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McGregor-Mayweather Fight: How Conor Could Win Even By Losing

By Aric Mitchell
Published on: 15:03 PST, May 8, 2016

The rumored McGregor-Mayweather fight making the rounds on social media and news sites — now with the help of both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather — could be a groundbreaking event if it becomes a reality.

In the past, Conor had suggested he would be happy to fight “Money” for an 80/20 purse split in his favor. With that highly unlikely given Mayweather’s PPV drawing ability and his 49-0 career, it raised a tantalizing possibility for fight fans.

Behind the scenes, it appears that both camps have been talking and with Mayweather now saying a McGregor-Mayweather fight was “a rumor I started” and Conor tweeting a promo poster mockup, it appears closer to reality than ever.

While conventional wisdom would give Floyd the advantage in a head-to-head boxing match — something The Sun reports this fight will be — Conor is a strong and aggressive striker in the octagon, and he is also naturally bigger without losing much in way of speed.

In other words, anything could happen between these two.

But the fact it’s even being talked about is a huge deal for Conor McGregor, who just suffered through a humbling-to-any-other-fighter one-two punch of losing to Nate Diaz and then losing his spot on the highly anticipated UFC 200 card.

While it appeared that Dana White held all the cards against Conor, this McGregor-Mayweather fight possibility has him in a position of power whether he wins or loses. Here’s how.

Say that Conor agrees to the $144 million vs. $10 million split in Mayweather’s favor that is being bandied about.

McGregor does quite well for himself in the UFC, but $10 million is a lot of money for any mixed martial arts fighter. Also, sharing top billing with “Money,” the highest grossing boxer of all time who earned around $200 million for his defeat of Manny Pacquiao, elevates his stock as a celebrity making him more valuable both as an individual and as an MMA fighter.

Should he win the McGregor-Mayweather fight, Conor will be in a position where he can command seriously staggering money on both sides of the fight game coin.

A victory over “Money” would instantly make him the hottest commodity in professional boxing, and it would light a fire under Dana White to get Conor McGregor back on a UFC card as soon as possible (and likely at McGregor’s price).

Beyond that, however, it would send a message to other mixed martial arts fighters, particularly those in the UFC.

That message: you no longer have to take the scraps the UFC gives you. Don’t like the Reebok deal or any other pro-organization move that cuts into your wallet? Jump ship. Be a crossover player.

This could simultaneously grow the interest in both MMA and boxing while giving performers more pull at the bargaining table.

If Conor walks out of the McGregor-Mayweather fight, win or lose, $10 million richer, it will put serious pressure on the UFC to create a more attractive earning environment for its fighters.

But it could also influence the sport of MMA as well by making it take on a more strike-heavy combat style as fighters hone their craft in an effort to grow the appeal of crossover fights.

While it may be too early to speculate — after all, McGregor-Mayweather hasn’t been signed yet — this potential slugfest has only developed to where it is now in the last few days, so it’s time to start taking the possibility of it seriously.

But what do you think, readers?

Would a McGregor-Mayweather superfight be just another combat sport oddity or could it seriously change the game as far as negotiations and earnings are concerned for MMA fighters? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Photos by Eric Jamison and Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

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