All of the stars are aligned for Conor McGregor to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in one of the most anticipated battles in combat sports history.
But much in the way certain astronomical events only come around so often, a successful mixed martial artist-meets-boxer crossover fight requires a special set of circumstances, and we therefore shouldn’t expect a bout between McGregor and Mayweather to completely change the world we live in.
Just ask Dana White.
Although the talk about a potential superfight between McGregor (a UFC icon) and Mayweather (an undefeated boxing legend) has drawn the attention of other combat sports stars and led to speculation over other possible crossover bouts, White sees it as being a one-time deal.
“No, I don’t like the idea of it opening up a bunch of different crossover fights,” the UFC president said Wednesday on ESPN Radio’s “Russillo and Kanell,” per MMAFighting.com. “My guys saying they want to fight that guy and other boxers saying they want to fight this guy, no. This is gonna be a one-and-done.”
Sure, there are some other crossover fights that would be intriguing, even if the final product fails to match the buildup, which remains a strong possibility in the case of McGregor versus Mayweather. But none would carry the mainstream global appeal of the two most popular fighters in their respective sports going toe-to-toe, especially given the flamboyant personalities of both McGregor and Mayweather.
Hence why White, who just recently came around on the idea of McGregor facing Mayweather, isn’t ready to consider that fight (if it happens) to be the start of some galactic shift. In fact, it sounds like White is on board with McGregor fighting Mayweather mostly as a favor to his company’s biggest star.
“The money that’s involved in this thing — listen, does it make a bunch of sense for my business? No. But Conor has been a guy who has stepped up in times of need here, in big fights when an opponent fell out, so I want to do this for Conor,” White said Wednesday on NBC Sports Radio’s “The Chris Mannix Show,” per MMAFighting.com. “I want him to be able to make this kind of money.
“I think we’re actually there (on terms with McGregor),” he added. “I think we’re in a good place. I just need to get together with him and finalize some stuff, and then it’s on to Mayweather. ”
If the universe gets what it wants and McGregor fights Mayweather, embrace it. You might not see something similar for a long, long time.
Thumbnail photo via Instagram@thenotoriousmma
