Irish MMA sensation Conor McGregor needed just 40 seconds to overcome Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in his latest MMA fight at welterweight level. It was a remarkable return to the Octagon for McGregor, who looked in tremendous shape and was ready to fight rather than milk the crowds. His pre-fight training camp was clearly intense and innovative, equipping McGregor with new moves in the clinch that helped to put Cerrone on the back foot from the word go. The fight demonstrated his raw talent rather than his marketable brand.
In the moments after his first-round defeat of Cerrone, McGregor was quizzed on what his next steps would be in MMA. Conor admitted that a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov was almost certain, given the shape he is in and his desire to prove people wrong after their initial bout. However, there are suggestions that McGregor could look to switch codes once again and head into the boxing ring, due largely to his competence and comfort at welterweight.
Could McGregor light up the new Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium?
Las Vegas is just weeks away from the opening of its new 60,000-seater arena, the Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium, built just yards from the Las Vegas Boulevard Strip. The stadium will play host to the new Las Vegas Raiders NFL franchise, but reports indicate that McGregor is keen to have one more crack at boxing, with a major fight against another boxing icon to open the new arena a possible option. Veteran Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has been mooted as a potential opponent, given his propensity to get involved in one-off duels. Sean Gibbons, the manager of ‘PacMan’, recently posted a fake poster of the potential match-up, naming the Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium as the venue too.
There’s no doubt that a headline bout in Las Vegas would get McGregor’s juices – and bank balance – flowing. The Irishman craves the attention. The fight would almost certainly receive top billing with one of the pay-per-view broadcasters, although there’s a possibility some of the leading sportsbooks might get access. According to Oddschecker’s review page, Bet365 streams over 60,000 sporting events live each year and could be a means of UK-based fight fans to stay tuned to the action.
So, while McGregor appears to be keeping his feet firmly on the ground for a change after humbling Cerrone, the lure of battling for a boxing world title could be too strong for him to stay in MMA for good. Once a rematch with Nurmagomedov is done and dusted, McGregor will probably feel that returning to the boxing ring is the only major challenge left to achieve, given that he has now won at three different weight divisions in UFC. He’s already admitted that a boxing world title would be “a great aspiration to have” and a “feather in the cap” for his career.
Pacquiao or Mayweather: Which way will McGregor go?
It seems that Pacquiao is not the only contender that would be interested in a fight with McGregor in the coming months. Just hours after McGregor’s comprehensive win over Cerrone, Floyd ‘Money Man’ Mayweather teased the Irishman on social media by posting a mock-up rematch poster dubbed ‘Mayweather McGregor 2 2020’. However, when pressed on this poster at his post-fight press conference, McGregor laughed off suggestions of a fight with ‘Money Man’ this year, because Mayweather had forgotten to include McGregor Sports and Entertainment “on the poster”.
Nevertheless, McGregor was honest enough to admit that discussions between various parties “are always ongoing”, intimating that another boxing bout is certainly in the offing. Should McGregor don the boxing gloves once again, a bout with Pacquiao would probably be the more interesting fight as opposed to the richest fight. There are plenty more unknowns when it comes to matching up McGregor’s physicality and Pacquiao’s technique.
Although most traditionalist boxing fans are hugely skeptical of McGregor’s boxing ability, most admit that his fight with Mayweather captured the imagination of sports fans in general worldwide. His brand and reputation would lend itself well to one more shot at a boxing legend.
