but this could mark the end of the Irishman's UFC career
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It’s quite amazing how the news we have all been expecting for months now has caused a social media meltdown like nothing before— Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is now official for August 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After months of endless speculation, the fight was officially announced earlier this evening by Mayweather Promotions, following an earlier report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
A countdown of less than ten weeks now begins and there will no doubt be any shortage of back and forth between the two camps. It’s likely that many questions will be asked, but very few answers given as we enter uncharted territory in combat sports.
On one side of the ring, we have Mayweather , the man who many consider the greatest boxer of all time with an unblemished record of 49-0. His goal in all this is very clear—make lots money by defeating a man who’s never laced up the gloves in a professional boxing match.
(Photo: Getty)
On the other side of the ring, we have the enigma, McGregor . The UFC lightweight champion is a totally unknown quantity with the 12oz gloves and will understandably come into the bout a big underdog with the bookmakers.
Most media will write off the Irishman’s chances of winning the fight and it’s hard to counter their argument given McGregor’s lack of experience in the boxing ring.
(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Zuffa LLC)
Perhaps the more interesting question though is what happens to McGregor after August 26? How does a man who’s just banked a $100 million paycheck return to the Octagon to fight for $15 million, the amount that he reportedly made for his UFC 205 clash for Eddie Alvarez last November?
What might be lost in all the euphoria of the Mayweather vs. McGregor announcement this evening is that this could well spell the end of the Irishman’s UFC career. While it’s certainly plausible that he returns for the odd super fight down the line, the reality of the situation this evening is that the days of McGregor fighting more than once a year for the promotion are probably long over.
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What’s been consistent throughout McGregor’s career is that every single one of his fights has been a bigger deal than the last. First he was after one UFC title, then it was revenge over Diaz, then it was the second UFC title, and now it’s a showdown with the greatest boxer of all time.
Unless the UFC can pull something incredible out the bag, it’s hard to see McGregor ever returning to the Octagon. That, along with the inevitable hangover is something we can all deal with on August 27.