Conor McGregor: After Floyd Mayweather I will keep boxing and fight MMA

LAS VEGAS – Ever since the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match became official, speculation has been rampant as to whether the UFC lightweight champion will return to MMA after such a massive payday.

McGregor had been mostly coy on the subject, but that all changed Friday night.

Asked during his media workout if he viewed the upcoming Mayweather showdown as an opportunity to change the face of boxing, McGregor flat-out declared his intention to compete in both sports moving forward.

“I love the sport of boxing. Boxing has been dear to my heart my whole, entire life,” McGregor said. “I will contend in boxing bouts going forward, and I will contend in mixed martial arts bouts going froward. I will rule both with an iron fist, and that’s where my mindset is.”

McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Mayweather (49-0 boxing) face off on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a pay-per-view event expected to be the most lucrative prize fight of all time.

McGregor is expected to rake in upwards of $75 million for the fight. By comparison, McGregor said last year he would earn $40 million for three UFC fights in 2016.

Because Mayweather-McGregor is expected to be so lucrative and potentially break financial records, competing in both sports doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for McGregor. And yet, McGregor remains under contract with the UFC, which could potentially throw a wrench in his plans.

It took UFC President Dana White months to cave on allowing McGregor to take the Mayweather fight. Since the announcement, White has said he expects McGregor to continue fighting for the UFC. He told MMAjunkie in late June that McGregor relayed wishes to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in Russia, which McGregor later confirmed was one of his desires.

McGregor’s wishes might not be restricted to simply competing in boxing, either. McGregor’s newly formed company, McGregor Sports and Entertainment, has been featured on all promotional material alongside Mayweather Promotions during the build-up to next month’s fight.

Could managing other boxers under his own promotional banner also be in McGregor’s future?

“We’ll see where it goes,” he said. “The future looks bright.”