Photo from Conor McGregor’s Twitter account
Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that he is officially coming out of retirement to fight Conor McGregor sometime this year.
READ: Mayweather ‘out of retirement for McGregor’
With the monumental bout possibly as close to fruition as ever, combat sports analysts have been giving their expert opinions on how the highly anticipated match-up might play out.
Among those giving their two cents is one of the most recognizable faces on the UFC sidelines, analyst and color commentator Joe Rogan.
Speaking during his live podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the 49-year-old discussed the Irishman’s chances against the undefeated American boxer.
“Mayweather would have to dismiss him as a threat. He’d have to not train hard enough, he’d have to not seriously consider the possibility that Conor connects on him and knocks him out,” Rogan said, as relayed by MMAFighting.
“And then Conor would have to do some roughhousing. He’d have to hold him in the clinch. He’d have to hold him and hit him. He’d have to try and get off as many shots and bully him around and wear him out. It’s a possibility. He’s a much bigger man,” he added.
Although the pair is quite similar height-wise—Mayweather stands 5-foot-8 while McGregor is listed as 5-foot-9—the former has competed as high as 154 lbs. in the past, whereas his opponent has fought at 170 lbs.
Much like very fight fan in the world, Rogan is also thrilled about the potential crossover match pitting the boxing and mixed martial arts’ brightest stars against each other.
“It’s the biggest fight ever. Because it brings in two worlds,” he said.
“It brings in the UFC world and this one guy who’s unquestionably the biggest star in the UFC–unquestionably, by a long shot–and then you bring in a guy who has been one of the biggest money makers in the history of boxing, the only guy to go 49-0 other than Rocky Marciano.” Khristian Ibarrola
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