McGregor Fight With Pacquiao Could Be Interesting With Belt Up For Grabs; Why It is Unlikely To Happen

Conor McGregor will be returning to action at UFC 257 as he faces old nemesis Dustin Poirier. However, there is no question that the bigger attention is on his fight date with Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, though it has not yet been announced.

Regardless, “The Notorious” is aware that talks are ongoing and intensifying. He is looking forward to that showdown, but it appears he has deeper intentions in mind. That includes winning a boxing title before he retires.

"We'll have to have some good discussions with Dana White and the UFC and see where it goes. I am open to it all, ready for it all. I will certainly attain a boxing world title before I call it a day. And I would be excited to do that against Emmanuel Pacquiao," McGregor said when he spoke to Mac Life.

The Pacquiao vs. McGregor fight, as of this writing, will have no title on the line. The fight is branded as “exhibition,” meaning the WBA title that the 42-year-old holds will stay on the shelf, World Boxing News reported.

Also, McGregor would have to be sanctioned for a shot at the WBA title. However, a boxer who intends to challenge for the title needs to be ranked and should have won his last fight. McGregor’s only boxing match was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017 which he lost via TKO.

Hence, the only way McGregor can attain his dream of winning a title is to box some more, and most importantly, win.

As far as Dana White is concerned, McGregor should focus on mixed martial arts. Rather than pursue a boxing title, the UFC top brass feels the Irishman has already established himself in the MMA world and should save those boxing title dreams for another day (or year).

“You know, a boxing match with any of these guys, (like Pacquiao), that kind of stuff is always going to be there. You are the absolute best in the world right now in MMA. And the timing is right now; not getting any younger. I’d love to see him go for it here over the next year. If he wants to fight you know one of these boxing guys, do that next year. That fight’s always going to be there,” White stated on ESPN.

For now, the focus for McGregor is Poirier and UFC 257. From there, expect mayhem with most expecting a Pacquiao fight next. Sadly, that lacks an official date, although most are confident it will go down in 2021.