Unless you have been duped by an estate agent and live under a rock, then you may well have seen or heard about the former UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor and his horrific injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. If you haven’t, be sure to check out the wildest and most brazen take on it to date.
Although at one time Conor McGregor transcended the sport of MMA he remains a distant echo of his former self, having seemingly lost the desire and gusto he once possessed.
This has been abundantly clear as the Notorious One suffered 3 losses from 4 fights since his big-money bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. His sole victory appeared to show a glimmer of the man who once sat atop the sport as he demolished Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds, alas, he has failed to show any conviction of a man capable of ascension to the top level once again.
Now, had we been talking about anyone else in the UFC then perhaps the discussion on the table would have been retirement from combat sports altogether. But the truth is McGregor can still sell a fight, he has adopted the professional wrestling style of promo which has garnered such a divisive yet popular following from casual and hardcore fans alike. Is he done in the octagon? Perhaps.
But as mentioned before, McGregor has history with the squared circle, trading MMA with Queensbury rules in 2017. We have seen a resurgence of MMA/Boxing cross-overs with Claressa Shields fighting both boxing and MMA concurrently, and with Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley entering the ring for clashes with an equally controversial name.
Enter Jake Paul, the internet’s resident migraine, the younger brother to Floyd Mayweather’s latest opponent, and a continuous thorn in the side of McGregor. Jake Paul started out boxing with a white-collar boxing bout against YouTuber Deji on the undercard of the first KSI vs Logan Paul event, winning by TKO in the fifth round. He has since racked up knockout wins against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, ex-NBA point guard Nate Robinson and former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champ Ben Askren in the professional domain.
All the while, Paul has campaigned for a fight with McGregor whilst claiming his current boxing trajectory is headed for the Irishman.
While Conor is a respected former champion in his own right, it has to be said that his recent form shows the rapid decline of a once-great fighter. It bears thinking therefore that perhaps McGregor should finish his combat sports career within a boxing ring in a similar way to his peers.
Both former MMA fighters who have stepped in the ring with Jake Paul have similar accolades to McGregor, having dominated their domains for so long before declining in the presence of better fighters. At this rate, like the aforementioned fighters, Conor has little to lose and so much to gain by agreeing to a fight with Jake.
The fight would undoubtedly break box office records as their colossal followings clash, serving as the one last major payday for the Irishman to ride off into the sunset. But on top of that, Conor McGregor would serve as the face in this clash, with fans and casuals alike tuning in to see Jake Paul have his ass handed to him. Even if Paul was somehow to score an upset it wouldn’t serve any harm to McGregor’s glittering career as boxing isn’t his primary sport, much like when he was outclassed in his prior fight.
McGregor’s days in the UFC are numbered, and with showpiece boxing fights taking centre stage as of late, McGregor vs Paul may well be the biggest of them all.
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