Conor McGregor boasts he 'holds the key' to Mayweather megafight
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has said time and time again that no one on the UFC roster stands a chance against him inside the Octagon. So it should come as no surprised that the Irishman is open to looking outside the UFC at a big-money fight with pound-for-pound boxing great Floyd Mayweather.
McGregor told Gareth Davies ahead of his headlining bout at UFC 196 that he is definitely open to having the discussion, and he's never been one to not give the fans what they want.
"I'm open-minded, I love competition and I love fighting. It would be interesting to see if we could make that fight happen if the fans wanted to see it. Obviously they would," McGregor said.
Don't get it twisted though: This has less to do with the fans and more to do with the number of zeros in McGregor's bank account. "Notorious" knows that a potential fight with the most profitable boxer of all-time would bring in the big bucks. And win or lose, he could make out like Scrooge McDuck in the opening credits of "Ducktales."
"I'm all about those numbers," McGregor told Davies. "I would certainly do it."
It's hard to imagine, as Davies stated, that Mayweather vs. McGregor wouldn't be a billion-dollar fight. Mayweather owns the three largest grossing boxing gates in Las Vegas at $72 million (Manny Paquiao), $20 million (Canelo Alvarez), and $18 million (Oscar de la Hoya), and has raked in a total of $700 million during his 19-year career, according to Forbes.
McGregor, on the other hand, has already cracked 1 million PPV buys in his young MMA career. And those numbers will only get bigger as the Irishman's star shines brighter.
No telling whether or not these two will actually ever face off one day (Floyd seems adamant about his retirement, and we saw how long it took to finally get Mayweather-Pacquiao). But McGregor is confident the decision is his to make.
"I'm open to discussion, come at me. But I hold the key. It is me that holds the key to that fight," said McGregor.
