Well, it’s nearly upon us. It’s the bout which few thought would ever happen and some think should never happen.
The Money Fight takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday as boxing’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA’s Conor McGregor come together in the ring. Mayweather has never been one to shy away from the spotlight but much of the pre-fight focus is centred on McGregor. The Irishman is known for his loud mouth outside of the ring so let’s take a look at some of The Notorious’ best trash talking moments down the years.
McGregor vs. Diaz – CNBC Interview
“They want you to give us a quick count to ten, gentlemen, if you wouldn’t mind,” said presenter Jane Wells to the pair on a live interview.
“Nate can only count to five,” McGregor replied to start an interview which was stocked full of some hilarious lines.
It was a fight which was a long time coming and resulted in a Diaz victory with the Irishman having to wait for revenge. The rematch saw the biggest financials of any UFC fighter with McGregor taking home $3,000,000. The trash talk may have backfired on McGregor the first time around but it’s fair to say that he hasn’t learned his lesson.
“Take a coffee break, Nate. And by coffee break, I mean bring me my coffee.”
McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Conor McGregor was actually supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196, not Nate Diaz. The Brazilian had to pull out of the bout but not before McGregor landed some blows outside of the ring.
McGregor’s best line came during a speech about how much money dos Anjos would be getting paid if he fought the Irishman.
“I’ll change your bum life,” McGregor said. “You fight me it’s a celebration. When you sign to fight me it’s a celebration. You ring back home, you ring your wife, ‘baby we done it — we’re rich, baby! Conor McGregor made us rich! Break out the red panties! We’re rich baby.’
“It’s red panty night when you sign to fight me.”
Mayweather vs. McGregor announcement
In the beginning, there were rumours. “If you’re asking would I like to fight Floyd Mayweather, I mean, who would not like to dance around the ring for $180m?” McGregor responded to an interview with talk show host Conan O’Brien back in 2015. A feud was born didn’t look like it would ever get into the ring with UFC chief Dana White calling it “unlikely”.
By March of this year, Mayweather even began saying it could happen. Appearing on Conan O’Brien – who has become a strangely important figure in all of this – he said that a deal was close. Mayweather’s words set some tails wagging from fighting fans across the world but when things were finalised, the Irishman had the last laugh.
“He’s getting old now,” McGregor said of Mayweather in an interview and when announcement time came, he went back to this. ‘The fight is on,’ McGregor told his five million Twitter followers with a picture of both himself and 64-year-old Floyd Mayweather Senior.
“He looks like a break dancer”
Once the fight was announced and the date was set, it was all about the promotion. Mayweather and McGregor embarked on a press conference tour which spanned four cities in three countries and featured some classic trash talk between the pair.
The topics for McGregor’s trash talk vary greatly depending on opponent and with Mayweather, he took a jab at his clothing. The Irishman has become quite the fan of fashion in recent years. In fact, research conducted by Betway Insider proves that he posts more about fashion than about any other subject on his Instagram.
“What the f*ck is he wearing?” McGregor asked about his opponent who was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. “He looks like a little break dancer or something…He’s 40! You’re 40 years of age. Dress your f*cking age…What are you doing with a schoolbag on stage? You can’t even read.”
“I am boxing.”
If this was a street brawl or featured MMA rules then McGregor would be the strong favourite but in the boxing ring, he’s the underdog. Floyd Mayweather dominated his sport for decades and goes into the bout with a 49-0 record.
The Irishman is certainly aware of the scale of his task but made light of it during the conference tour. In London, McGregor came up with one phrase which has become something of a motto ahead of The Money Fight.
“This is my first time in a boxing ring and in six weeks, I run boxing,” McGregor told the roaring crowd.
“I’m just dancing around my boxing ring. This is my boxing ring. I am boxing.”
He may be the underdog but he’s hard to bet against.