LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor, who stands to make up to $100 million from Saturday's boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, is not known for his humility, but the Irishman certainly hasn't forgotten where he came from.
When the 29-year-old mixed martial arts champion recently bought a yacht he named it "188," after the number of euros he used to receive as a social welfare payment from the Irish government as recently as four years ago.
Back then, few could have dreamed of the fame and untold riches that combat sports would bring him, but McGregor — who calls himself "Mystic Mac" due to his ability to predict the outcome of his fights — never doubted himself.
Born in a working-class suburb of Dublin, McGregor began boxing at an early age before moving towards the burgeoning new sport of mixed martial arts as a teenager.
His rise as a fighter under the banner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship may seem meteoric, but an early loss as a young pro almost caused him to walk away from the sport.
His mother intervened and asked his coach, John Kavanagh, to encourage him not to give up. Kavanagh, who made a point of never chasing athletes to beg them to come back, made an exception for the brash McGregor.
Luckily for all concerned, it worked out.
McGregor suffered another loss against compatriot Joe Duffy, but then embarked on a winning streak in the Cage Warriors promotion that saw him win the featherweight and lightweight belts there.
Irish fight fans took to Twitter to campaign for a UFC contract for their rising star, and when promotion kingpin Dana White relented in 2013, McGregor was finally in the stable of the biggest show in the game.
He tore through the UFC featherweight division, winning his first seven fights and culminating in a stunning 13-second knockout of Brazilian Jose Aldo, a victory which saw him crowned the organization's featherweight champion.
In a sport struggling to find new heroes, he quickly became the UFC's biggest draw, and they were more than happy to accommodate his seemingly boundless ambition.
He set his sights on the lightweight belt, but when then-champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of their title fight due to injury, McGregor's career hit its first major obstacle.
Californian Nate Diaz was drafted to replace dos Anjos, and he promptly submitted the Irishman in the second round of a welterweight bout after McGregor tired himself out throwing huge left hands looking for another spectacular knockout.
McGregor put all thoughts of the lightweight title aside, demanding and getting a rematch against Diaz that turned into an epic five-round war of attrition that the Irishman edged on the scorecards of the judges.
Having had his revenge on Diaz, McGregor turned his attention to Eddie Alvarez, who had taken over the lightweight title, and was booked to meet him in the main event at the UFC's first event in New York in over 20 years.
McGregor did not disappoint, rocking Alvarez early and going on to win the fight via second round TKO to become the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
With his bank balance growing but nothing that appealed to him in mixed martial arts, McGregor then took aim at Mayweather, one of the greatest names in combat sports history.
A deal was done and he can now look forward to a payday that should give him financial security for the rest of his life.
Brash and profane, yet often thoughtful and intensely loyal, McGregor has a small, tight team around him that prepares him for his fights.
Regardless of what happens against Mayweather he will head to Spain with his family to celebrate the wedding of a friend and to spend some time on his yacht.
But neither he nor his team are in Las Vegas to provide Mayweather with another big purse — throughout his career McGregor has aimed to make combat sports history, and the next stop on that journey is the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Frank Pingue)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LAS VEGAS - Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor vowed to knock out boxer Floyd Mayweather on Friday as a horde of Irish fans descended on Las Vegas for the trash-talking rivals' cross-combat super-fight.
McGregor, 29, will carry a substantial weight advantage into Saturday's 12-round boxing contest at the T-Mobile Arena after a raucous weigh-in that saw him face-off with Mayweather for the final time before fight-night.
With waves of green-shirted fans in a crowd of around 6,000 roaring their support for the Irish superstar, McGregor tipped the scales at 153 pounds, well inside the 154-pound limit.
Former welterweight champion Mayweather, 40, who has emerged from a two-year retirement to take on MMA star McGregor, weighed in at 149.5 pounds.
The naturally bigger McGregor -- who screamed into Mayweather's face as the two men went nose-to-nose -- said he expects to enter the ring at closer to 170 pounds.
Saturday's one-off bout is projected to be the richest fight in history, with Mayweather poised to earn as much as $200 million and McGregor potentially pocketing around $100 million.
McGregor, who has never fought in a professional boxing contest, is a massive underdog for a fight, which is expected to beamed live to around 200 countries and territories across the globe.
But the former apprentice plumber from Dublin, who was unemployed four years ago, defiantly predicted he was ready to spring a monumental upset on the skilful Mayweather, one of the finest boxers in history who boasts a perfect 49-0 record.
"That's the worst shape I've ever seen him," McGregor said of Mayweather. "I'm going to breeze through him, trust me on that."
'FIGHTING WINS FIGHTS'
A nonplussed Mayweather shrugged off his weight disadvantage and once again vowed to stop McGregor inside the distance.
"Weight doesn't win fights, fighting wins fights," Mayweather said. "It won't go the distance. Mark my words -- I'm not worried about the scales."
McGregor meanwhile basked in the adulation of his Irish fans who have poured into the Nevada desert gambling capital this week.
"You can't beat us -- we've already taken over," McGregor bellowed. "Las Vegas is Ireland now."
An army of Irish fans poured out onto the Las Vegas strip following the weigh-in, dancing and singing in blazing hot sunshine.
Saturday's bout has appalled boxing traditionalists, who have rubbished the event as a meaningless, money-grabbing, mismatch which owes more to the pantomime traditions of WWE wrestling than the noble art.
Boxing pundits, coaches and fighters have lined up to dismiss McGregor's hopes of succeeding where 49 others in Mayweather's 21-year career have failed.
"Would a ping-pong player have a chance of scoring a point against Roger Federer?" was the withering verdict of veteran trainer Teddy Atlas. "It's going to be like walking through a really bad neighbourhood late at night. McGregor's going to get mugged."
SAFETY FEARS
The hard-nosed heavy-hitters of the gambling world agree.
Saturday's fight is set to smash records as the most bet-upon bout in Las Vegas history.
But while McGregor, a long-odds underdog, has attracted most wagers, the majority of the money is on Mayweather.
William Hill US reported that several large bets had been placed on Mayweather for what is expected to be a straightforward assignment.
One punter placed a $1.2 million cash bet on Mayweather, which will earn around $240,000.
Yet the mere fact that McGregor will carry at least a puncher's chance into the contest has been enough to sustain the excitement.
Stephen Espinoza, the head of cable network Showtime Sports which is selling the fight on pay-per-view in the US, said surveys had shown that fans were not deterred by predictions of a mismatch.
"The casual fans were absolutely adamant," Espinoza said.
"Their response almost universally was 'We don't care if it's a mismatch ... if there's a .01 chance that something incredible could happen, we need to watch it.'
"And that's why they're going to watch it."
Others however have sounded a note of caution, citing potential safety risks to McGregor given the chasm of experience between the Irishman and Mayweather.
British former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan expressed fears Friday McGregor could be seriously injured.
"It's like a tennis player trying to play badminton," Khan said.
"(McGregor) needs to think about himself in this fight, because if he gets seriously injured, he might not ever be the same fighter or he might not even fight again."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LOS ANGELES - Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor traded verbal jabs on Tuesday as the circus-like countdown to their money-spinning superfight cranked into overdrive on the Las Vegas Strip.
Thousands of fans including a sizeable contingent of Irish supporters thronged the heart of the Nevada boxing capital to greet Mayweather and McGregor at their separate formal grand arrival ceremonies.
Mayweather, the 40-year-old undefeated former welterweight boxing champion, has been lured out of retirement to face McGregor, a star of mixed martial arts' Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The two men meet in a 12-round contest under boxing rules on Saturday that is tipped to become the richest fight in history.
The cross-combat collision has appalled boxing purists, with many decrying the event as a farcical publicity stunt more in keeping with the choreographed traditions of WWE wrestling.
Mayweather and McGregor who clashed repeatedly during an expletive-laden world press tour to drum up interest for the fight last month, insist however that they are ready to deliver a battle for the ages.
McGregor, a massive underdog in what will be his first professional boxing fight, insisted Tuesday he was ready to stun the oddsmakers.
"This is not even close to my toughest challenge ever. I will crumble him," McGregor said.
"I have adapted perfectly to boxing, I am very pleased and ready. I'm a special man, I will prove that August 26, this will go one or two rounds, maybe I will bang him out and hurt him.
"If he survives, I will decide whether I embarrass or seriously hurt him.
"I'm calm and cool, same as I am in every fight. I'm fit, sharp and I'm gonna be ruthless in there. I believe he'll be unconscious inside one round."
McGregor and Mayweather passed each other after their separate introductions, with McGregor taunting the American with a shout of "Why didn't you want to face off?" -- triggering a melee between their two entourages.
'INTRIGUING FIGHT'
A relaxed-looking Mayweather meanwhile had earlier encouraged fans to bet on the fight finishing inside 12 rounds.
"I talked to you before and said that this fight wouldn't go the distance," Mayweather said.
"If you're going to bet, bet it won't go (the distance)."
Mayweather did his best to play down his status as a heavy favourite, insisting that his two-year layoff from the ring had blunted his prowess.
"That's what makes this fight so intriguing, I've been out a few years, feel like I've lost a few steps," Mayweather said.
"So we'll just have to wait and see."
Earlier Tuesday, Mayweather had taunted McGregor over his fitness, telling the US website FightHype that he believed his opponent would struggle to make the 154-pound limit for Saturday's bout.
"Conor McGregor is extremely heavy right now," Mayweather said. "I think he's 164 so he's still got 10 pounds to go."
McGregor could face a painful financial penalty if he is unable to tip the scales inside the limit. Boxers often have the option of cancelling a fight or collecting a larger share of the purse if an opponent fails to make weight.
Mayweather, who is expected to earn at least $100 million from Saturday's contest, indicated he would take the money.
"I get that extra money if you can't make the weight," Mayweather said. "Get those extra millions ready. UFC get those extra millions ready."
"If he don't make the weight, we still going to fight but there's going to be a heavy fine."
Mayweather has fought at 154 pounds before but is more used to fighting at welterweight (150 pounds). McGregor however has fought at 170 pounds in MMA.
McGregor, 29, last week insisted he was in peak condition following a gruelling training camp that had taken him to "hell and back" and left him primed to face either a long or short fight.
"There is no way in hell that I'm not ready to fight in the deepest of trenches in this contest," McGregor said.
"We are ready for both scenarios. I'm ready to go to war for 12 rounds and I'm ready to put him away early on."
rcw/mdo
source: news.abs-cbn.com
