Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather put on the greatest combat sporting event of all time earlier this year when the two mega-stars went head-to-head inside the boxing ring.
Mayweather went undefeated in his professional boxing debut and racked up a record of 49-0 before deciding to hang up the gloves following a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto. Years later, however, an Irishman by the name of Conor McGregor would emerge as the new trash-talking, money-loving, combat sports star everyone was talking about.
This sparked rumors that the pair could meet inside the boxing ring for a huge mega-show that was denied by UFC President Dana White and company for some time.
The pair finally finalized a deal, and after a great World Tour to promote the event McGregor and Mayweather fought inside the squared circle on the night of August 26th in the T-Mobile Arena of Las Vegas, Nevada.
While McGregor seemed to take a few of the early rounds Mayweather would pour on the offense against McGregor in the latter portion of the fight once the UFC lightweight champ began to gas. In the 10th round of the contest Mayweather unleashed a barrage of unanswered shots that forced the referee to step in and wave the fight off.
McGregor would later say that he was not hurt by the shots from Mayweather, but was instead too fatigued to respond. In a recent Q&A event in Glasgow McGregor then noted that he believes the fight was stopped too soon and believes he could have continued on fighting.
This comment stole headlines all across the MMA newswire, but earlier this week Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director Bob Bennett responded to McGregor's comments (quotes via MMA Mania):
“All I can say is we did our job. That’s what we get paid to do and that’s what we did. I find it very disappointing that Conor would make derogatory remarks that the fight was stopped too early when really the timing of referee Robert Byrd’s stoppage was impeccable.
"We looked out for his health and safety. We did everything we could to ensure it was a level playing field. I think the fight was very exciting. The fans loved it.
"The health and safety of the fighter was always at the forefront, from the beginning of the fight. There’s no doubt Conor did a phenomenal job, fighting a future Hall of Famer.
"Obviously, Floyd had his game plan that worked as well. The actual stoppage, we looked out for the health and safety of the fighter, which is our responsibility.”
What are your thoughts on the NSAC's response to McGregor's claim that the Mayweather fight was stopped early? Do you think the fight was stopped too soon? Or did the referee step in just at the right time to wave the bout off? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: http://gms.to/writeforgms