Dana White: If Conor McGregor KOs Floyd Mayweather, 'he is the biggest athlete on earth'

Conor McGregor is already one of the world’s biggest combat sports stars. If he can beat Floyd Mayweather by knockout in their boxing match later this summer, though, UFC President Dana White thinks he will be the biggest sports star on the planet, period.

After months of speculation and doubt, the anticipated boxing match between Mayweather (49-0 boxing) and McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was made official today. The two superstar athletes will meet in a 154-pound bout on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in what is likely to be one of the biggest spectacles in sporting history.

Although there is no question the lead up to the fight will be can’t-miss, few believe in McGregor’s chances of handing Mayweather the first loss of his more than 20-year boxing career. White believes the UFC lightweight champ can pose problems for “Money,” though, and if he can somehow win – especially by knockout – it would drive his star power to an entirely new level.

“If you look at this thing and you look at how big this fight is and you look at how big these athletes are that are involved in this fight, if Conor does knock Floyd Mayweather out, he is the biggest athlete on earth,” White told reporters today in Las Vegas. “He’s the biggest athlete (on this planet), on other planets – he’s the biggest athlete. It’s pretty crazy.”

The interest in the Mayweather vs. McGregor match is undeniable. White predicted the event will set global pay-per-view records, and he credits the profile of both athletes for setting up that possibility.

White has praised McGregor for being a risk-taker throughout his career and a fighter who truly lives up to the “any time, any place, anywhere” mantra. He historically failed to give Mayweather the same level of credit, but he said that’s changed.

There’s no denying Mayweather has the most to lose in the fight. He’s put together an unblemished career against some of the top fighters across multiple eras, and losing to “The Notorious” would be a crushing blow to his legacy. For that reason White gives tremendous credit to both athletes for agreeing to the bout.

“I always say this about Conor, and now you can say it about Floyd, too,” White said. “When you go out and you put everything on line – I’ve said this about Floyd Mayweather for years. He loves money, loves money, but that record is actually I think more important to him than money. For him to go out and risk that 49-0 against a guy like Conor, props to both guys for making the fight.”

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