UFC President Dana White has suddenly become a “glass half full” guy when it comes to a potential future matchup between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
During an appearance on “Conan” Wednesday night, White acknowledged no agreement between the sides exists right now. Yet, he stated his belief that such a deal would materialize in the near future.
“I do think it’s going to happen,” White said. “I think it’s going to be a tough deal, because, obviously, there are a lot of egos involved in this deal and a lot of people, so that always make it tougher. [But] on the flip side, there’s so much money involved, I just don’t see how it doesn’t happen.”
This statement represents no small shift for White, who once likened the chances of McGregor and Mayweather fighting each other to his likelihood of backing up Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. White also once warned that McGregor would suffer an “epic fall” if he tried to box Mayweather without the UFC’s consent.
McGregor has a championship belt and an exclusive contract with the UFC.
White continued, “A lot of things make this fight intriguing. Conor McGregor is huge. He’s in the prime of his career. Floyd is 40. Floyd has always had problems with southpaws; Conor is a southpaw, and Conor hits hard. When he hits people, they go. Floyd is definitely not knocking him out. That’s for sure. I’m not saying Conor would win this boxing match, but it sure makes it interesting.”
Of course, some of McGregor’s power will be limited in a matchup against Mayweather, since he would have to wear heavier boxing gloves instead of the lighter MMA gloves, which greatly enhance knockout potential.
In any event, with Mayweather announcing that he’s coming out of retirement last week specifically to fight McGregor coupled with McGregor’s aggressive pursuit of a Nevada boxing license and White’s comments on “Conan,” it seems the potential for a fight in which Mayweather and McGregor will have the chance to knock each other out has grown exponentially.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn
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