Conor McGregor has received extremely high praise from Teddy Atlas.
Mike Tyson's former boxing coach pays close attention to all things UFC, especially when it comes to the first doubleweight champion in the company's history.
'Notorious' hasn't fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 – but he's expected to return to the Octagon sometime this year.
However, Conor McGregor has recently been linked to boxing fights with Logan Paul and Jake Paul, which could spell the end of the Irishman's career as a legitimate world-class fighter, according to Atlas.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Conor McGregor deserves comparison with Muhammad Ali
The respected boxing trainer and commentator used McGregor's potential $500 million scrap with an influencer as an opportunity to point out all the good he's done for MMA over the years.
Atlas compared him to Muhammad Ali, who is widely considered the greatest boxer of all time after helping take the sport to the next level during his 61-fight career.
The 68-year-old believes McGregor has done something similar for MMA since joining the UFC in 2013.
Atlas said on his podcast: “He took the sport to another payday level, just like Ali did in boxing. Crossing with sports, that's what Ali did [Antonio] Inoki, if I remember correctly.
“Ali was in the hospital for a week with bloody clots in his legs, but he got $7 million. $7 million was unheard of back then, it was like getting $100 million [today].
“I think Conor is that guy. You know, he's a pioneer in his sport. If this means the end of him being that fighter in that world, with all the controversies and everything else, we can't forget that he was once a great fighter and will continue to be one of the great promoters.
“I mentioned Ali, I don't think it was a misstep on my part to put that name there for the reason I did that.
“As a pioneer, Ali took paydays to another level. So did Conor. And Ali was one of the greatest promoters – if not the greatest – in the sport of all time, and Conor is right up there at that level.”
Conor McGregor has been given a warning ahead of the fight with Logan Paul
McGregor's fight against Paul is a mismatch in the eyes of many fans.
'The Maverick' has a huge size advantage and has boxed three times before, while McGregor lost his only squared circle fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Nevertheless, McGregor is a real fighter and Paul is not. Therefore, it is widely believed that the MMA legend will be able to overcome multiple disadvantages to achieve victory.
However, a former UFC star has warned him it might not be that easy. Retired heavyweight Brendan Schaub believes McGregor could be seriously injured if he does not train properly for his clash with Paul.
“My only concern is that if Conor doesn't take it seriously, if he's wandering around, partying, I think he's going to get confused,” he said.
“When it comes to Conor, Logan might get smashed to pieces.
“At some point you have to give it to the Paul brothers; one fought Mike Tyson, the other fought Conor McGregor. No matter how you feel about it, it's pretty cool.”
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