As UFC world champion Conor McGregor displayed to the world a few years back when he stepped into the ring to face world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, there’s a vast gulf of difference between the squared circle and the cage of octagon.
Left with only his punches to rely upon, McGregor faded quickly and Mayweather toyed with him before delivering a 10th-round technical knockout.
There’s been talk of other crossover fights since that once-sided affair. Lately, the speculation has focused on a bout between two men vanquished by Mayweather, boxer Manny Pacquiao and McGregor. Some UFC betting sites, like the respectable Bovada sportsbook, have even offered odds on this speculative bout, even though it sounds unlikely to come off.
The betting line shows Pacquiao to be a -250 favorite. McGregor is the +190 underdog in this proposed hypothetical bout.
Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune called the whole affair a pointless pursuit in an interview with the Manila Times.
“Why even make that guy rich?,” Fortune said of the controversial and often crass McGregor. “And it will do absolutely nothing for Pacquiao as far as his legacy. Manny will destroy Conor McGregor inside of three rounds. He will obliterate him.
Another issue would be weight class. Pacquiao normally fights at 147 pounds. McGregor fought Mayweather at 154 pounds and his last two UFC bouts were at 170 pounds.
“I mean, my God, this is boxing,” Fortune said. “We are boxers. McGregor is an MMA guy and we can’t do MMA, and he can’t box. That’s very simple.”
There’s the rub. McGregor isn’t a boxer. He proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt when he faced Mayweather. Why would anyone buy a pay-per-view to see McGregor box someone who couldn’t beat Mayweather? You don’t show the main event and then ask people to ante up for the preliminary bouts.
Now, if they were to go in the other direction and Pacquiao were to face McGregor inside the octagon, that might be a different story. There could be some intrigue in seeing that event unfold.
Some pro boxers have attempted the switch over to MMA. Some found it to their liking, while others found their skills to be lacking.
James Toney vs Randy Couture
Tony was a power puncher and a multiple weight class world champ in the IBF at middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight. However, he was 42 years old and completely absent of any semblance of MMA training when he convinced UFC head honcho Dana White to not only give him a spot on the UFC 118 card in 2010, but in a main-event bout against legendary champ Randy Couture.
Even though he was 47, Couture easily took Toney to the mat and utilized an arm triangle choke to force the boxing champ to tap out.
Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey
Holm boxed for 11 years, winning titles in three weight classes and successfully defending her crowns on 18 different occasions. She’d done some kickboxing in her youth and later in her career, opted to switch from the ring to the octagon.
In women’s UFC, Rousey seemed as unbeatable as Mike Tyson did for so many years in the heavyweight boxing division. But just as Tyson had his Buster Douglas, Rousey would be shockingly felled by Holm.
In November 2015 at UFC 193 in front of more than 56,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, Holm stunned the MMA world, pummeling the unbeaten Rousey. Holm finished off her one-sided beatdown of Rousey by knocking out the champ with a devastating head kick in the second round.
Ray Mercer vs Kimbo Slice
Mercer was WBO heavyweight champion in 1991. The 1988 Olympic gold medalist put together a 36-7-1 career slate as a pro boxer, with 26 wins by knockout.
At the age of 45, Mercer opted to make the switch to MMA. His first bout would be against YouTube sensation and future UFC world champion Kimbo Slice.
Entering the octagon, it didn’t take long for Mercer to realize that he’d sliced off more than he could do. Slice quickly took him to the mat and before Mercer knew what hit him, he was caught up in a guillotine choke hold and forced to tap out.