Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor: UFC president Dana White says boxing match will be 'the biggest fight ever'

White has revealed a series of details about the fight, including that it will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the weight limit, rules and the undercard 

Luke Brown
Thursday 15 June 2017 05:58 EDT
Comments
McGregor v Mayweather 'superfight' possibility: Tale of the tape

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

UFC president Dana White has revealed a number of details about Conor McGregor’s fight against Floyd Mayweather, which he has promised will be “the biggest fight ever”.

On Wednesday evening, McGregor hinted at an impending announcement on his Twitter page before Mayweather quickly confirmed a deal had been agreed for a boxing match in Las Vegas.

The contest stands to become the most lucrative fight in the history of professional MMA and boxing.

White has said McGregor believes he can win the fight
White has said McGregor believes he can win the fight (Getty)

In a series of interviews after the announcement had been made, White revealed that:

  • The fight will take place on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
  • The two men will meet at the 154 pounds weight limit.
  • The two men will wear 10-ounce gloves for the contest.
  • The fight will last for 12 rounds of 3 minutes, each contested under traditional boxing rules.
  • Both men will be drug tested by the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency).
  • The undercard for the fight will be comprised of boxing matches and Mayweather Promotions will handle the matchmaking.
  • There is no language in the contract concerning a rematch between the two men.
  • White expects McGregor to make around $100m for the fight.

The fight was finally announced after over a year of negotiations, with the deal complicated by the fact that McGregor is contracted to the UFC.

Both men have also repeatedly insisted that they are the main draw and thus should earn more money from the fight.

“It's definitely the biggest fight ever in combat sports history, and probably going to be the biggest payday ever,” White said in an interview with FOX Sports.

“Let's just put it this way - all sides involved are pretty happy with their deals.”

Both men were angling for more money(Getty)
Both men were angling for more money(Getty) (Getty Images)

Given McGregor’s non-existent boxing record, as well as Mayweather’s untarnished record of 49-0 and a reputation as one of the finest fighters in history, the American is seen as the overwhelming favourite to win the contest.

But White has insisted that McGregor – the biggest and most lucrative star his promotion has ever known – has a chance of upsetting the 40-year-old.

McGregor v Mayweather 'superfight' possibility: Tale of the tape

“(McGregor) is absolutely 100 per cent positive that he wins this fight, and I stopped doubting Conor McGregor a long time ago,” he insisted.

“Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old, he's always had problems with southpaws. Conor McGregor is 27 and he is a southpaw. Whenever Conor hits people, they fall.

“I'm not saying Conor McGregor's going to win. I'm not saying Floyd Mayweather's going to win. But the reason Conor McGregor's as big as he is is he'll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime.

“He will go after Floyd Mayweather and he will try to knock him out.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in