White: Remember Pacquiao just got beat by a schoolteacher

UFC president Dana White recently appeared on Fox Sports 1’s Speak For Yourself with Cowherd and Whitlock and discussed the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match. Extraordinary doubt has been voiced about McGregor being able to lay glove on the greatest defensive boxer in history.

But Conor is a madman,” said White, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. “Conor is a madman. He’s gonna let Floyd know what he’s gonna do and how he’s gonna do it. Everybody’s been saying to me this whole time, ‘Do you think that Conor can really beat Floyd Mayweather?’ Pacquiao just got beat by a school teacher, okay.

I stopped doubting Conor McGregor a long time ago. Last night I landed at LAX and Conor landed at the same time from Ireland. We both landed at the same time and I was waiting for him to get out of the plane. He gets off a flight from Ireland, looks like he was just fitted at Armani, walks off the plan and says, ‘I will knock this man out within four rounds.’

While McGregor is sure to talk trash during the international press tour, White expressed respect for Mayweather and his team.

Mayweather is very poised and controlled. Mayweather’s a really smart guy,” said White. “As I got into the deal – he’s surrounded by a lot of smart people too, which made it much easier to get the deal done than I thought it would. I deal with a lot of people that think they’re smart and they’re not and it makes it a lot harder.

I always respected Floyd. Floyd and I have had our moments in the public here and there but I’ve always respected Floyd and Al Haymon is a very smart guy. Very smart guy. It was actually a pleasure doing business with him.”

And White said MayGregor is good for the sport.

Unlike other promoters out there who like to go around and s*** on everybody else’s fights, I think this is good for combat sports,” said White. “I think this is a good fight for combat sports. Other people out there – Oscar De La Hoya – are saying that this thing will be bad for boxing. Yet he wanted to do Canelo vs. McGregor, let’s put that out there. This is great for combat sports. It’s like when Floyd and Manny had that huge fight and pulled that massive number, first of all, you look at it and you go, ‘Good for them.’ No. 2, that shows me the bar. That shows me where the bar can be set with the right fight at the right place at the right time.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, billed as ‘The Money Fight’, will take place on August 26, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The rest of the card will be held under boxing rules, and will not feature any more MMA figure vs. boxers match ups.