Twitter Mailbag: Conor McGregor is a go for Floyd Mayweather bout, so now what?

In this week’s Twitter Mailbag, hold up, is this McGregor-Mayweather thing actually going to happen, or does finalizing one half of the deal still leave a whole lot to be done? Also, what questions should fighters seek answers to at the upcoming UFC “retreat” under new ownership?

All that and much more in the TMB. To ask a question of your own, tweet to @BenFowlkesMMA.

Conor McGregor is a mixed martial arts fighter under contract to the UFC, and now he wants to go box a boxer who is not under contract to the UFC. That’s a tricky one, right there.

For one thing, you know the UFC is going to want a piece of this action. How could it not? McGregor is the biggest star in the history of this sport and this company. At least, that’s the story the pay-per-view figures tell us. If he gets thumped on by Floyd Mayweather, which he probably will, that might hurt his long-term drawing power.

It will also probably be one of the most lucrative fights of all time, so why would the UFC give its blessing and absorb the risk if it’s not also getting some of the reward?

The question of how much reward and in exchange for what, that’s the kind of thing you have to agree on before McGregor’s side of the deal gets “done.” Now comes the really hard part: finalizing a deal with the notoriously finicky Mayweather.

What’s interesting is that, in his official statement on the matter, McGregor says it was “an honor to sign this record-breaking deal alongside my partners Zuffa LLC, The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Paradigm Sports Management.”

The wording here? Which puts the UFC on the same level as McGregor’s management, and in the category of “partners”? That does not seem accidental. McGregor might have to let you wet your beak on the mammoth deal that he made possible, but he’s not going to let you act like you’re in charge.

Coming out ahead in the trilogy with Jon Jones would be absolutely required in order for Daniel Cormier to be considered the greatest. Simply winning the rematch wouldn’t do it, especially now, because people would just write it off as a consequence of Jones’ rust and/or lifestyle.

Even if he beats Jones twice, though, that still might not be enough. Cormier is likely too old to hold the title down for the next five years or so and impress us with his longevity. Even if he did, look around at light heavyweight. Apart from Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, plus maybe Jimi Manuwa, how many 205-pounders are there who are good enough that a win over them means something?

For Cormier, the path to true greatness would have to go first through Jones, and then straight to the heavyweight title. Even if he comes up short against Jones, a jump up in weight might be a career move worth thinking about.

Let me answer your question with a question: What are the chances we ever again see a healthy sea-level Cain Velasquez in the cage? I’m not saying it’s impossible, but right now the odds aren’t great.

Last we heard from Velasquez, he was recovering from surgery, fixing up an Airbnb in Arizona, and rarely setting foot in the gym. Back in March, he told us he couldn’t provide any definitive timetable for when he’d come back to fighting. A big part of me wants to believe that it’s because he’s taking the time necessary in order to return at 100 percent, but with his long list of injuries and surgeries, we have to consider the possibility that Velasquez may never be at full power ever again.