Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul is looking more likely than ever
Conor McGregor might be enticed in accepting a mega money fight against Jake Paul in light of recent events.
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Jake Paul might entice Conor McGregor for a money fight (Image via Open Source)
Conor McGregor lost his civil case against Nikita Hand a few days back. Several high-profile businesses has dropped the Irishman following the guilty verdict in the civil case. Now, it is increasingly looking likely that the former double-champ may well need to dip his toe into the world of influencer boxing. With the loss of reputation comes another hiccup.
On top of Proper Twelve Whiskey dropping McGregor and major retailers opting to no longer carry his alcohol brands, it is now being reported by Extra.ie that the fighter’s Forged Stout Distribution is suffering losses of around €11 million. To overcome the losses, some drastic measures need to be taken by the Irishman.
Back into the fight game
Even six months ago, it looked like we might never see McGregor actually fight again. This was because the Irish megastar constantly seen out partying. The fight with Michael Chandler that was expected to materialize never did. After Chandler lost to Charles Oliveira, is there any interest for fans to watch McGregor vs. Chandler?
In terms of public perception, I have no doubt that Dana White and the UFC will have no problem welcoming McGregor back into the fold. After many years of controversy and the likes of Jon Jones continuing to get a platform in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the red carpet will be rolled out for the Irishman when he decides to return.
With so many losses on a personal front, as well as financially, McGregor will no doubt want to get back to what brought him his massive fame in the first place: combat sports.
Jake Paul vs. Conor McGregor?
McGregor will get a massive payout from the UFC when he does decide to return to the cage. However, the allure of a fight with Jake Paul in the short term probably looks just as enticing right now. Paul defeated Mike Tyson to kick off Netflix’s live-streaming sports offering, and the tens of millions of viewers that tuned in will have other streaming providers looking to replicate that success.
Offering McGregor 40-50 million to fight Paul will be something that the UFC will not want to match, even if McGregor is their biggest draw and by a country mile their biggest star. A deal could easily be put in place for the UFC to benefit from McGregor facing Paul in a boxing ring, much like they did for the Floyd Mayweather fight in the 2010s.
Should Conor McGregor fight Jake Paul?
From a monetary standpoint, it’s difficult to argue against taking the payday to fight Paul. McGregor has a lavish lifestyle and uses his flash to keep him in the limelight, adding to his ‘aura’ and giving his fanbase exactly what they want from the ‘Notorious’ one.
From a combat sports career standpoint, it is a massive risk to get into the ring with Paul. So far, the ‘Problem Child’ have been against opponents either past their prime or athletes who competed in a different discipline. Still, Paul has managed to beat most of his opponents with relative ease so far, and while McGregor should be considered the favorite, the chances of him losing are very, very real.
If McGregor cannot beat Paul, then his combat sports career is essentially over. Granted, there could be a rematch clause for the fight in an MMA cage that makes it more enticing from an intrigue standpoint. However, a loss to someone who really isn’t a pro fighter when you’re a former UFC double champion is a blow I don’t think you can recover from.
Will Conor McGregor fight Jake Paul?
I do think at some point we will see Conor McGregor vs Jake Paul. In what format that contest will be remains to be seen. Whether it be in the cage or the ring, we will see them fight. Paul has won enough fights now and proven that he is a box office draw enough that this would be even bigger than Paul vs. Tyson, which itself was a huge success.
Jake Paul and his team have been careful in crafting his boxing career over the past few years, selecting fights that have a risk factor to encourage PPV buys but also keep him ‘safe’ from being embarrassed. In that vein, I can see a two-fight deal being put in place here, with the first being in the boxing ring and the second being inside an MMA cage, giving both men the chance to fight in their ‘preferred’ environments.
The marketing around these fights could be that McGregor is taking a risk in boxing, giving him somewhat of an out if he loses (but not in my mind). Streaming services like Netflix would be lining up to pay McGregor and Paul a handsome sum to put the fight either on PPV or on a subscription live-stream, so there’s no doubt there regarding the interest.
This would not be for fight purists, it would be a contest akin to Paul’s previous fights, and the circus surrounding it would probably make a huge amount of money for everyone that is involved. Considering how much McGregor has supposedly lost recently and his public reputation in tatters? He probably needs this.
Related: “CCTV DOES NOT LIE” – Dee Devlin mounts defense for Conor McGregor after guilty verdict
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Jake Skudder
(17 Articles Published)