MMA icon Conor McGregor recently made headlines again with his vow to knock out legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao in a bare-knuckle boxing match.
McGregor has been out of action since breaking his leg in a UFC bout against Dustin Poirier two years ago. However, he is set to return to the octagon this year to face Michael Chandler.
Despite his hiatus from the sport, McGregor has been making his presence felt in combat sports events around the world. He also appeared recently at BKFC 41, facing off against Mike Perry.
The 34-year-old previously faced Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match in 2017, which generated huge revenue despite his loss. He has now expressed interest in entering the world of bare-knuckle and has issued a call-out to Pacquiao.
McGregor’s tweet read: “I’ll blow his head off with a back hand in bare knuckle.”
This came after news broke that McGregor’s management company Paradigm Sports had successfully sued Pacquiao for $5.1 million over his previous deal with the organization.
The two competitors were previously linked to a potential $100 million bout in the Middle East. However, plans were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic and McGregor’s defeat to Poirier.
However, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach previously stated that a bout with McGregor is not a priority for the boxer. Roach suggested that Pacquiao only wants to compete against the best boxers out there and that he may retire from the sport to pursue a career in politics.
Roach stated: “Manny does not have any interest in fighting an MMA fighter. He wants to fight the best fighters out there. If he can’t be at that level at boxing, then he doesn’t want to be boxing – he will retire and hopefully become president of his country. If there is another fight after this it’s not going to be McGregor, it’s going to be one of the best guys out there.”
“I want to see good boxing and that’s what you get from Manny Pacquiao. He’s always fought the best out there. There’s a couple of guys I worry about, because they’re younger, they’re stronger and have very difficult styles. There is a couple fights out there we could fight, but Manny would only return to fight [professionally] against the best guys out there.”
Regardless of whether the bout between McGregor and Pacquiao ever comes to fruition, fans would love to see a clash between the two.