This week in the ongoing Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather saga saw the money making duo step up their theatrics on social media when Mayweather teased an MMA debut.
Mayweather, famously undefeated in his field of professional boxing, posted a short teaser clip to his social media accounts of him stepping inside an octagon on January 30th which has racked up 6.5 million views to date. He followed it up yesterday with a WWE style promo straight to camera, mid octagon with the caption "Come at the king, you best not miss" where he simply said:
2018, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, MMA. What are the odds Paddy? What are the odds?
He is also wearing a pair of Paddy Power sponsored MMA shorts. The video has hit almost 1.7 million views as of this afternoon.
Come at the king, you best not miss... pic.twitter.com/uHx4SJngHx
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 1, 2018
Independent journalist, Adam Glynn caught up with McGregor on the streets of midtown Manhattan last night and caught the Irishman in some rare "alone time" with just one fan who was waiting for his autograph seemingly there with him. This allowed Glynn to get McGregor to give more of an in-depth answer on the possibility of their rematch being in Conor's sport this time.
Glynn opened to questioning by asking "The Notorious" a rather ambiguous, "how do you think Floyd would do in UFC?" McGregor seemed unimpressed and rolled his eyes as he answered "Against who?!" Almost goading the journalist into asking him what he really wants to know.
Glynn acquiesced by asking "how do you think you'll do against him?" McGregor answered typically, "I'd do as I pleased against him inside the octagon!" He followed up a little more seriously by adding:
But if he does do it, I know he's flirting with it, I would have respect for him. I think he would get his earned respect then if he was to step in [the octagon].
The interviewer also asked McGregor if he thinks Mayweather posts these videos "just for talk or to get hype going", McGregor was definitive in his response.
If it is, it will follow him for the rest of his days. You know what I'm sayin'? If it is it will follow him for the rest of his days that he did not do it. I said I would do it and I stepped up and I done it so...his time now.
Anyone who's followed Mayweather's promotional techniques over the years would have to be a fool to think this fight isn't going to happen this year, just by his "what are the odds Paddy?" video alone. McGregor didn't bite too hard and give away too much simply closing the subject by saying that "we are engaging" before moving on to talk about the UFC.
Interestingly enough he referred to Tony Ferguson as "the Interim champ", and when asked about if he was willing to give up "the belts" (he was stripped of the Featherweight title shortly after he became a double champion in UFC having never defended it) and he quipped:
Them belts are in me gaf, my home. So, good luck to anyone trying to come near my home to get them!
McGregor rounded out the sidewalk chat by giving his thoughts on Ronda Rousey's recent WWE debut. When asked about it he perked up and seemed genuinely happy for the former UFC Women's Bantamweight champion saying:
I'm delighted for her. Absolutely over the moon for her. She looked like she really enjoyed herself at the event and I was very, very happy to see her. She's a pioneer for the game and she's came through it all and faced big wins and big, big losses and she came through it and it's great to see her represent herself and mixed martial arts and have fun in the WWE I know she's been a big fan of it all her life, so it's great to see that.
Check out the entire clip below which Adam Glyn posted to his official YouTube channel.
As McGregor decides what his next move is, the top two contenders in the Lightweight division, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov face each other at UFC 223 on April 7th in Brooklyn, New York.
