By Sean Crose

“I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East.”

So UFC star Conor McGregor informed social media on Friday. There has long been talk of the all time MMA great slipping between the ropes to face the all time great boxer. If McGregor is to be taken seriously – the match might actually become a reality.

“It will be a true honour to have faced two of the greatest boxers of the modern era, afraid of a fight,” McGregor posted a short time later. The Irishman stepped into the ring to fight Floyd Mayweather in a mega-bout back in 2017. He lost in one sided fashion, of course, though didn’t look as bad as some predicted he would. Since that time, McGregor has fought twice in the UFC octagon, losing one match and winning the other.

The question now is whether or not the famously mouthy and eccentric McGregor is telling the truth, trolling or living in a pipe dream. Pacquiao, who holds a piece of the welterweight title, is over forty, but is also a much more violent boxer than Mayweather was. What’s more, neither of the two men, McGregor or Pacquiao, have been in a professional prize fight since 2019.

McGregor’s announcement has, of course, broken the internet. It’s also being reported that both camps are seriously discussing the potential fight. Notable MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reports that McGregor’s trainer told him the fight could take place in late 2020/early 2021 , possibly in the middle east.

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