When several news outlets started posting about the possibility of Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather fighting, the big question was where this crazy idea was coming from? Was it a complete myth made up by a UK tabloid, built off an unconfirmed rumor? Were Conor or Floyd behind it? If they weren’t to begin with, it seems like they’re playing into it now.
In a recent interview, Mayweather himself said “The rumors that you all have been hearing are the rumors that I started. It may not be a rumor. Keep your availers crossed. It may be a boxer versus a MMA fighter.”
And now McGregor has posted the above image on his Instagram – what looks like a fight poster of McGregor and Mayweather facing off against each other. The caption simply said “MMA vs Boxing.”
So does this confirm the rumors of an impending McGregor vs Mayweather fight? Not at all. Keep in mind that McGregor recently claimed his UFC 200 fight with Nate Diaz was back on, thanking UFC heads Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for working everything out. But the tweet was a ruse, another attempt to pressure the UFC into making the fight happen after they pulled him from the card for refusing to attend a press conference in Las Vegas.
This could be more of the same kind of trolling. Heck, it could be just the beginning of a couple month’s worth of trolling as McGregor proves he can move the needle more with imaginary fights and fake tweets than the UFC can with tens of millions of dollars worth of promotion.
Or there’s the possibility that McGregor is actually trying to make this Mayweather fight happen. It would be difficult given the UFC has an ironclad contract that covers all forms of combat sports and isn’t interested in letting McGregor box. But there are several countries in the world that wouldn’t recognize an injunction from a US court. There’s even a small chance the UFC’s contract would be deemed unenforceable in Europe due to several of its severe clauses.
And let’s not forget Floyd Mayweather’s involvement as well – this guy has the money to throw at any court battle that may ensue, if only to stick it to the UFC after all the s**t they’ve started with him over Ronda Rousey.
But most likely, this is all still just a power play on McGregor’s part (with Mayweather’s active participation). How far everyone involved is willing to go to sell it is the real question. A joke may even turn into a real fight once everyone realizes how much money stands to be made if Floyd and Conor really did end up fighting. So we’ll just have to sit back and see how crazy the latest Conor McGregor sideshow gets.
