Terence Crawford appears to have changed his mind about debuting in MMA
The boxing superstar recently ruled out changing sports, even after Conor McGregor revealed that there was $200million on the table for them to fight in MMA before doing a rematch in boxing.
However, Terence Crawford’s latest social media activity strongly suggests that he is now open to making his debut in a new sport against the former dual-weight UFC champion.
‘Bud’ teased fans by tagging McGregor in footage from his latest training session.
Terence Crawford works on his grappling ahead of potential MMA debut.
On Saturday, Crawford shared a video of him drenched in sweat during an apparent gym session – but when he panned the camera away from his face it became clear he hadn’t been working on his boxing.
The 37-year-old was surrounded by people wrestling as he sent a direct message to McGregor, who was disappointed but respectful when the boxer initially refused to face him in MMA.
“We in here working,” Crawford said.
“I’m getting back on the mat. I’m getting back on the mat. I’m getting back on the mat. Ay, Conor, getting back on the mat.
“Stay tuned, baby. Stay tuned, we working.”
Crawford is from a family of wrestlers, and even though he chose to take a different path from his grandfather, father, and uncles, his young sons train in the sport.
Several videos of him showing he’s got good grappling skills have gone viral on social media and prompted MMA fans to talk up his chances of successfully changing sports.
It seems that could happen now that so much money is on the table.
Why did Terence Crawford reject a two-fight deal to face Conor McGregor?
Crawford was open and honest about turning down the chance to face McGregor.
The former two-weight undisputed champion claimed he had absolutely no interest in taking knees and elbows from the Irishman.
“I told Conor to himself, I said, ‘Hell no’. They called me, they offered me the fight, and me and Conor got on the phone and we started politicking, you know, trying to figure something out,” Crawford told Bernie Tha Boxer.
“And I just told him, ‘Man I’m not getting in no f***ing Octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbowing me and s***’.
“He starts laughing and s*** and he’s like, ‘Man, I respect that because you respect my sport like I respect your sport, if you get in the Octagon with me, you’re gonna be at a disadvantage, just like if I get in the boxing ring with you, I’m at a disadvantage’.
“But he was like, ‘We’ll make a s***tonne of money’, I said ‘Yeah, sometimes it ain’t about the money’. I can make money but you ain’t about to start kicking me dude, them kicks and elbows ain’t no joke.”
Crawford appears to have a change of heart, but it seems unlikely that he will be the man welcoming McGregor back to MMA for the first time since he broke his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021.
‘Mystic Mac’ recently revealed that he’s looking for a new opponent after Michael Chandler opted to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 on November 16, rather than wait out for McGregor until 2025.
It’s currently unclear who or when McGregor will finally fight again.