UFC: McGregor could agree to box Mayweather ‘by Sunday,’ White says
A heavyweight championship is a marquee event in any fighting promotion. But the UFC is in the curious position of having its main event on Saturday between the champion Stipe Miocic and the former champion Junior dos Santos overshadowed by a boxing match that might never happen.
Ever since the idea of a bout between the UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and the undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. was raised, fans have been intrigued. And attention that might have gone to UFC fighters has instead been on speculation about a superfight.
This does not faze the UFC president, Dana White. “Not at all,” he said. “Every once in a while, there’s this kind of fight that everyone wants to see. I embrace it.”
White said that negotiations for the bout were proceeding. “Conor just had a baby, so he’s dealing with that,” White said. “I’m hoping to have something done on our side by Sunday. Then I go to negotiations with Mayweather.”
Regardless of when that fight takes place, if ever, the UFC goes on — hosting two championship bouts on Saturday’s card in Dallas to air on FX and pay-per-view. The card does not have Mayweather or McGregor on it, but it is strong.
The heavyweight title fight pits two men who seem to be universally described as nice guys. “Two great guys,” White said. “But great guys can have a great fight.” He noted that their first matchup, won by dos Santos in 2014 when neither was the champion, was highly acclaimed.
“The first time these guys fought, it was an absolute five-round war,” he said. “I do not expect this to go five rounds.”
Besides the heaviest men in the UFC, the card will also include the lightest women in the women’s strawweight championship. The titleholder, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, has not reached the mainstream recognition of Rousey, but aficionados love her. She has won seven UFC fights in a row, one more than Rousey’s best run.
Her opponent, the No. 3-ranked Jessica Andrade, is likely to try to bring her to the mat for a submission.
Featherweight Frankie Edgar, 35, who holds the record for most time in the UFC octagon at more than six hours, will take on Yair Rodríguez, 24.
“This is one of those classic fights since the beginning of combat sports where the young, up-and-coming guy takes on the gritty, tough veteran,” White said.
He also pointed to some of the names farther down the card as worth watching: “Chas Skelly is absolutely tough. James Vick is a real tough guy.”
Whether McGregor can switch sports and defeat a legend is the kind of question fans love to speculate about, but which seldom gets answered. But this time, we may actually see it resolved.