Dana White Throws Cold Water on Mayweather-McGregor Fight

By Edward Chaykovsky

UFC president Dana White threw cold water on the circulating rumor of a fantasy fight between UFC champion Conor McGregor and retired pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The rumor first began last week with a report in UK newspaper The Sun, which cited unnamed sources. Mayweather then fueled the rumors by claiming the fight was possible and also took credit for starting the rumor. McGregor also jumped on the bandwagon by using his social media accounts to post photoshopped images where he and Mayweather were going face to face.

Nobody in boxing or MMA took the rumors seriously, but for whatever reason a lot of the major media outlets continue to push the fight as a possibility.

White believes there is almost no possibility of the fight ever taking place. Nobody has spoken to the UFC, who have McGregor under an exclusive contract and it appears that the only person pushing the rumor at this point, by his own admission, is Mayweather. 

"Let me put it to you this way," White said on ESPN's Russillo & Kanell on Thursday. "Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are in the same sport. It took how long for those two to fight? Now imagine how hard it would be to get (Mayweather and McGregor) to fight. They're not in the same sport."

"Is this thing going to be MMA or boxing rules? Who's getting the lion's share of the money? This and that. It's impossible. But like I've said, 'Floyd, you want to fight Conor, call me.' "

"Everybody always knew the money would be there for that Pacquiao fight. The money they made in this last fight pales in comparison to what they would have made if they fought in their prime. If those guys actually fought in their prime, when they were both on top of their game, it would have been even bigger. But that's the problem with boxing, man."