In 26 days, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will step into the boxing ring for the first time. His opponent in this professional debut will not be another newbie, however, it will be undefeated defensive mastermind Floyd Mayweather Jr.
While McGregor is a tremendously talented mixed martial artist – as evidenced by his status as the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles concurrently – he’s not being given much chance in this boxing match with Mayweather. That said, he does seem to have some clear advantages against his tremendously talented foe. He is not without paths to victory.
On a recent edition of the Rich Eisen Show, former UFC bantamweight champion and current UFC on Fox analyst Dominick Cruz broke down this blockbuster Mayweather vs. McGregor fight, and explained how McGregor might actually win it. See Dominick Cruz’s in-depth assessment of Conor McGregor’s battle with Floyd Mayweather at the top of this post.
When we last saw McGregor in the Octagon, he authored an artful knockout of Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title. Given that he still owned the UFC featherweight title at that time, this made him the first fighter in promotional history to hold titles in two weight classes concurrently. He is 21-3 as a pro mixed martial artist, and 0-0 as a pro boxer.
Mayweather, meanwhile, is a sparkling 49-0 as a pro boxer. After his last fight, a 2013 decision defeat of Andre Berto, the boxing legend elected to hang up the gloves. Yet this lucrative crossover fight with McGregor was apparently enough to pull him back to the ring.
How do you think Conor McGregor will do against Floyd Mayweather?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/1/2017.
