UFC President Dana White reveals Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight details

New details on the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have surfaced after the mega-fight’s confirmation earlier today.

UFC President Dana White told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” the bout will take place Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Mayweather and McGregor strapping on 10-ounce gloves for a 12-round fight at 154 pounds, or the super welterweight class in boxing.

Mayweather (49-0 boxing) fought a large portion of his boxing career as a lightweight, while McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is the UFC’s champion at 155 pounds.

As earlier reported, the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved an event request from Mayweather Promotions to hold a boxing event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. T-Mobile Arena’s online schedule says Aug. 26 is currently taken by The BIG3 Championship Finals.

After speculation on how the event would be branded and what promotional roles would be taken by the UFC and Mayweather Promotions, White indicated the UFC’s stamp on the event will be limited to the presence of McGregor. The fight will take place in a boxing ring with Mayweather Promotions providing undercard talent for a boxing-only event.

Asked for perspective on the impact to the industry-leading MMA promotion, White demurred.

“I don’t know what it means for UFC,” he said. “I’ve been saying this for a long time: Conor McGregor is a guy who’s done a lot of good things over here for the sport and for the company, and he wanted this.

“And obviously, the fans wanted this, too. Everywhere I go, it’s the only question people ask me now. At the end of the day, my job is to make fights fans want to see.”

White said the process of putting the fight together was easier than might have been indicated from reports and an initial offer that was scoffed at by Mayweather.

“We’ve been in negotiations now for a while, and to be honest with you, negotiations went smooth,” White said. “Floyd is surrounded by some smart people and we got this thing done. The impossible deal is now done.”

White has predicted the bout could break records at the box office, topping Mayweather’s mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao that drew 4.6 million pay-per-view buys. He did not put a price tag on the Aug. 26 event.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports reported today that the betting line for the fight opened with Mayweather a -1000 favorite and McGregor a +650 underdog. Mayweather is undefeated in boxing at 49-0, having won multiple titles from super featherweight to light middleweight, while McGregor has never boxed professionally.

Despite the steep odds, White put on his best promotional spin on the matchup, painting it as an anything-can-happen affair.

“He is absolutely, 100 percent positive he wins this fight, and I stopped doubting Conor McGregor a long time ago. When two men step into the ring or octagon or whatever it is, anything is possible. Floyd Mayweather is 40 years old, he’s always had problems with southpaws, and Conor McGregor is 27 years old, and he is a southpaw. Whenever Conor hits people, they fall. So it’s interesting.

“I’m not saying Conor McGregor’s going to win; I’m not saying Floyd Mayweather’s going to win. But I’ll tell you this, the reason Conor McGregor is as big as he is, is he will fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. He will go after Floyd Mayweather, and he will try to knock him out.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.