Conor McGregor has been out of action since his UFC 264 trilogy defeat to Dustin Poirier, and recently revealed he won’t be returning to the Octagon until 2025 – so he may explore other avenues
Conor McGregor has teased a jaw-dropping, multi-million dollar showdown with boxing ace Terrence Crawford.
The UFC legend has been out of action since his 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier, when he suffered a leg break that halted their trilogy fight. Since then, McGregor has been sidelined once more due to a busted toe, which axed his planned UFC return against Michael Chandler earlier this year.
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Confirming his absence from the MMA scene until next year in a chat with Ariel Helwani at the high-voltage Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois bout last month, ‘The Notorious’ isn’t just kicking back and relaxing. It looks like he’s hunting for new thrills outside the Octagon while he gears up for his grand comeback.
In a bombshell live stream revelation, McGregor claimed that Crawford turned down a $200million (£152m) mega-deal to face him in an epic crossover duel. McGregor went into detail about the proposed offer, saying: “We were talking back and forth about a two-fight deal. He rings up Crawford in front of me the day after the fights.
“I get on the phone and say ‘Crawford, they’re here talking about you and me [fighting]. Two-fight deal, MMA first, boxing second. I know you have an extensive wrestling background, and balls the size of a Bengal tiger. They’re asking for a fight, it’ll be hundreds of millions on the line. What’s up?’, I said and then he goes, ‘I don’t fancy taking a kick off Conor McGregor ‘, that’s what he said. You have to respect that,” reports the Express.
Boxing champ Crawford has also spilled the beans on his chat with McGregor about a potential two-fight deal – one in the ring and one in the octagon. Recalling the conversation on Bernie the Boxer, Crawford said: “I told Conor, ‘Hell no’. They called me and they offered me the fight and me and Conor got on the phone and started trying to figure something out. And I told him, ‘Man I ain’t getting into no Octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbow me and s***’.
“He started laughing and s*** and he said ‘Man, I respect it. You respect my sport just like I respect your sport and you understand that if you get in an Octagon you’re going to be at a disadvantage. Just like if I get into the boxing ring with you, I’m going to be at a disadvantage’.”
Despite saying no way at first, it looks like Crawford might actually be open to the mammoth idea after all. McGregor recently teased on Instagram saying: “Big respect to @tbudcrawford! $100million dollars in a fight, 1 in mma, 1 boxing. $200million dollars!” Crawford couldn’t help but drop a hint back, replying with a cheeky: “Tempted,” while giving a shout out to the UFC superstar.
Even though he’s got the wrestling skills that could’ve taken him far in MMA, Crawford decided to chase glory with the gloves instead. He burst onto the scene against Brian Cummings in 2008, clinching a first-round knockout victory. Zooming ahead to 2024, Crawford boasts an impeccable 41-0 record, with 31 knockouts and ten decisions against top fighters like Errol Spence Jr, Kell Brook, and Amir Khan.
His latest triumph was over Israil Madrimov in August, when he claimed the WBA and WBO interim light middleweight titles. McGregor, on the other hand, has had a glittering career in mixed martial arts. He shot to fame in Cage Warriors back in 2011 and 2012, scooping up both the featherweight and lightweight belts, before his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in 2013 – a match he won with a first-round TKO.
The 36-year-old nabbed the UFC featherweight belt in 2015 by flooring Jose Aldo in a mere 13 seconds, then went on to become a “champ-champ” by beating Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title the next year. However, he was stripped of both titles due to inactivity and hasn’t reclaimed champion status since.
No newbie to boxing, the southpaw took a swing at the boxing world in 2017, facing off with the legendary Floyd Mayweather Jr in a pro 12-rounder in August 2017, lasting ten rounds against the undefeated champ before a TKO stoppage in “Money” Mayweather’s favour.
