Conor McGregor speaks for the first time after clashes with Floyd Mayweather and Paulie Malignaggi
The Irishman blamed Mayweather's 'donkeys' for their scuffle at the Arrivals Ceremony, while insisting that he does not have a problem with Malignaggi despite their clash
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Your support makes all the difference.Conor McGregor has spoken out for the first time after he clashed with both Floyd Mayweather and Paulie Malignaggi at Tuesday's Las Vegas Arrivals Ceremony, blaming a brawl with Mayweather’s entourage on “the donkeys” that the American surrounds himself with.
Tuesday’s ceremony descended into chaos upon McGregor’s arrival, as his entourage became involved in a clash with Mayweather’s ‘The Money Team’ before he then squared up to Malignaggi, his former sparring partner.
McGregor was making his way to the stage at the Toshiba Plaza outside the T-Mobile Arena when the fracas with Mayweather’s team broke out, with both men at the middle of the clash before they were quickly separated by members of their respective entourages.
And in an interview immediately after the Arrivals Ceremony, McGregor said that the scrap was sparked when he quizzed Mayweather on why a pre-arranged face-off had been scrapped.
“On the way in there was meant to be a face-off. And then suddenly there wasn’t,” he said during a media scrum after the incident.
“So I saw him on the way [to the stage] and said ‘what, are you afraid of a face-off today?’ And then suddenly he started mouthing at me, and the big goons that he surrounds himself with turned things into a pushing and shoving contest.
“I didn't hear what his response was. He can’t walk around the place without surrounding himself with these donkeys — and that’s what they are. Absolute donkeys. But he’s in the ring on his own. He can pray to the referee to keep him safe, but I’m going to make him beg to me to play by the rules.”
The drama didn't end after Mayweather and McGregor were pulled apart, as after a quick interview on stage McGregor found himself accosted by Malignaggi.
But despite their altercation, McGregor insisted he has no real problems with the retired American boxer.
“I saw him taking to my manager and when I walked over to him, he was still talking to my manager,” McGregor added.
“I looked at him and he put his head down and mentioned the pictures. I said ‘mate, get over it. You look stupid, you got your a** whopped, it’s done.’
“I don’t mind Paulie, even after all of this stuff I don’t mind them. The problem was the knockdown. But I sent it out and proved what happened.”
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