Conor McGregor doesn’t care that his fight against Floyd Mayweather on August 26 will be the first time he steps in the boxing ring.
Of course, the huge sums of money available to the Notorious make the thought of stepping into the ring with the 49-0 American much more easy to grasp.
But still, it will be a huge shock if McGregor comes away with the win in Las Vegas.
The UFC star has been sparring former professional boxer Paulie Malignaggi and the American says there’s a genuine game plan being put together for the fight against Mayweather.
“He’s got a game plan behind it,” Malignaggi told ESPN. “It’s not what people think. There’s a game plan behind what he’s doing. There’s a method to Conor’s madness.
“Conor is working on other things besides the left hand, so that there could be a surprise element to it, too.”
We’ll find out next month just how effective that planning has been.
What McGregor has done to learn boxing rules
McGregor is also in the unfortunate position of having to learn the rules of boxing. UFC president Dana White issued a serious warning to Mystic Mac, saying he will be “sued beyond belief” if he uses any MMA moves.
In order to grasp a greater understanding of boxing’s rules, McGregor has retained the services of retired referee Joe Cortez.
"I'm working with McGregor as an unified boxing advisor,” Cortez explained to Carlos Narvaez. “My job is to teach him not to commit any mistakes during his fight against Mayweather Jr.
"They (McGregor's group) were looking for a referee with a broad knowledge of the rules and that's where my name came from. I honestly do not know how, but for me it's an honour.
“I know they had several names on the table, but they finally selected me and above everyone to be involved in some way for this event that possibly is one of the biggest of the year."
McGregor's life will be 'destroyed' if he uses MMA moves
McGregor is wired to kick his opponents, or get them in a headlock. But White warned the 28-year-old that his life will be destroyed if he deviates from the rules.
“It would be very bad,” White said, per the Independent. “That can’t happen. There’s actually language in the contract that that can’t happen.
“If you look at Mayweather, you can include this fight, his last three fights and the amount of money he’s brought in, right, when you go to court any lawsuit is always about damages.
“It would destroy Conor’s life and Mayweather would win – Mayweather would win that lawsuit.”
Who knew the consequences would be so severe?!