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Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Fight Odds Dropping in Favor of Notorious

Conor McGregor is viewed as a heavy underdog for his Aug. 26 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that hasn’t stopped fans from throwing money on the UFC lightweight champion.
As a result of the betting, CBSSports.com’s Brian Campbell reported Mayweath…

Conor McGregor is viewed as a heavy underdog for his Aug. 26 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that hasn’t stopped fans from throwing money on the UFC lightweight champion.

As a result of the betting, CBSSports.com’s Brian Campbell reported Mayweather’s odds have declined while McGregor‘s have improved. According to Campbell, Bovada has Mayweather as a 2-9 favorite, with McGregor sporting 13-4 odds.

To put those odds in perspective, Mayweather opened as a 2-45 favorite, while McGregor was a 19-2 underdog, according to OddsShark.

The fact McGregor has closed the gap so much could be evidence the four-city promotional tour he and Mayweather went on in July not only helped build interest in the fight but also established McGregor as more of an equal to Mayweather in the eyes of fans (Warning: video contains NSFW language).

Mayweather also did his best to put over McGregor in an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

“He’s a lot younger. When you look at myself and Conor McGregor on paper, he’s taller, has a longer reach, he’s a bigger man from top to bottom,” Mayweather said. “He’s a lot younger, so youth is on his side. And I’ve been off a couple of years. And I’m in my 40s. So, if you look at everything on paper, it leans toward Conor McGregor.”

Still, none of that changes the fact McGregor is approaching his first professional boxing fight and facing off against one of the greatest defensive boxers ever, who also hasn’t lost in 49 professional bouts.

And clips from McGregor’s training have arguably hurt the perception of his ability in the ring:

Particularly those who backed McGregor shortly after the fight was announced could pad their bank accounts if McGregor is victorious on Aug. 26.

McGregor is the underdog for a reason, though, and him beating Mayweather would represent one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

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Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Illegal Live Streams Subject of Lawsuit

In an effort to prevent fans from illegally watching the fight for free online, Showtime filed a lawsuit that would prohibit certain websites from streaming Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor on Aug. 26, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday.
The stan…

The standard-definition feed of the pay-per-view will cost $89.95, while the high-definition feed will set fans back $99.95.

Promoters used a similar tactic ahead of Mayweather’s fight with Manny Pacquiao in May 2015. While the judge granted the injunction, the Hollywood Reporter‘s Ryan Gajewski reported some fans began streaming the official feed on Periscope and Meerkat.

Gajewski speculated problems with the pay-per-view feed prior to the start of the bout may have meant more fans illegally streaming the event as well.

Still, Showtime’s move isn’t a big surprise. ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell estimated in June that Mayweather vs. McGregor could potentially earn $475 million in pay-per-view sales.

With so much money on the line, Showtime has little choice but to do what it can to limit fans’ available options to watch the fight outside of the official PPV feed.

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Jon Jones Says He Wants to Have ‘Respectful Relationship’ with Daniel Cormier

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had one of the most intense UFC feuds in recent memory, but with their rivalry likely at an end, Jones is ready to bury the hatchet.
“I would definitely like to have a respectful relationship with Cormier,” Jones said…

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had one of the most intense UFC feuds in recent memory, but with their rivalry likely at an end, Jones is ready to bury the hatchet.

“I would definitely like to have a respectful relationship with Cormier,” Jones said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “It would be great to support each other’s causes, charity events and maybe do an interview together and talk about one of the biggest rivalries in combat sports history.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Chuck Liddell Says Chael Sonnen Fight Would Be an ‘Easy Matchup’

Chuck Liddell is already trash talking Chael Sonnen ahead of the rumored fight between the mixed martial arts stars.
Liddell told TMZ Sports he was never interested in fighting Sonnen but that he’d have an easy time taking Sonnen down if given th…

Chuck Liddell is already trash talking Chael Sonnen ahead of the rumored fight between the mixed martial arts stars.

Liddell told TMZ Sports he was never interested in fighting Sonnen but that he’d have an easy time taking Sonnen down if given the opportunity.

Liddell’s comments come after Sonnen told FloCombat’s Duane Finley his next opponent in Bellator was likely going to be the former UFC light heavyweight champion.

“The way it works is eventually I’ll get a call or a text from [Bellator president Scott] Coker telling me who he wants me to fight and when, and I’ll text him back to accept,” Sonnen said. “It’ll be done just like that. I won’t be part of a discussion or turn down anyone they want me to fight. I never have and I never will, and they can make it any weight class they want. I think there are actual legs to this Chuck thing. I really do.”

Liddell hasn’t fought since losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 in June 2010. The 47-year-old still looked to be in great shape, though, in a photo he posted to Instagram:

Fans may be wise to not get their hopes up too much regarding Liddell’s return to MMA.

Bellator would make sense as the promoter for Liddell’s comeback fight. The company has carved out a niche as a place where aging fighters such as Sonnen, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock and Quinton Jackson can come in and extend their careers for a few more fights after their time in UFC drew to a close.

However, Liddell gave no indication to TMZ Sports that he’s nearing an agreement with Bellator, and in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden in May, he was critical of Bellator 149, which featured Ken Shamrock losing to Royce Gracie.

“I saw Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock fight last year and said, ‘I haven’t sparred in six months and haven’t fought in seven years. I could get up off the couch and beat both of those guys right now,” he said. “It was terrible. I would be embarrassed to fight those guys.”

Liddell did add, though, that he’d be willing to fight again if the price was right.

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Paulie Malignaggi Quitting as Conor McGregor Sparring Partner over Video

Paulie Malignaggi confirmed to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto that he will no longer be Conor McGregor’s sparring partner as McGregor prepares for his Aug. 26 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Malignaggi told Okamoto the stories regarding his sparring sessions…

Paulie Malignaggi confirmed to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto that he will no longer be Conor McGregor’s sparring partner as McGregor prepares for his Aug. 26 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Malignaggi told Okamoto the stories regarding his sparring sessions with McGregor have “become a fiasco” and a “circus”:

“I wanted to be part of this event, but I didn’t want to become the story, and that’s what this has turned into. I won’t release any information about his game plan or what he’s working on—I wouldn’t do that. But this has become a fiasco. It’s a circus.

“And I do want that sparring video released. The UFC’s PI definitely has that video. I understand it can’t come out now, but Conor, if you have any balls, release what really happened.”

Malignaggi had taken issue with photos from his sparring session with McGregor that appear to show the UFC star having the upper hand over the experienced boxer.

On Twitter, Malignaggi asked McGregor and UFC to unveil the full footage from the session:

UFC photographer Brandon Magnus shared a photo in which McGregor is landing a left jab on Malignaggi:

Malignaggi also didn’t like a pair of pictures posted by the Twitter account @ConormcGregor5, which imply McGregor landed a knockdown on Malignaggi. Malignaggi tweeted that it was a “pushdown”:

On Wednesday, the 36-year-old told Okamoto that he was surprised to see a crowd assembled around the ring to watch his sparring session with McGregor:

“Usually all sparring is private. I show up at the UFC headquarters and [former owner, Lorenzo] Fertitta is there. [UFC president] Dana White is there. So, I’m thinking these guys are thinking they’ll catch me right off the flight, set me up for him to look good in front of his audience. I didn’t like that. I kind of went in with a chip on my shoulder.”

Malignaggi had praise for McGregor, describing the UFC lightweight champion is “getting better and better” and “implementing more and more of what they want to do in their game plan.”

Sparring with Malignaggi was undoubtedly good preparation for McGregor ahead of his Aug. 26 fight. The fact Malignaggi will no longer work with McGregor will do little to help him close the gap on the unbeaten Mayweather.

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Paulie Malignaggi Says Conor McGregor’s Sparring Is Improving

With less than a month before Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather, sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi saw encouraging signs from McGregor after watching the UFC champion train.
“I think the intensity Conor’s reaching is starting to …

With less than a month before Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather, sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi saw encouraging signs from McGregor after watching the UFC champion train.

“I think the intensity Conor’s reaching is starting to show in the hard work he’s put into camp,” Malignaggi said, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. “I think he’s getting better and better. I really felt improvements from two weeks ago to now … I do see a guy who is implementing more and more of what they want to do in their game plan.”

Malignaggi has been sparring with McGregor to help him prepare for Mayweather in the ring.

While working with Malignaggi should help him on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, McGregor still faces what is nearly an impossible task of closing the gap on one of the best defensive boxers in the history of the sport.

McGregor’s a very good striker in the realm of mixed martial arts, and 18 of his 21 victories have come via knockout. If he has an opening, he can end the fight with one punch. But that’s far easier said than done against the 40-year-old Mayweather, who didn’t look to have lost a step in his most recent fight, a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto in September 2015.

McGregor shared a video of his training on June 29:

In doing so, he unintentionally illustrated the gulf between himself and Mayweather, who also posted a training clip on the same day:

According to OddsShark, McGregor is a 4-1 underdog against Mayweather.

McGregor may be able to silence his critics in Las Vegas in a little over three weeks, but many more experienced fighters stepped into the ring against Mayweather with the same intention and exited in defeat.

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