Conor McGregor: ‘UFC Can’t Stop Me’ From Boxing Floyd Mayweather

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is taking time away from mixed martial arts while he prepares to become a father, but has his eyes set on a return fight.

“I have my eyes on one thing right now and that’s Floyd Mayweather. That’s the thing I have my eye on,” McGregor recently said during a pay-per-view question and answer session in Manchester, England.

UFC president Dana White made Mayweather and McGregor an offer on Jan. 13 to promote the boxing bout, but Mayweather laughed at the $25 million proposal.

“I’m sitting at the house and Floyd offers $15 million. Then Dana offers $25 million. I’m sitting in my house watching the millions go up. Like, this is all right. This is all right,” said McCgregor.

The Irishman plans to travel to Las Vegas to negotiate with Mayweather in person and come to an agreement.

“I’m going to go out there. Everything is good on the phone, but I need to go out there and really be in there,” he said.  “I need to get my skin back in the game fully. I’ve been in the game from a distance, but now I’m going to get back in and get everything settled.

“Me and Floyd have got to get together and talk and figure it out the same way he and Manny Pacquiao figured it out. Once we come to a number, once we come to a set number that I’m happy with and he’s happy with, then we go to the customers. Then we go to the promoters, the buyers, and then we get it done. That’s next. I’ll go to Vegas. I’ll handle the commission, or we’ll figure that situation out and then we’ll come to a dotted line. This is happening.”

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McGregor said a fight with Mayweather has been in the works for some time and is determined to make the match-up a reality.

“That fight was more than just being explored. That fight has been in the works for a while now. Look, there are a lot of steps to get the fight done. It’s the fight to make. It’s the fight that people want. It’s the fight that I want. I’m confident going in there. I’ve got the reach. I’ve got the youth. I’ve got the confidence. I’ve got an unpredictable style. You can’t prepare for a style like me,” he said.  “A guy said to me, why conquer one world when you can conquer two, so I’m going to conquer two worlds.”

McGregor is under contract with the UFC.  He believes that he can get the fight done without the fight promotion, but says it would be “smoother” if all parties were involved.

“I believe so. With the Ali Act, I believe I can (do the fight without the UFC), especially now that there are offers on the table. But I think it’s smoother if we’re all involved. I think we’re all about good business. I’ve done great business with the UFC, with Dana, with everyone. I think it’s smoother if everyone gets together and are involved. But, again, everybody has to know their place. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said.

“Everyone’s got to know their place,” he added. “There’s Mayweather Promotions. There’s the UFC, and now there’s the newly formed McGregor Promotions. And we’re all in the mix, so that’s what I’m saying. Nobody is my boss. I know Floyd likes to say that Dana is my boss and that he decides. Hell no. Nobody decides this. If they let people go fight jiu-jitsu tournaments, they can’t stop me going to fight a boxing fight.”

The UFC has created an interim lightweight title in McGregor’s absence.  “The Notorious” believes that the next time we see him competing, he’ll be boxing Mayweather.

“I believe it will happen at the end of this year or early next year,” he said.  “I believe the next time I step in a combat arena will be through the ropes wearing 10-ounce or eight-ounce gloves.”