NSAC says it won't get dragged into another glove challenge after 'The Money Fight'

LAS VEGAS – Don’t expect the Nevada State Athletic Commission to bend rules for fighters from here on out – or so that’s the message after the commission waived an 11-year-old rule.

After a social media challenge from Floyd Mayweather led the NSAC to allow eight-ounce gloves against Conor McGregor for “The Money Fight,” NSAC chief Bob Bennett said the brakes are on.

“I think chairman (Anthony Marnell) put it very eloquently, very succinctly, and he basically put everybody on notice,” Bennett told MMAjunkie when asked if the commission’s decision on Wednesday had created a precedent. “This is not something we get involved in.

“We’re strictly business. We’re regulators. We’re not promoters. We don’t do the PR work for them. So he basically put everybody on notice and did it very well, and I happen to agree with him.”

“The Money Fight” takes place Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event airs live on pay-per-view.

After several commissioners expressed concern over the change, only to signal their approval, Marnell briefly changed the tone of the NSAC meeting. He admonished reps for McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Mayweather (49-0 boxing) for the last-minute request, indicating the commission was being played as a mark to a big hustle.

“My biggest concern about this consideration or this request that is being made is that I do not like the (NSAC) being used as a pawn in a social media bout between these two,” Marnell said. “That part of this request, it pisses me off, I’ll be really, really honest with you. I respect the fact that you missed this and you admitted that in your testimony that you may have missed this subject when you guys put this bout agreement together.

“But this body is not the subject of two fighters who want to go back and forth like these two have at each other to create social media stir and another controversy for attention to sell tickets (and) to sell DirecTV. However, in saying that, I would like to put that aside and I would just caution going forward that this body, this forum, not be used for that again.”

Right now, though, the NSAC has no trouble being used for that.

Social media, of course, is what turned a fantasy fight between an undefeated boxing great with a complete novice. Mayweather and McGregor’s improbable path to the ring was paved by thousands of messages from fans and observers, creating a groundswell of attention that regulators eventually couldn’t ignore.

It’s an experiment that will benefit the NSAC handsomely, to say nothing of the fighters and the local economy in Las Vegas.

Despite McGregor’s absence of experience in the boxing ring, Bennett expressed confidence it will be a competitive fight. He noted Mayweather has used eight-ounce gloves for most of his career with his only recent knockout a 2007 stoppage of Ricky Hatton, and McGregor using four-ounce gloves in the UFC.

“I think a one-fight exception is conducive to this fight, because these are two elite fighters that pose a very interesting, compelling fight that is good for both MMA, boxing and the fans,” Bennett said.

For more on “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.