Jose Aldo has called out Conor McGregor for a lack of respect after his split with training partner Paulie Malignaggi.
As noted by Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting, Malignaggi left the McGregor camp after some images were leaked showing the Irishman ge…
Jose Aldo has called out Conor McGregor for a lack of respect after his split with training partner Paulie Malignaggi.
As noted by Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting, Malignaggi left the McGregor camp after some images were leaked showing the Irishman getting the better of exchanges between the pair. Aldo, speakingwith FightHype (h/t Meshew), had his say on the matter.
“McGregor has no respect for the sport, for the person,” said the Brazilian. “That’s it. He’s not good for the sport.”
Asked about the photos, Aldo suggested they showed McGregor pushing the former boxer. “It was a push,” he said. “Yes, I believe [Malignaggi].”
Aldo knows what it’s like to come up against McGregor, having faced the Irishman after a heated buildup in December 2015. McGregor needed just 13 seconds to knock out the legendary Brazilian.
McGregor takes on an altogether different challenge this month, though. On August 26 he will go face-to-face in a boxing bout with the legendary Floyd Mayweather. It’ll be the first time ever the UFC lightweight champion has been involved in a professional boxing match.
Malinaggi was brought into the MMA star’s camp to prepare him in part for the task that lies ahead before the dispute. The man from New York didn’t mince his words when talking about exchanges with McGregor in training from his point of view:
There’s no doubt the Irishman is the underdog heading into the meeting with Mayweather; the latter may not have been in action for almost two years, but his professional record stands at a perfect 49 wins from 49 fights.
As for McGregor, Aldo has predicted this showdown may be the last we see of him in action in any kind of combat sports.
“With the money he will get from this fight, he will never fight again,” he said. “Not MMA, not boxing, nothing.”
August 26’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor bout has captured the world’s attention in a way few fights have, but while it may feel like a once-in-a-lifetime matchup, “what if” questions involving different combat sports disciplines are a 100-y…
August 26’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor bout has captured the world’s attention in a way few fights have, but while it may feel like a once-in-a-lifetime matchup, “what if” questions involving different combat sports disciplines are a 100-year-old tradition.
From spectators clamoring for a match between wrestling legend Ed “Strangler” Lewis and elite pugilist Jack Dempsey in the 1920s, to the mixed rules contests in the 1960s and 1970s that planted the seeds of MMA, fans have always been willing to line up to find out what would happen if a boxer faced off with an opponent from another fighting style.
With The Money Fight quickly approaching, let’s take a look back at the various contests that have pitted boxer against martial artist. Some of these have taken place in 56,000-seat arenas. Some have happened in smoky local theaters. All of them, however, have given an answer to the “what ifs” of the time.
The superfight between undefeated former champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and UFC champion Conor “Notorious” McGregor is creeping closer and closer, and both fighters are starting to step up their preparations.
Showtime continues to shadow the two fig…
The superfight between undefeated former champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and UFC champion Conor “Notorious” McGregor is creeping closer and closer, and both fighters are starting to step up their preparations.
Showtime continues to shadow the two fighters with its All Access series as they get ready for the August 26 showdown at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Episode 1 primarily concerned itself with the promotional tour involving the two fighters and the war of words involving Floyd Mayweather Sr. and the two fighters. Floyd’s father was happy to engage McGregor, and the Irish fighter did not hesitate to fire back. He attempted to belittle Mayweather with his verbal assault, while the two Mayweathers were dismissive of McGregor‘s skills.
The second episode did not show the two men engaging each other, but both were free with their philosophies and opinions.
Mayweather was quite interested in making sure that everyone knew he was not hurting for money.He explained that he was going to make $300 million for “36 minutes of work” and that he had plenty of money without the upcoming payday.
With that statement, Mayweather had one of his assistants hand him a large leather satchel, and Mayweather started pulling out bricks of $100 bills (53-second mark). “You won’t make this in a lifetime,” Mayweather said in his matter-of-fact style.
While Mayweather was counting his money, McGregor was in the gym trying on regular boxing gloves and head gear, and it all seemed new to him. After he got his gloves on, he says to himself that Mayweather will be unconscious inside of four rounds.
Mayweather, meanwhile, was not in the gym preparing for the fight. Instead, he was doing hot yoga with a number of women, and when he was done exercising, he was talking about his interest in strip clubs and that might be his next venture after boxing.
While most seem to think that McGregor‘s UFC career means that he doesn’t have a boxing background, Showtime’s cameras went to the Crumlin Boxing Club in Crumlin, Ireland. That’s where McGregor‘s interest in combat sports started, and he learned his trade at that club at the age of 10, where he stayed for seven years.
Phil Sutcliffe runs the show at Crumlin, and he worked with McGregor to become a southpaw boxer. Sutcliffe explained that it gave McGregor more options when fighting because he had power in both hands.
Mayweather left Las Vegas and was relaxing in Miami, talking about how many mansions he has and once again going on about his cash. He was not interested in training at this point, and when he returned to Las Vegas, he went roller skating and shopping with his children.
McGregor flew in boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi to help him prepare for his fight with Mayweather. McGregor said that he had heard Malignaggi talk about him in the past, so he wanted to give the ex-fighter a chance to feel his thunder.
While the cameras and recording devices were turned off during their time in the ring together, the McGregor camp released a photo of McGregor putting both hands behind his back as he sparred with Malignaggi. McGregor also said that he whipped his opponent, even though no proof was offered.
When the subject turned back to Mayweather, McGregor explained that everybody who had gotten in the ring with him had been afraid of him and respected his talent too much.
The Irishman said that would not be an issue because he has a much different mindset. “I don’t hold respect for Floyd,” McGregor said. “Floyd’s in for the shock of his life.”
The Mayweather-McGregor bout will be available on Showtime pay-per-view at a cost of $89.95 ($99.95 for high definition).
Chris van Heerden, the former sparring partner of Conor McGregor, said he would be willing to return and spar with the UFC star ahead of his bout against Floyd Mayweather this month—for a price.
Van Heerden spoke with TMZ Sports on Friday a…
Chris van Heerden, the former sparring partner of Conor McGregor, said he would be willing to return and spar with the UFC star ahead of his bout against Floyd Mayweather this month—for a price.
Van Heerden spoke with TMZ Sports on Friday and said he sympathized with former McGregor sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi but would return for a sparring match if paid.
“If he pays me, I’ll go beat him up. The first time I helped him out of a good heart…I didn’t ask him for anything. [I sparred] for free. And then they done me bad. If they want me back, they better pay me.”
Van Heerden split with McGregor’s camp last year after he leaked full video of a sparring session that had previously been made to look McGregor look favorable.
Malignaggi, who had been sparring with McGregor ahead of his prizefight with Mayweather, quit Thursday amid a similar disagreement with the fighter’s camp. A still depicting McGregor knocking down Malignaggi leaked earlier this week, which incensed the now-retired boxer.
“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,” Malignaggi told ESPN’sBrett Okamoto. “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 the supposed knockdown was actually a pushdown but said he and McGregor have a “mutual respect” inside the ring.
“There was a pushdown yesterday,” Malignaggi said of the sparring session. “Conor on the inside, he can get a little rough. He shoved me down, you know, but no knockdowns. Obviously, 12 rounds, you’re gonna see there’s a mark on my face. Very, very hard work for both of us. I was starting to get in a groove in the middle rounds, starting to land some good shots. Conor really came on strong in the end. It was back and forth.”
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. Malignaggitweetedthat it was a “pushdown”:
On Wednesday, the 36-year-old told Okamotothat 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 withMalignaggi 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.
We are now less than a month away from the megafight involving undefeated and former champion Floyd Mayweather and UFC champion Conor McGregor.
The fight will be held a the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas August 26, and Showtime continues to follow the two…
We are now less than a month away from the megafight involving undefeated and former champion Floyd Mayweather and UFC champion ConorMcGregor.
The fight will be held a the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas August 26, and Showtime continues to follow the two fighters with its All Access series.
The second episode is scheduled for Friday night at 10 p.m. ET, and while the first All Access showed the two men as they toured North America and the United Kingdom and promoted the fight, this one will have a much greater focus on the differing training camp preparations.
In addition to the physical work the two men do to prepare for their historic fight, the Showtime production will demonstrate the inner workings of their teams, thought processes and confidence levels as they get ready for the epic confrontation.
Mayweather and his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., attempted to win a psychological battle in the first episode by pointing out that McGregor had never been in the ring with a true boxer, let alone one with a 49-0 record. They also pointed out that McGregor had lost before in the UFC, including by tapping out.
McGregor handed out at least as much as he took in the war of words. He demonstrated little respect and no fear of Mayweather, and he was able to get the crowd on his side at several of the promotional locations.
The second episode is much more likely to reveal the inner preparations that both fighters are going through.
The Mayweather-McGregor bout will be available on Showtime pay-per-view at a cost of $89.95 ($99.95 for high definition).
Jose Aldo has called out Conor McGregor for a lack of respect after his split with training partner Paulie Malignaggi.