What next?
For most fighters, there exists a logical and predictable career progression that can be easily mapped out from prospect to prime to past it.
But Conor McGregor has single-handedly ripped up the blueprint for what fighters can expect of themselves as he’s provided a new goal for what up-and-comers should aspire to accomplish.
It still takes some self-pinching to come to terms with the fact that a sportsman with zero competitive experience in a certain field has been given the chance to take on the greatest of his generation in that field but August 26 is just days away and it’s happening. It’s really happening.
Conor McGregor is going to fight Floyd Mayweather. Somehow, someway, it’s coming to fruition.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission not only deemed it appropriate to licence ‘The Notorious’ for the most daunting of leaps into the deep end but they’ve also given him something of an advantage by unprecedentedly agreeing to let McGregor and Mayweather fight in 8oz. gloves rather than 10oz.
Win or lose on Saturday night, McGregor’s ability to talk himself into a $300million fight has to be applauded and as his shooting star continues its meteoric rise, it begs the question… What next for him?
There are several options on the table, as we investigated last week, depending on how the Mayweather fight goes down.
Staying in boxing would benefit his already bulging bank balance while McGregor could also feasibly carry across his newfound fans from the boxing arena over to the UFC if he decides to return to the Octagon to meet the winner of the lightweight unification match-up between Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson.
On Wednesday afternoon, at McGregor’s final press appearance before the biggest payday of his career, he was asked whether he intended to hang around the boxing ring or if he was eager to get back to mixed martial arts.
And it was then that the Irishman hinted at becoming the figurehead for a brand new sporting endeavour.
“After I get the victory on Saturday night, I would most certainly be open to competing in both sports,” McGregor told reporters.
“Maybe going forward, since I’m the king of the boxing ring and the king of the Octagon already, maybe when I’ve conquered both then I’ll just create my own hybrid of an Octagon and a boxing ring.
“We could have one bang in the middle of both of them and if anybody wants to come and challenge me then it must be in my Octagon or whatever we come up with. But we’ll see what happens.
“I’m an active fighter. I enjoy it. I don’t stop thinking about fighting. Most certainly when this one is done, I’ll have about 20 seconds when I’ll relish in victory but then I’ll be like, ‘Who’s next?’ That’s the way I’ve always been. I just turned 29 years of age. I’m still very young in my career. I’m still looking to compete all over the place.”
