While no one truly believes that UFC superstar Conor McGregor will starch boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a superfight later this year and pull off the biggest upset in combat sports history, it’s nice to think about the scarce possibility of it actually happening. But unlike most hopeful “Notorious” fans, McGregor’s training partner, Gunnar Nelson, doesn’t believe a victory over Mayweather will bode well for McGregor’s future in MMA.
“You never know what he’s going to do next,” said Nelson during a recent interview with Submission Radio. “If he beats Mayweather, I’m not sure that he will ever fight again, to be honest. I don’t know, but I could see him just floating off and doing something else crazy.
“But otherwise, maybe he’ll fight Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or something next, if Khabib is in shape. I don’t know, there’s something wrong with [Khabib]’s kidneys or something after that cut. We’ll see. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s just focusing on one thing at a time and right now it’s Floyd Mayweather and I’m looking forward to that myself.”
Would you blame McGregor? The estimated payout is huge. It’s certainly enough money for him to settle down in Ireland, grow his family and never have to put on a pair of MMA, or boxing, gloves again.
“I’m basing it on that he wants to go bigger every time,” said Nelson. “And if he beats Mayweather — like, he’s taken two belts, and then he beats Mayweather in this huge superfight — I’m not sure what he’s going to see as a next challenge or a next thing that he wants to do.
“I just don’t really see what he wants to come into the UFC again for. I’m not sure. Obviously there’s always something [more]. But he’s also having a baby, and I’m not sure where his mind is going to be. He’s going to have a ton of money anyway. Maybe he’ll do another boxing match or something if it goes well. Maybe he’ll get more money there and be more interested in that. I don’t know, we’ll see I guess.”
While a superfight with Mayweather still has a long way to go before it actually becomes reality, it’s looking like McGregor will get his chance to dance with the greatest. Whether or not he’s able to pull off the impossible and defeat Mayweather, all bets are off as to what McGregor will do after that.