Hoping for a Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather Jr. superfight? Don’t count on it.
Just days after legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach threw cold water on the wild idea, UFC president Dana White laid out exactly why the bout probably will never happen.
“Let me put it to you this way,” White said Thursday on ESPN’s “Russillo & Kanell.” “Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are in the same sport. It took how long for those two to fight? Now imagine how hard it would be to get (Mayweather and McGregor) to fight. They’re not in the same sport.”
It took years before Pacquiao and Mayweather finally squared off on May 2, 2015, as there are just so many variables involved when it comes to booking a big fight. Figuring out the logistics of a fight between McGregor (a mixed martial artist) and Mayweather (a boxer) could prove even more complicated, especially considering just much revenue would be generated by the high-profile, cross-sport throwdown.
“Is this thing going to be MMA or boxing rules? Who’s getting the lion’s share of the money? This and that,” White said. “It’s impossible. But like I’ve said, ‘Floyd, you want to fight Conor, call me.’ ”
McGregor teased the fight. Mayweather called it “possible.” The door isn’t completely closed. But it sure isn’t wide open, either.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images