‘He’s Only Getting Older’: Returning Conor McGregor Ruled Out by Big Gun in Combat Sports

Published 12/03/2022, 2:15 PM EST
The loudest YouTuber on the planet beats the living daylights out of some best martial artists the world knows. Now, who would have had even a morsel-sized idea? Aiming at the stars, the Problem Child has called out none other than Conor McGregor.
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Jake Paul can easily stake a claim to being the progenitor of lock, stock, and barrel, YouTube boxing. A new sub-genre of the sport! Yet, not a day goes by and he surprises fans with a new challenge.
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The Notorious Problem – Conor McGregor and Jake Paul
During a recent interview with serial entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano, Jake shared his thoughts and views on a contest with Conor.
To Anthony’s question of whether Conor’s fighting career is a thing of the past, Jake responded, “I think he has to come back and fight. But he needs to win!”
Not done, the founder of Morgan Creek Digital assets probed whether Conor is predisposed to a contest with Jake.
The younger Paul is sitting on the fence about a prospect of such magnitude. But, of course, his apprehension of Conor comes on the back of growing confidence in his skills. A fact acknowledged by many pundits and fans.
He said,” I don’t think he will. I think my skill-level is like outgrowing his in boxing and I have the height advantage. He can’t beat me and I think he probably knows that and like time, he’s only getting older and I’m only getting better.”
The trans-Atlantic saga goes back three to four years. After knocking out former pro-basketball player Nate Robinson, Jake mentioned taking on Conor McGregor. He told ESPN, “I am dedicating my life to beating Conor McGregor. “Financially, it already makes sense. Financially, I’m already one of the biggest prizefighters, and there’s only a couple more bosses to check off and to beat and to conquer.”
The Problem Child needs to re-calibrate on the type of target he needs to prey on.
The Notorious saga of McGregor
Thirty-four years old Dublin-born Conor started practicing martial arts and boxing in his teenage years. Debuting as a professional in 2008, Conor signed a deal with UFC in 2013 and won his first title, the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship. Conor takes the credit for unifying the Featherweight when he defeated Jose Aldo in 2015.
After that, however, his stars started waning with the first defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz. Despite winning the UFC Lightweight championship, Conor’s misfortune continued. He lost two consecutive fights against old foe Dustin Poirier. The Notorious departed from the octagon with a tibial injury in the second bout.
Post-recovering, talks of Conor returning to UFC are abound. However, wasting no time, the former accepted a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. In what turned out to be the second highest-grossing boxing match in history, Conor lost against a much superior Floyd.
Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor holds his leg after suffering an injury against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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It might be a reasonable exercise in prudence for Jake to review and understand that despite his inexperience, Conor managed to stay against Floyd, rated the greatest boxer of the last three decades.
Unlike Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askern, Conor is still young enough to take on a much younger opponent. Likewise, the Irelander is a specialist in striking. Amongst Jake Paul’s mixed martial arts opponents, only Silva held a reputation as a formidable striker. Both Woodley and Askern were experts in ground-based grappling.
Watch Out for More: How The Notorious made his millions
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The only route Paul could adopt to persuade McGregor to enter the ring is by generating hyper buzz around the fight. And shadow the media blitzkrieg by taking on other big names. Probably, over time, the money will become too tempting for McGregor to pass up.