by King Hazard
As we’re heading into the home straight for one of the most publicized combat sports event of all time, it seems everybody has had their say. It’s the talk of the town. Laymen want to know how the professionals see it, and whether Irishman Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor actually has a chance against Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather in Las Vegas.
As you can expect, fighters from both codes have made their feelings known. Although you might expect it to become a UFC vs. boxing war, in actual fact many of the Octagon’s finest are also huge boxing fans, most likely growing up following the sport’s biggest stars.
This means the divide isn’t as clear cut. In fact, the landslide in predictions mirrors how most of the athletes see the fight playing out. You only need to have a look at the -476 odds for Mayweather to see how this translates to the bookmakers’ reactions.
Fellow UFC fighters would like to show their support for what McGregor has achieved, but that doesn’t mean to say they like his chances.
“UFC 189 World Tour Aldo vs. McGregor Lon” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by andriuXphoto.events
“There is no way McGregor can beat Mayweather,” offered Jose Aldo, a man who has felt the Irishman’s power first hand when he was knocked out in just 13 seconds back in 2015. “Mayweather has done this his entire life and it’s a different sport.”
“If I were a betting man, I’d say you have to side on the side of greatness,” said Jon Jones.
But not all of his UFC compatriots are writing him off. Dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is firmly in Conor’s corner.
“I think Conor’s going to get the job done,” he revealed.
The boxing world hasn’t reacted well to the matchup, given that fighters from their sport with a justified reason to face Floyd have had their hopes of the payday dashed, and a man they say as having no claim to a matchup will take the money.
Not only that, they feel he won’t get the test he deserves and will be able to coast to a 50-0 career.
“Mayweather wins this easily,” said 37-0 world champion, Mikey Garcia. As a knockout artist with 30 of his wins coming inside the distance, he knows what it takes to stop people in the ring, but he does not fancy the UFC champion’s chances.
Image via @mrdavidhaye on Twitter
Brit David Haye said it would be a “comfortable stoppage” for Mayweather, with these sentiments echoed by the likes of Tony Bellew, Dereck Chisora and others.
Despite all of this, McGregor remains confident. One thing you’ll never take away from is his self-belief. However, the fact that a fighter who has never boxed competitively has managed to snag a fight with one of the greatest ever shows just how bright his star is shining, and will continue to shine despite the result.
Even a loss with a reasonable performance will mean he leaves $100 million richer, back to his real stomping ground of the Octagon.
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