Despite a report to the contrary, UFC President Dana White said Thursday he is heading fight talks between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that WME-IMG and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, had taken center stage with White having no involvement.
According to TMZ Sports, White responded: “We live in a world right now where you can’t believe anything that you read. … Who else would be running the Mayweather-McGregor deal than me?”
White added: “What does WME know about making big fights? … Trust me, I’m running the Mayweather-McGregor deal.”
In May, White said during the TNT NBA postgame show (h/t MMAFighting.com) that he had completed McGregor’s side of the deal and was set to start working with Mayweather on his side.
Mayweather has yet to fully commit to boxing the UFC Lightweight champion, but he has acknowledged that a bout with McGregor is the best possible option for him, per ESPN.com’s Nick Parkinson:
“The only fight that makes sense to me is the McGregor fight. I’ve accomplished everything I want to accomplish [against other boxers]. Conor McGregor is professional and so am I. He’s a stand-up fighter, and I’m a stand-up fighter. He kicks ass in the Octagon, and I kick ass in the boxing ring. The fans demand that fight and you have to give the fans what they want to see.”
According to Pugmire, those involved in the Mayweather-McGregor talks are attempting to get a deal done in time for the fight to occur by “early fall.”
The fight would be a mismatch on paper since Mayweather is 49-0 as a boxer, while McGregor has never had a professional boxing match.
Even so, the star power and charisma of both fighters are enough to anchor what could be a record-breaking event in terms of pay-per-view buys.
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