Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor Predictions: Experts Make Their Pic

Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor Predictions: Experts Make Their Picks

Is it a hype or is it going to be a competitive fight?

It’s the biggest money fight in combat sport history which is amazing seeing one of the competitiors is yet to even have a single professional boxing bout. Floyd Mayweather 49-0 (26 KO’s) will be out to chalk up win number 50 against one of the UFC’s most entertaining and skilled fighters in Conor McGregor. McGregor is a heavy underdog in what shapes as the last fight in the illustrious career of defensive genius Mayweather.

In order to get a complete analysis of the fight, I asked a mix of fighters and experts from both boxing and MMA for their views on the following questions and provide the most unbiased coverage of the fight. To get the full analysis of each guest please check out the podcast by clicking on the player below.

The questions covered are:

Is this going to be a competitive fight? Can Connor win a round (are people underestimating his ability)?
What tactics do you think will be effective against Floyd?
Is Floyds age and inactivity a major factor?
Will Connor’s punching power be significantly lower switching from MMA 4 ounce gloves to Boxing 10 ounce gloves?
Will there be any major issues adjusting for Connor going from 5 x 5 minute rounds to boxing 3 x 12
Have you done seen or done any sparring with professional boxers vs mma fighter your observations if any?
If Connor wins is Floyd’s legacy ruined?
Your prediction for the fight?

Now here are the predictions from the fighters and experts:

Listen on iTunes

MARK HUNT

Mark is an Australian MMA pioneer & is currently ranked number 6 in the UFC Heavy Weight Division. Mark has a record of 13-11 and won the 2001 K1 World Grand Prix.

Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/markhunt1974

“Do you think Mayweather would like to put a 1 on his record and lose to a novice? Someone with no experience in boxing, it’s all about the money. Mayweather wins the fight but hopefully Conor gets a good punch on him, the smart money is on Conor, the odds of Mayweather winning is too high. It’s not McGregor’s faute, he loses a lot of weapons; it’s only boxing”

GEORGE KAMBOSOS

George is the rising star of Australian Boxing; he is currently ranked WBA 7 in the Lightweight division. He has a record of 12 – 0 (6 KO’s) and just finished camp with Manny Pacquiao.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgekambosos

“Floyd’s on another level, his fought so many world champions, it’s a mis-match. If there is an opportunity for McGregor it’s got to be early in the first 3-4 rounds. McGregor said he was going to knock him out in 4 so he pretty much gave away his game plan, his going to come out flying. Don’t forget boxing is 12 rounds x 3 minutes you have to be fully focused its very draining. MMA is 5 x 5; it’s different with the ground game, its two different sports. Floyd Mayweather will pretty much outbox him the whole time. If he wants to turn it up he can knock him out”

JOHN WAYNE PARR

JWP is a legend of Australian combat sports and is a 10 times World Muay Thai Champion with 129 fights for 97 wins. He also had a successful boxing career with 10 wins and 3 losses including winning the Australian middle weight championship and is founder of Caged Muay Thai (CMT).

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnwayneparr

“I think the hardest thing is going from zero fights to 12 rounds. I started with 4, then worked my way up to 6, then 8. To get your head around fighting 12 rounds to see the ring card girl going past, round 3, 7, 9, 11 it’s so long compared to a normal fight and Conor gases too. I can’t see him winning a round unless Mayweather takes the gas off the pedal and gets a little careless. This is more of a show, a novelty event. You look at the Canelo & Mayweather fight. Canelo was 44-0 and he could barely touch Mayweather, then Pacquiao would barely touch him and they have boxed their whole careers. So I don’t understand how he is going to come from obscurity and beat the greatest ever. Mayweather wins every round, even though it drives me crazy to say because I really like Conor, but his out of his league”

CHRIS ALGIERI

Chris is the former WBO light welterweight world boxing champion and holds notable wins over Ruslan Provodnikov & Emmanuel Taylor while he has also shared the ring with Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. Prior to boxing, he was an undefeated ISKA world welterweight and super welterweight kickboxing champion.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisAlgieri

“There boxing, so the boxer is going to win. I do think Floyd has enough power to stop him, his fought 20 + world champions in a row. At that level, every one hits hard. Conor can win a round. I think early, Floyd will make him work to tire him out and Conor could win a round or 2 on high activity and doing more than Floyd is doing. Although I think Floyd will be setting things up for further rounds. When transitioning from kickboxing to boxing, I was always more of a boxer than a traditional kick boxer. Even still it took me 10 to 15 fights to figure it out”

JACOB "STITCH" DURAN

Jacob “Stitch” Duran: Stitch is Boxing and MMA’s most high profile cut man. Stitch has worked the corner of the likes of the Klitschko brothers, Andre Ward, Amir Khan, Chris Algeri, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin and Cain Velasquez. I don’t think you will find a person who has worked more live events across both sports to offer such valuable insights. Being a Las Vegas native he is also a regular around the Mayweather boxing club.

Follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/StitchDuran

“I personally think the first two rounds are dangerous for Floyd, Conor’s style he brings to the table, he is used to that grappling; I think that’s an advantage. His bigger than Floyd and hits hard. As the fight progresses it moves towards favouring Mayweather. I don’t like giving a prediction because we are all arm chair quarterbacks. The hype will be bigger than the fight. If McGregor can close that gap really quick and that will be to his advantage. The only way Floyd loses is if he gets knocked out”

Listen on iTunes

JOHNNY LEWIS

Johnny is a Hall of Fame Boxing Trainer. He has trained 6 world champions including Jeff Fenech, Kostya Tszyu and Jeff Harding.

“I feel Floyd will do what he has to do and won’t take many risks. He will sit back with beautiful defensive skills and pot shot here and there. If the fight was in a telephone booth I would put my money on McGregor, but in the ring and boxing only, I would be surprised if Floyd didn’t handle him very easily, his one of the highest skill fighters of the past two decades”

AUSTIN TROUT

Austin is the former WBA Super Welterweight champion and will fight for the IBF title against Jarrett Hurd on September 30. He holds notable Miguel Cotto & Rigoberto Alvarez while he is also a TV boxing analyst.

Follow him on Twitter : https://twitter.com/NoDoubtTrout

“For McGregor, I think people are underestimating his grit, his going to make a fight of it and try to take Floyd’s head off, taking time off, ring rust is real. However, I feel Floyd by late stoppage, Conor has given up before, Floyd does have the power to stop him. MMA fighters are not accustomed to being punched repeatedly, he even stopped Canelo in his tracks. I notice a major thing; MMA fighters don’t take a punch the same way as a boxer. Not that they can’t take a punch, but how they react to the punch”

JAKE SHIELDS

Jake is a veteran MMA fighter and currently fights in the Welterweight division for the World Series of Fighting and his best known for his run in the UFC and title fight against the great Georges St-Pierre. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and former Strikeforce champion.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jakeshieldsajj

“Floyd will win by decision or late round TKO. There doing a good job selling the fight. It definitely is a long shot, Floyd is one of the greatest boxers of all time, his a phenomenal technician, it’s going to be a tough fight for Conor. One of Conor’s best chances is if Floyd has slowed down a little. Age can start catching up with you so it’s possible. He can definitely win a round, anything can happen. He could land the left hand, his got power, his got speed”

TIM KENNEDY

Tim is a retired UFC fighter who also is a Sergeant First Class with the 7th Special Forces Group with the U.S Army. Competing in the UFC Middleweight division Tim had a record of 18-6 with notable wins including Michael Bisping and Robbie Lawler.

Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/TimKennedyMMA

“I think Conor can take a few rounds early, when they are fighting at range, Conor is very hard to figure out because he is unorthodox with his footwork and his left hand finds away to land steal a round. Let’s not joke ourselves, Conor is not going to be a technical boxer, but if he can control range for periods of time that is dangerous. My very last fight, I felt age, I was 37 and had 2 and a half fight camps and fought a younger fighter that was 25. To a 40 year old who hasn’t fought in 2 years, doing a fight camp and a whole heap of travel that can take its toll. Conor is in his prime and Floyd is waning and this is a perfect time for Conor to shine. Conor finishes and hurts him in round 8 or Mayweather takes a decision”

TONY JEFFRIES

Tony is a former professional boxer who was undefeated in 10 professional bouts and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He is the co-founder of Box n Burn and was head coach for Brendan Schaub’s final 3 fights in the UFC and is also a regular guest on the popular Big Brown Breakdown hosted by Brendan.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tony_jeffries

“It’s a win – win. If Mayweather knocks him out in 4 rounds he proves boxing is better than MMA. If McGregor knocks him out we have a new superstar in boxing. I think Floyd is going to stop Conor with body shots. Conor’s not used to being hit to the body like that. I don’t think we are underestimating Conor, I just can’t see Conor winning a round. How can he? His fighting the greatest boxer of all time and I’m a massive Conor fan and would love to see him knock him out. Realistically this is an easy fight for Floyd. Its two different sports. Now Conor’s going to be doing a lot of boxing training, but he just hasn’t got the time. I’ve never seen an MMA guy get the better of a boxer in a sparring session. You’re not used to getting jabbed in the face 15 times in a round”

PAUL UPHAM

Paul is one of the world’s best known boxing writers and commentators, Paul is a TV studio boxing analyst for Fox Sports News. He was Content Editor for SecondsOut.com from 2000 to 2010 and has authored 3 books on boxing.

Follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/pauljupham

“Mayweather will win easily on points. McGregor will go all out and have a one punch chance. Boxing people do not give him a chance, but this will be competitive. All it takes is one punch but that’s easier said than done with Mayweather. Floyd is one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time. His faced so many good guys; you can’t say he hasn’t beaten the best of the best. 154 is one weight class above Mayweathers best, but how is McGregor going to handle the pace of the fight for 12 x 3 minute rounds. Mayweather could get a late stoppage, McGregor’s best shot is first 4-5 rounds, but Mayweather will wear him out. I respect MMA, but it’s a different sport, McGregor simply hasn’t had enough time to convert to a 12 round boxer; I think he releases he has to win early. Mayweather will feel him out early, take shots on the gloves and use the shoulder roll and then open him up, his not a 1 punch fighter but an accumulation puncher”

BAS RUTTEN

Bas Rutten is an MMA Legend and former UFC Heavy Weight World Champion. He is a distinguished media personality and co hosts Inside MMA and the Rutten and Ranallo Podcast.

Follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/basruttenmma

“I’m putting my money on McGregor. I’m going to believe Mistic Mac. He wants to end it in 4 rounds and he has made predictions before. Mayweather has everything to lose. If he loses he lost to a guy who has never had a boxing fight, if he wins, his expected to win. There is a chance of injury for Mayweather from the unusual movement & awkwardness of McGregor. Conor wins and Floyd’s legacy is ruined”

ROY JONES JR

Roy Jones is one of the greats of boxing and is a six time former world champion in four weight classes, having held titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavy weight and heavy weight, he amassed a professional record of 65-9 (47 KO’s) and won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics.

Follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RealRoyJonesJr

“The fight will be only as competitive as Floyd Mayweather allows it to be. In terms of tactics, no tactics will be affective against Floyd unless he can make Floyd brawl right away. Floyd’s age will not be a factor at all. Conor’s punching power will be significantly lower with 10 ounce gloves on compared to UFC 4 ounce gloves. Rounds will be a factor late because Conor McGregor has never went close to 12 rounds before. If McGregor wins Floyds legacy is done, however I think Floyd Mayweather wins via stoppage”

Disclaimer: Further analysis from Roy not available on the podcast version.