UFC president Dana White shot down speculation about a potential crossover fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
A fight between McGregor and Pacquiao has been speculated for years, ever since McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather. If McGregor were to ever fight Pacquiao, it would more than likely be in a boxing match. Even though it might seem like a ridiculous idea, we saw the record-breaking numbers that Mayweather and McGregor had, so even though it might seem crazy at first glance, it’s still something that fans and media have speculated about.
Last week, McGregor wrote “I accept” on his Twitter which generated all sorts of speculation of what he meant. White said that McGregor was agreeing to a fight against welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev, but McGregor was later said to be not referring to that fight. Instead, he tweeting “I accept” in Tagalog, which generated all sorts of speculation about what he meant. Not surprisingly, Pacquiao’s name came up since he and McGregor both share the same management group.
Speaking to the media following UFC Vegas 5, White was asked about the speculation of a McGregor vs. Pacquiao matchup, and the UFC president quickly shot that idea down.
“I don’t care about any of that sh*t,” Dana White said (via MMA Mania).
White has been adamant in recent weeks that McGregor is a retired fighter. Even if he was retired from MMA, he is still under exclusive contract with the UFC and White would have to sign off on McGregor taking a boxing match. Considering White ultimately did sign off on the Mayweather fight and the UFC made a lot of money from it, you can’t completely discount the suggestion of a matchup between McGregor and Pacquiao. But just don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.
Would you watch a crossover fight between Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao?