Conor McGregor was one of the many combat sports celebrities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier today (Sat. Dec. 23, 2023) in attendance of the “Day Of Reckoning” boxing mega event. In fact, McGregor was seated next to soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for the bulk of the bouts, which included some top-notch Heavyweight action featuring the likes of Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker, and Deontay Wilder.
At one point, the man funding all the extravagance, His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh, sat down with the duo and was immediately subject to a classic Conor McGregor mic. A hot mic caught some of the exchange, but the general gist is that a very manic McGregor still wants a piece of Manny Pacquiao, and he doesn’t seem opposed to picking up a Saudi Arabian paycheck in the process.
An unimpressed Ronaldo watches on.
It’s difficult to get a full transcription, but McGregor can clearly be heard demanding Pacquiao to “grow a set of balls” and come up in weight class to box McGregor. “Is he a man or a mouse?!?” McGregor concludes, before comparing rolexes with CR7. Later on in the event, McGregor would reiterate the same sentiments in a more formal interview.
“How about me vs. Manny here in Saudi,” McGregor said. “How does that sound? Now, wouldn’t you think Manny should have to come up to my weight? Considering it’s his sport. Would you think that’s what a man would do versus what a mouse would do?
He continued, “Money talks? Well, Manny already owes me eight million via court of law cause he was signed to my management company and then didn’t honor his deal.”
Somewhere, Michael Chandler is highly agitated right about now.
McGregor has been eyeing a showdown versus Pacquiao for many years now, even prior to the mentioned management drama. The retired boxing legend has mostly shrugged off the talks, but it’s always possible that the Saudi Arabian bank roll could pull him back into the ring. Even if “Pacman” did want to square off with McGregor, would UFC even let that happen?
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
