Conor McGregor Opens Up on UFC 200 and Floyd Mayweather
Conor McGregor Opens Up on UFC 200 and Floyd Mayweather
He doesn't have a fight scheduled, but Conor McGregor continues to be the leading story in combat sports. Over the course of several pre-recorded interview
He doesn't have a fight scheduled, but Conor McGregor continues to be the leading story in combat sports.
Over the course of several pre-recorded interview segments aired Sunday morning on ESPN, McGregor reflected on the UFC's shocking decision to remove him from UFC 200. The shocking decision, and McGregor's subsequent push-back on social media, was the first time the public was afforded a view of the resentment between the superstar and his promoters that had been privately building since last summer.
"It was a publicized civil war," McGregor said. "I was going through some things. I wanted to focus on my training."
McGregor spoke of his desire to pull back on the amount of media he did for UFC 200, but clearly noted that he never said no to all media responsibilities; he simply wanted a reasonable amount. When the UFC told him he would be required to fly from Iceland to the United States to film commercials and take part in a miniature press tour, he balked.
"It was like, I only made you $400 million last week," McGregor said.
The end result: McGregor was off the card. But in a rare reflective moment, McGregor said there were moments when he questioned his decision.
"There were times (I thought), 'I should have just jumped on the damn flight," he said. "But sometimes you've got to do what's right for you and not what's right for everybody else. Especially if you've done what's right for everyone else a million times over."
The public fallout has continued since his removal from the card, but McGregor and the UFC have seemingly been able to put their issues aside. Earlier this week, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White flew to Los Angeles to meet McGregor for dinner. Scant details were provided to ESPN, but McGregor said progress was made and that there is no bad blood between the parties.
"We don't waste time. We speak, touch base and go straight to what we know, which is good business," he said.
The business at hand, surprising as it may seem, is a looming potential fight with retired boxing great Floyd Mayweather. When the story first surfaced earlier this month, it seemed like the kind of ridiculous thing that gets published when media outlets are seeking easy attention and traffic.
Now, though, it's the story that won't go away. McGregor said the rumored $7 million guaranteed payday he would receive for fighting Mayweather was laughable.
"He's the one that started the rumor. That's a pay cut for me," he said. "Mayweather needs me. I don't need him."
McGregor said he knows Mayweather won't fight in a "true" (MMA) bout, so he is willing to face the boxer in a "limited" (boxing) fight. Still, the overall tone of McGregor's interview made crystal clear that no negotiations have taken place.
A fight between the two may be more realistic than we originally thought, but McGregor's immediate future likely lies in the MMA world.
FloCombat reported on May 6 that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz was likely for UFC 202 in August. The fight is not finalized, but UFC 202 is still the planned date, and it is an indication that McGregor's brief public war with the UFC will be set aside for the time being.
But when asked if he was committed to the UFC, McGregor gave a revealing answer.
"I'm committed to the fight game," McGregor said. "I enjoy competition. I enjoy challenges. If a challenge is in front of me and it appeals to me, I will go ahead and conquer it."
Over the course of several pre-recorded interview segments aired Sunday morning on ESPN, McGregor reflected on the UFC's shocking decision to remove him from UFC 200. The shocking decision, and McGregor's subsequent push-back on social media, was the first time the public was afforded a view of the resentment between the superstar and his promoters that had been privately building since last summer.
"It was a publicized civil war," McGregor said. "I was going through some things. I wanted to focus on my training."
McGregor spoke of his desire to pull back on the amount of media he did for UFC 200, but clearly noted that he never said no to all media responsibilities; he simply wanted a reasonable amount. When the UFC told him he would be required to fly from Iceland to the United States to film commercials and take part in a miniature press tour, he balked.
"It was like, I only made you $400 million last week," McGregor said.
The end result: McGregor was off the card. But in a rare reflective moment, McGregor said there were moments when he questioned his decision.
"There were times (I thought), 'I should have just jumped on the damn flight," he said. "But sometimes you've got to do what's right for you and not what's right for everybody else. Especially if you've done what's right for everyone else a million times over."
The public fallout has continued since his removal from the card, but McGregor and the UFC have seemingly been able to put their issues aside. Earlier this week, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White flew to Los Angeles to meet McGregor for dinner. Scant details were provided to ESPN, but McGregor said progress was made and that there is no bad blood between the parties.
"We don't waste time. We speak, touch base and go straight to what we know, which is good business," he said.
The business at hand, surprising as it may seem, is a looming potential fight with retired boxing great Floyd Mayweather. When the story first surfaced earlier this month, it seemed like the kind of ridiculous thing that gets published when media outlets are seeking easy attention and traffic.
Now, though, it's the story that won't go away. McGregor said the rumored $7 million guaranteed payday he would receive for fighting Mayweather was laughable.
"He's the one that started the rumor. That's a pay cut for me," he said. "Mayweather needs me. I don't need him."
McGregor said he knows Mayweather won't fight in a "true" (MMA) bout, so he is willing to face the boxer in a "limited" (boxing) fight. Still, the overall tone of McGregor's interview made crystal clear that no negotiations have taken place.
A fight between the two may be more realistic than we originally thought, but McGregor's immediate future likely lies in the MMA world.
FloCombat reported on May 6 that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz was likely for UFC 202 in August. The fight is not finalized, but UFC 202 is still the planned date, and it is an indication that McGregor's brief public war with the UFC will be set aside for the time being.
But when asked if he was committed to the UFC, McGregor gave a revealing answer.
"I'm committed to the fight game," McGregor said. "I enjoy competition. I enjoy challenges. If a challenge is in front of me and it appeals to me, I will go ahead and conquer it."