Talk of a potential boxing showdown between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. intensified when ‘The Notorious’ acquired a California state boxing license in November.
While McGregor was licensed to fight in California, the Irishman was restricted from fighting in Nevada because he refused to pay a $75,000 fine stemming from a bottle-throwing melee with Team Diaz at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference.
McGregor, who went on to beat younger brother Nate Diaz via majority decision, retaliated when members of Diaz’s ‘scrap pack’ lobbed a bottle at him onstage. Both parties were fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but McGregor refused to pay and filed for a judicial review.
The issue was settled during yesterday’s hearing and McGregor’s original fine of $75,000 was reduced to $25,000 and 25 hours of community service.
Many began to wonder whether the Irishman’s settlement with the NSAC coincided with his hyped fight against Mayweather, given that the fight is expected to take place in Sin City.
NSAC executive director Bob Bennett, however, said McGregor’s settlement was not related to any potential boxing mega-fight.
“They’re completely two separate issues,” Bennett said at a recent media conference, per Ken Hathaway and Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie. “Those fights have to be approved. It wasn’t an issue that we were even looking at.”
With that said, Bennett admitted that the NSAC would love to have McGregor and Mayweather square off in Nevada.
“That’s certainly a fight that we would approve and have in Vegas,” Bennett said. “Who wouldn’t want to regulate the two best fighters at 150 pounds in their respective unarmed combat fields? Mayweather’s a phenomenal fighter, and so is McGregor. Sure, that’s a fight we would approve.”
With McGregor now cleared to fight in Las Vegas, expect the UFC lightweight champion to apply for a boxing license in Nevada. McGregor told IFL TV in a recent interview that the fight with Mayweather is ‘very close’ to being finalized.
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