Conor McGregor shocked the world with his sudden retirement tweet last month, in which the UFC star said he is simply sick and tired of fulfilling the promotional requirements of the company.
There have been speculations that McGregor could make the jump to WWE from mixed martial arts, similar to the paths taken by Ken Shamrock and Brock Lesnar. However, in addition to returning to UFC, another path for McGregor is to take his talents into the boxing ring and take on retired unbeaten boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The thought of a boxing match between McGregor and Mayweather has fascinated fans, similar to the talk regarding a possible bout between Mayweather and former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. While the Mayweather-Rousey match probably had no chance of happening, is there a possibility of McGregor-Mayweather fight becoming a reality?
MMA Junkie columnist Ben Fowlkes compares the talk regarding a boxing match between McGregor and Mayweather to junk food, saying that while it is not good to digest, it is not bad in moderation. There will always be an appetite among fans for such a dream matchmaking, and as long as the appetite is there, entertainers such as McGregor and Mayweather will deliver it.
And deliver it, the two fighters have been doing. McGregor claims he is on equal footing with Mayweather in terms of drawing power, and if such a fight will happen, he will look to have an equal share of the match's revenue. Mayweather previously said he would be getting $100 million, while McGregor would get only $7 million.
An executive for Showtime, Stephen Espinoza, revealed that Mayweather has a mutual interest in getting in the ring with McGregor, as the boxer said that he would welcome a return to the sport with a nine-figure payday. McGregor's taunts might be helping fan the flames for a match between the two.
"I have the size, I have the reach, I have the height, I have the youth. He needs me. I don't need him. That's the truth of it. Who else can he fight?," McGregor said.
Will a McGregor-Mayweather match happen? Fans of combat sports are hoping it would, though it should be remembered it took years for a fight between Mayweather and Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to be arranged.
