John Kavanagh, head coach of Conor McGregor, wants his fighter to face Nate Diaz in a rubber match.
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, Kavanagh wrote a column for the Irish publication The42.ie in which he stated he wants Diaz to be McGregor’s nex…
John Kavanagh, head coach of Conor McGregor, wants his fighter to face Nate Diaz in a rubber match.
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, Kavanagh wrote a column for the Irish publication The42.ie in which he stated he wants Diaz to be McGregor’s next opponent. However, he granted the fight may not occur until 2018.
McGregor and Diaz split two matches in 2016, with Diaz submitting the former in March at UFC 196 but McGregor winning a majority decision in August at UFC 202.
While Kavanagh suggested 2018 is the next time UFC fans will see McGregor in the Octagon, Okamoto pointed out the organization’s president, Dana White, said McGregor planned on fighting again this year before he lost by technical knockout in his firstprofessional boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Despite the apparent interest in a third match between McGregor and Diaz, Okamoto said there is an interim lightweight title fight between Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson on Oct. 7. The winner could fight McGregor next considering he is the current lightweight champion.
However, a rubber match would bring elevated drama, especially after Diaz criticized McGregor’s style in the boxing match on his Instagrampage(NSFW language). “He punched himself out the same way he lost in the UFC there was no learning goin on,” Diaz said.
McGregor must have learned something, though, because he earned a victory in the rematch against Diaz after the latter won the first meeting.
Nate Diaz, who is a UFC rival of Conor McGregor’s, apparently wasn’t impressed with the latter’s effort in the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On his Instagram page Tuesday, Diaz said, “He punched himself out the same way he lost in the UFC th…
Nate Diaz, who is a UFC rival of Conor McGregor’s, apparently wasn’t impressed with the latter’s effort in the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On his Instagram page Tuesday, Diaz said, “He punched himself out the same way he lost in the UFC there was no learning goin on.” He included a picture of McGregor overlaid with the text “I never lose. Either I win or I learn” (warning: NSFW):
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, the image was originally shared by the UFC’s account.
Despite Diaz’s take, there is an argument to be made for McGregor’s effort against Mayweather.
“Money” is one of the greatest boxers of all time, and his victory against McGregor improved his record to an impeccable 50-0. However, McGregor—who had never previously boxed professionally—appeared to control the early portion of the fight and even landed a notable uppercut before Mayweather took over in the middle rounds and overwhelmed him in a 10th-round technical knockout.
Diaz fought McGregor twice in 2016, splitting the contests. He submitted McGregor at UFC 196 in March but lost a majority decision at UFC 202 in August.
The two may have the chance to settle their differences and break the tie with a third fight, as Okamoto noted McGregor “has repeatedly stated their rivalry will eventually be settled” with another meeting.
New details reportedly emerged Friday regarding Jon Jones’ drug test following his UFC 214 victory over Daniel Cormier.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, citing multiple sources, reported Jones passed a drug test in the immediate aftermath of UFC 214, whi…
New details reportedly emerged Friday regarding Jon Jones‘ drug test following his UFC 214 victory over Daniel Cormier.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, citing multiple sources, reported Jones passed a drug test in the immediate aftermath of UFC 214, which was 24 hours after a different test came back positive. Helwani also noted Jones passed tests July 6, July 7 and July 29, but the July 28 urine test was the one that revealed a positive result.
Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting wrote Jones’ post-fight test July 29 was a blood screening administered by the USADA after he beat Cormier.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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Floyd Mayweather earned a 50th career win and reportedly nine figures worth of money Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Money defeated Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena via a 10th-round technical knockout to push his sparkling career record to 50-…
Floyd Mayweather earned a 50th career win and reportedly nine figures worth of money Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Money defeated Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena via a 10th-round technical knockout to push his sparkling career record to 50-0. He also surpassed the great Rocky Marciano, who went 49-0 during his tenure in the ring.
Mayweather garnered much more than bragging rights, though, as Dan Rafael of ESPN.com noted the Nevada State Athletic Commission released contract figures Friday saying Money notched a guaranteed purse of $100 million.
According to Rafael, McGregor’s minimum purse was $30 million.
However, the paydays didn’t stop there. Rafael explained each fighter earns a share of the promotion and said McGregor’s take home was “likely to exceed $100 million,” while Mayweather was staring at “another payday well in excess of $200 million” after he made approximately $250 million in his 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao.
Both of them earned their money during an entertaining fight that featured a number of momentum swings.
Despite a lack of experience, McGregor appeared to be the better boxer in his first professional boxing match during the opening few rounds. He even landed a noteworthy uppercut on Money to seize early momentum, although fatigue became an issue for someone not accustomed to fighting in 12-round battles.
“I thought it was close though, and I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage,” he said after the fight, via Arash Markazi of ESPN. “I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots.”
Once the fatigue set in, the technically brilliant Mayweather took over and dominated the final few rounds. He was aggressive with his jabs and took the fight to McGregor so much in the 10th the official had to stop it and declare him the victor.
The statistics bore out the change of momentum. Markazi shared the CompuBox numbers, noting “Mayweather outlanded McGregor 130-60 in rounds six [through] 10 after McGregor had a 51-40 edge in landed punches in [the] first five rounds”:
Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports praised McGregor for holding his own in an unfamiliar arena against an all-time great:
It is natural to wonder about a rematch after the MMA fighter was fairly impressive against the career boxer, but McGregor said “of course” when asked if he would return to UFC, via Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
Mayweather also said to the crowd “this was my last fight, ladies and gentleman,” via Markazi.
Doubters will be quick to point out the last time he retired he didn’t stick to his word, which is why Saturday’s fight was possible. However, there was the potential to go 50-0 dangling right in front of him, and he ultimately returned and didn’t miss his chance.
There was also the hefty payday waiting to be had.
Floyd Mayweather earned a 50th career win and reportedly nine figures worth of money Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Money defeated Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena via a 10th-round technical knockout to push his sparkling career record to 50-…
Floyd Mayweather earned a 50th career win and reportedly nine figures worth of money Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Money defeated Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena via a 10th-round technical knockout to push his sparkling career record to 50-0. He also surpassed the great Rocky Marciano, who went 49-0 during his tenure in the ring.
Mayweather garnered much more than bragging rights, though, as Dan Rafael of ESPN.com noted the Nevada State Athletic Commission released contract figures Friday saying Money notched a guaranteed purse of $100 million.
According to Rafael, McGregor’s minimum purse was $30 million.
However, the paydays didn’t stop there. Rafael explained each fighter earns a share of the promotion and said McGregor’s take home was “likely to exceed $100 million,” while Mayweather was staring at “another payday well in excess of $200 million” after he made approximately $250 million in his 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao.
Both of them earned their money during an entertaining fight that featured a number of momentum swings.
Despite a lack of experience, McGregor appeared to be the better boxer in his first professional boxing match during the opening few rounds. He even landed a noteworthy uppercut on Money to seize early momentum, although fatigue became an issue for someone not accustomed to fighting in 12-round battles.
“I thought it was close though, and I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage,” he said after the fight, via Arash Markazi of ESPN. “I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots.”
Once the fatigue set in, the technically brilliant Mayweather took over and dominated the final few rounds. He was aggressive with his jabs and took the fight to McGregor so much in the 10th the official had to stop it and declare him the victor.
The statistics bore out the change of momentum. Markazi shared the CompuBox numbers, noting “Mayweather outlanded McGregor 130-60 in rounds six [through] 10 after McGregor had a 51-40 edge in landed punches in [the] first five rounds”:
Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports praised McGregor for holding his own in an unfamiliar arena against an all-time great:
It is natural to wonder about a rematch after the MMA fighter was fairly impressive against the career boxer, but McGregor said “of course” when asked if he would return to UFC, via Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
Mayweather also said to the crowd “this was my last fight, ladies and gentleman,” via Markazi.
Doubters will be quick to point out the last time he retired he didn’t stick to his word, which is why Saturday’s fight was possible. However, there was the potential to go 50-0 dangling right in front of him, and he ultimately returned and didn’t miss his chance.
There was also the hefty payday waiting to be had.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. addressed the reported rift between his son, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and pop star Justin Bieber in a TMZ Sports interview.
As can be seen in the video on the site, Mayweather’s father suggested just because Bieber has changed doesn’t…
Floyd Mayweather Sr. addressed the reported rift between his son, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and pop star Justin Bieber in a TMZ Sports interview.
As can be seen in the video on the site, Mayweather’s father suggested just because Bieber has changed doesn’t mean the boxer has to change as well.
The TMZ Sports story added some context to the developments: “As we previously reported, Floyd Jr. is furious with his former friend—who’s been distancing himself after some counseling from his church. Bieber even decided to unfollow Floyd on Instagram as part of a bigger plan to back away from people who don’t share the same Christian values.”
Perhaps most notably, Mayweather Sr. said “it’s a maybe” when asked if Bieber would receive an invite to the party after Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas.
If Bieber does go to the fight, he will see his friend (or apparent former friend) go for his 50th win in 50 tries in the boxing ring. A 50-0 mark would move Mayweather past the legendary Rocky Marciano, who finished his illustrious career with the same 49-0 record Money has now.
Conor McGregor—who has never fought a professional boxing match in his career—is all that stands in Mayweather’s way of the 50-0 record. While McGregor has made an impressive career for himself in the UFC, he will have to deal with the same speed and defensive propensity Mayweather used to flummox every other boxer he has faced.
