In May, the rumor spread about a possible clash between retired boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC featherweight champion, Conor McGregor. Mcgregor denied the hearsay but indicated that he is open to a fight against Mayweather. UFC president Dana White also dismissed the speculation claiming there is no chance for a McGregor-Mayweather fight.
In a recent interview with Fox Sports 1's Skip Bayless, however, White said he is looking to make the fight, but would not allow Mayweather too much leverage, saying that there should be "punches, kicks, and elbows" incorporated.
In the interview, White does not deny that a fight between McGregor and Mayweather would be interesting. He concludes the dialogue by telling Bayless that he would "never say never" to the possibility of a McGregor-Mayweather bout.
Mayweather allegedly offered Mcgregor a sum of $50 million to exchange blows with him on New Year's Eve, but in September, Mayweather lets go of the idea saying it was "time to move on" from the possibility of a fight between him and McGregor. Mayweather added that they failed to close a deal to materialize the bout.
Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather will never happen, but UFC champ says he might show up at boxing great's ... - https://t.co/Ud1cWSg0l1 pic.twitter.com/YO1W0otjND
— UFC World (@UFCWorldNews) October 21, 2016
McGregor reiterated his willingness to fight Mayweather in an interview with The LAD Bible. In the discussion, Mcgregor claimed that Mayweather is secretly "afraid of the fight." McGregor added that Mayweather "wants a match under specific rules," and that he is open to it.
McGregor is set to fight in the main event of UFC 205 on Nov. 12 against UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. It will be UFC's first event to be held in New York since the end of the MMA ban in April. McGregor's last bout was at UFC 202 where he defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision.
Simultaneously, Mayweather continues to be one of the most talked about boxers despite having retired in 2015. Mayweather claims he will remain to be retired and will turn his focus to fight promotion instead.
McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh, told Daily Star Sport in an exclusive interview last June that he believes that the fight could happen, and would not be surprised to witness a McGregor-Mayweather in the next 12 months. Like Kavanagh, do you believe that a bout between McGregor and Mayweather will take place before June 2017?
