Conor McGregor Will Not Fight Floyd Mayweather: Dana White Kills Superfight Rumor


Conor McGregor is the most outspoken star in the sport of mixed martial arts. Even when he loses — see the first Nate Diaz fight — he has a way of talking himself up that keeps subsequent pay-per-view numbers on the rise.

One of the biggest names associated with Conor McGregor as of late has been Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Mayweather has claimed on multiple occasions that he is now retired from the sport of boxing, but the prospect of huge PPV numbers fighting one of MMA’s hottest stars has many hopeful for a showdown.

Conor certainly has the striking power to bang with Mayweather, largely considered a light puncher. Still, if fought by boxing rules, McGregor would be at a key disadvantage.

Unfortunately, hopes for a superfight hit a recent snag with an interview on UFC Unfiltered podcast. Dana White, the MMA organization’s president, says the fight will never happen.

His exact words: “Conor McGregor will never fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr.”

How can he be so sure? For starters, Conor McGregor is still under contract to the UFC for at least a few more fights.

Meanwhile, Floyd has already stated that he has fought his last fight and after a career that spans 50, it is easy to see how the welterweight great would be on the downward slope of his career.

If the fight is going to happen soon — and considering Floyd’s age, it would have to — then it would need White’s blessing, and that is unlikely to happen as long as Conor is a UFC guy.

Now the one case where the fight could come to pass — and White admits as much on the podcast — is if Conor McGregor fights out the rest of his UFC contract and then pursues the bout as a free agent.

Even so, it is unlikely Floyd would want to face Conor with large amounts of ring rust, and since there are no future fights on his docket (and the retirement thing is apparently legit) he would have it in spades for a fight with McGregor by the time the thing can finally happen outside of the UFC’s reach.

Of course, some point out that with the UFC under new ownership, White does not have as much power as he ordinarily would in these types of situations.

And the new owner, WME-IMG, which purchased UFC for more than $4 billion earlier this year, will be looking for ways to turn as much revenue as possible to make up the investment.

A Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight could go a long way in making up some of that difference.

It is far more likely that Conor McGregor keeps the talk going until he becomes a free agent. By booking the fight on his own, McGregor would take home a lot more of the payday, and it is entirely possible that, should Conor keep winning, Mayweather would see the value in coming out of retirement for one last hurrah against MMA’s hottest star.

A fight between the two would certainly favor Mayweather on percentages, but Conor McGregor, fighting independently of the UFC, would likely earn the biggest payday of his career.

But what do you think, readers?

Will a Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight ever happen? And if it does happen, how do you see things turning out? Would you bet on Floyd or Conor? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by UFC]

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