Weidman believes McGregor’s size advantage will play a significant role against Floyd Mayweather.
Although a boxing showdown between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. hasn’t been signed on the dotted line, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman told TMZ that the fight is ‘100 percent’ going to happen.
‘The Notorious’ says the fight is ‘very close’ to being officially booked and ‘All-American’ thinks it’s going to be an amazing spectacle between two of the biggest stars in combat sports.
“So Mayweather and McGregor is going to happen. 100 percent. That’s a fact,” Weidman told Mike ‘Gunz’ Gunzelman in a recent interview, per Dan Hiergesell of MMA Mania. “I was just like everybody else. I thought it was a joke of a fight. Obviously McGregor has no chance in that fight. But everyone’s still going to pay to watch it because it’s Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is going to talk. He’s going to say things to Floyd Mayweather that no one has ever said to him before. He’s going to have Floyd Mayweather’s head spinning. It’s going to be insane. It’s going to be an amazing event.”
While many pundits have scoffed at the idea of McGregor defeating ‘Money’, Weidman believes the Irishman’s size advantage could be an aspect that the combat sports world is overlooking.
McGregor, who will most likely agree to fight Mayweather at featherweight, is the former UFC featherweight champion and current lightweight champ. The 28-year-old talent is one of the biggest 145-pound fighters on the roster and dwarfed MMA legend Jose Aldo in their championship bout at UFC 194. McGregor also fought in back-to-back welterweight fights against Nate Diaz, losing in their first bout at UFC 196 but avenging the loss at UFC 202.
“Mayweather is going to be such a small man next to Conor,” Weidman continued. “This guy is a giant. You have to realize that Conor McGregor was the biggest 145-pound fighter the UFC has ever had. He cut so much weight to make 145 pounds. He’s going to be so big and so heavy. He’s going to be so much longer and taller than Floyd Mayweather. His head is going to be so much bigger. It’s just two completely different animals.”
Although Weidman makes salient points about McGregor’s size advantage, Mayweather is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the sport and has amassed a perfect record of 49-0.
While McGregor vs. Mayweather has yet to be confirmed, sources told FOX Sports that the fight is being targeted for September.