We all thought a Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight was impossible, but as we’ve learned over the last two years, the impossible doesn’t seem to apply to Conor McGregor.
The Irish fighter is set to fly to Las Vegas this week to hash out a deal not just with the undefeated boxing great Mayweather, but with his bosses at the UFC as well. That’s how McGregor laid out the roadmap to make the fight happen in an hour long interview two weeks ago, and according to The Irish Sun, he’s headed to Sin City to pull the trigger now.
The Irish Sun went so far as to say a deal had already been worked out between McGregor and Mayweather, but Yahoo! Sports reporter Chris Mannix says not so fast:
No truth to the overseas report of a Mayweather-McGregor deal, per source directly involved in the process.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 14, 2017
From what I'm told, this is Conor McGregor putting pressure on Dana White. Far more likely McGregor takes a lucrative MMA fight next.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 14, 2017
There’s a ton of smoke pouring out of the McGregor vs Mayweather fight at this point, though. With both fighters sounding more than eager to get it done and McGregor voicing his opinion that it could be the first billion dollar fight in history, I’d be shocked if it’s just an attempt to get his estimated $10 million per fight with the UFC doubled to $20. Mayweather is a fight that would earn McGregor $100 million dollars on the low end of expected returns. And given Floyd’s elusive point-fighting style, McGregor probably considers it lower risk than anything the UFC is willing to offer him these days.
With McGregor in Las Vegas, we’re sure there’s going to be a lot more news and speculation about this boxing versus MMA superfight over the next several days. Whether we’ll have a bout agreement signed off on (by both the fighters and the UFC) is another story all together.
