McGregor Calls Mayweather ‘True Champion’

Following his 10 round fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Connor McGregor hailed him as a ‘true champion.’ McGregor lost the fight with a TKO in the 10^th round.

“I’ll tell you what, you’re one composed individual,” McGregor said in his press conference. “You didn’t get rattled. You tucked in when you needed to tuck in. I thought you switched up your game plan three times. You came out looking to box; I thought you were being outboxed early on.”

“You looked to play against the ropes like you look to play; you were getting picked off there. And then you came in hands up towards your forehead, dipped in, forehead on the chest, and started to fight that kind of fight. I didn’t anticipate that. Three game changes in the fight, that’s what a true champion does. Much respect, you came with it.”

McGregor goes on to describe the three phases of the fight. The third caught McGregor off guard and what the UFC fighter believes led to the loss. McGregor hard in the early rounds, landing a few punches, before fatigue set in, and his strikes began to slow. Despite fatigue setting in, he believes that he would have stood a better chance in a 11^th or 12^th round.

Both fighters made millions from the bout. McGregor got a guarantee of $30 million and Mayweather $100 million. However since earnings are a percentage of all fight income, both would make a lot more. Mayweather’s agreement gives him a larger share of the earnings, which some say will reach as much as $300 million. McGregor said the fight would quadruple his net worth, making him as much as $100 million.

McGregor will go back to training and plans to return to the UFC.