
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.