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Mayweather vs McGregor Preview: Conor’s Odds?

Mayweather vs McGregor
(Getty)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably heard the big news. UFC superstar Conor McGregor will be making his pro boxing debut against fellow combat gargantuan Floyd Mayweather. You can tune in through Showtime PPV on August 26th, and will likely go down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Whether you’re Team McGregor or Team Mayweather, this event will be one hell of a circus. And I love it. So let’s get on with the Mayweather vs McGregor preview.

Mayweather vs McGregor Preview: Conor’s Advantages

49-0 vs 0-0 may seem ludicrous on paper, but there are certainly some advantages that Conor has.

I want to begin this by pointing out the obvious – Floyd Mayweather is undoubtedly the better boxer. He possesses the most amount of boxing skill seen in a boxer to date. That’s a virtually impossible task for Conor, who doesn’t have 1 round of pro boxing experience. This is why Conor is a 5-to-1 underdog.

Does that mean that McGregor is simply in it for the money?

Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the primary reason for him. Rather, I think the possibility of prestige weighs more with Conor than the money does. Obviously, $100 Million doesn’t hurt, but Conor has always been about pushing the envelope and going afer the unprecedented.

And that’s the first advantage I think Conor McGregor has coming into this fight. Conor is more hungry, more driven, and more motivated.

To put it simply – Conor has way more to gain from this than Floyd does, and it’s not even close. It’s expected that Floyd not only wins, but smashes Conor. On the other side, Conor has the chance to not only raise his stock, but also the stock of the UFC and MMA as a whole.

There’s also another mental advantage I think Conor brings to the table. Conor may be able to get under Mayweather’s skin. Of course we all know Conor has a sharp tongue and loves his quick-witted insults. In fact, he’s already began his slight digs to Mayweather through twitter. It’s rumored that a small press tour is being discussed for this fight; I expect Conor will take full advantage of that and use it to berate Floyd in front of the press. Will he be able to fluster Floyd? Maybe not, but if anybody can get an effect it’s Conor.

Let’s also not shy away from some physical advantages that Conor has. It’s been well covered that Conor is the “bigger” fighter. But what does that mean? You can look at three categories – height, length, and weight. Conor is taller, longer, and heavierWill these advantages even present themselves in the bout? Who knows, but it’s worth noting!

Oh, and Conor is only 28 years old, 12 years younger than Floyd.

Another advantage Conor has is the element of surprise. Mayweather has no idea what to expect. Since this is Conor’s boxing debut, there isn’t any legitimate film that Mayweather can look at and study. Mayweather is 49-0, but those 49 wins are against boxers – not MMA fighters. Conor moves different, thinks different, and behaves different than a typical boxer. 

To summarize this Mayweather vs McGregor Preview, I find there to be a lot of x-factors out there that favor McGregor in this fight. Even still, it’s a virtually impossible task for Conor because of the severe discrepancy in boxing skill and experience.

Floyd by a one-sided decision is the most likely outcome. He should be able to toy with Conor while avoiding significant shots. It’s also likely that Floyd fights with a little more aggression while trying to get a late finish.

This contest is nothing short of a circus, but you can’t overlook the fact that both Conor and Floyd are exceptional combat athletes. They may be from different worlds, but the intelligence and skill that each possess is undeniable. I think we’ll be in for a great show!

You can be certain ther will be more Mayweather vs McGregor Preview content in the coming weeks before August 26th

Written by Casey Hodgin

Casey is a passionate MMA writer and journalism student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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