FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. CONOR MCGREGOR: WILL IT HAPPEN? SHOULD IT HAPPEN?
By TONY SHUCK
@shuckystyle
Special to woodypaige.com
For months I have listened to Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather run their mouths about fighting each other.
And for months I’ve listened to the media entertain the idea. I’m tired of the nonsense. This fight will never happen. Ever. Not in a boxing ring or even in a cage. More importantly, it SHOULDN’T ever happen.
Let’s start with the obvious. McGregor isn’t a boxer! Never has been and never will be. It’s not even his best attribute inside the octagon. Kickboxing is. Yes, there is a difference. So, how in the hell am I going to buy into the idea of him stepping in with arguably the greatest boxer of all time?
Please don’t try and sell me on the idea that McGregor’s striking is dynamic and powerful. While you might be right, it’s irrelevant to the topic. McGregor’s standup is based around his movement and kicks. When pressed to simply box, McGregor doesn’t have the tools. Don’t believe me? Watch the end of the first fight against Nate Diaz. McGregor was beaten so badly by Diaz’s boxing skills, McGregor dove for a take down to avoid taking any more damage. Needless to say, that didn’t end well for McGregor.
If McGregor can’t stop an MMA fighter from punching him in the face, how is he going to handle the speed and footwork of a man who has literally spent his whole life dedicated to just that? He can’t.
As for McGregor’s punching power. I hear you. I just don’t buy that it translates. First, he sets up his punches with kicks and spins, neither of which are legal in boxing. Second, MMA uses four-ounce gloves; boxing uses ten. Is the power still there with a heavier glove? Does he lose punching speed? Again, watch the Diaz fight. Diaz easily avoided McGregor strikes as the fight progressed. If an MMA fighter can get out of the way, don’t you think the Mayweather can? That is a characteristic of his brilliance.
George St. Peirre once said in an interview with Chael Sonnen that he trains with pro boxers. When asked if he could ever compete in boxing, GSP said that the cardio is so different that without extensively training in only boxing for a few years, he may get to that point. As it stood then, he could only go four rounds. Four. MMA is five rounds and the most dominate welterweight in UFC history can only go four rounds in boxing.
It makes sense. It’s a completely different sport. While aspects of boxing live inside MMA, it is an animal to all its own. The volume of strikes, the limited target available and the constant movement are taxing. There isn’t a ground game to relax in.
It wouldn’t be any easier for Mayweather to make the jump to MMA. Hell, it’d probably be a worse fight. I may be biased, but I do have evidence.
James Toney, a former multi-time, multi-division boxing champion, tried his luck in MMA. It didn’t turn out so well. He lasted all of 3:19 against Randy Couture. He didn’t even throw a punch. Couture walked over, landed an ankle pick takedown and submitted Toney with a head and arm choke.
Mayweather’s odds would be roughly the same. MMA moves too fast. It utilizes takedowns and submissions that can’t be learned in a matter of weeks or months.
Again, these are two sports that actually can’t be compared. Let’s stop the madness and let this die already.
Even if we took the competitiveness away from the problem, money will rear its ugly head. McGregor wants $100 million; Mayweather is offering $15 mil. The $85 million gap can’t be discounted. Also, McGregor is property of the UFC, and unless the organization gets its, a blessing for the match won’t be given. I can’t say I blame UFC authorities. Why would they loan out their golden boy to get beaten on a very public stage to a fighter who never will step inside an octagon.
I hope this insanity stops soon. There’s a lot of good MMA out there. We don’t need this distraction. The fight is not going to come to fruition, thankfully. So, lets enjoy what we do have, competitive MMA from actual MMA fighters.
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Tonyshuckmma@gmail.com
(Tony Shuck, an avid MMA fanatic since 2002, has become an expert on the sport. The 34-year-old Indiana native is a veteran of the United States Army, serving between 2002-2006. He was deployed twice to Iraq (2003-2004, 2005-2006). He is married and lives in Denver. Tony has trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. He is a student at the Colorado Media School, is a regular contributor to woodypaige.com and hosts his own MMA radio show, The Weigh-In, on Elevation 5280 Sports.)