Share

McGregor wants to fight a boxer on his turf

London - Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor says he wants a boxer to "come into his world", insisting he would beat America's Floyd Mayweather in a rematch, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Irishman lost to ex-welterweight champion Mayweather in Las Vegas in August in one of the richest boxing bouts of all time.

McGregor, speaking ahead of the Dublin premiere of "Conor McGregor: Notorious" - a documentary about the fighter - said his next fight would be to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title.

"Right now I am focused on my world, the world of true fighting," he told the BBC.

"Ideally I would like to take one of the boxers into an MMA bout - someone come into my world now.

"I went into their platform and faced the so-called best-of-the-best and I handled him pretty easily in the early rounds, before I got fatigued and got stopped."

Mayweather, who returned after two years of retirement to take on the Irish mixed martial arts star, bided his time before exerting his superiority from the middle rounds onwards at the T-Mobile Arena.

The match ended with a 10th-round stoppage as Mayweather ended his career with a perfect 50-0 record.

But McGregor, nicknamed "The Notorious", said he would beat the 40-year-old American in a rematch by changing his training regime.

"He (Mayweather) was a tactical genius in there. He changed his gameplan three times and that is the sign of a true champion," said McGregor.

"If it happened in a rematch, it's a simple adjustment of me having a heavier sparring partner coming in the later rounds, leaning on me and walking me down.

"My sparring in the lead-up to the camp was always against fast-twitch, light-on-their-toes opponents. I was never against forward pressure because he (Mayweather) had never fought like that. That took us by surprise and I got beat.

"But if we had a rematch I would correct that and beat him."

Referring to a possible Mayweather rematch, he added: "He's retired. I will not call him out. I respect what he has done."

Asked if he would get back in a boxing ring, McGregor replied: "Of course. Boxing is certainly an interest of mine. But the next fight will be to defend my UFC lightweight belt."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1818 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1779 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE