UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor released an official statement and direct response to world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who said that “racism still exists” in combat sports mentioning Conor McGregor:
“And what’s so crazy, I don’t really know the McGregor guy; never seen him fight,” Mayweather said. “I heard his name actually from one of the runners that works for our company. … He told me about the guy McGregor. They say he talk a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I’m cocky and arrogant. So biased! Like I said before, all I’m saying is this, I ain’t racist at all, but I’m telling you racism still exists.”
McGregor said in an Instagram post:
Floyd Mayweather, don’t ever bring race into my success again. I am an Irishman. My people have been oppressed our entire existence. And still very much are. I understand the feeling of prejudice. It is a feeling that is deep in my blood.
In my family’s long history of warfare there was a time where just having the name ‘McGregor’ was punishable by death.
Do not ever put me in a bracket like this again.
If you want we can organise a fight no problem.
I will give you a fair 80/20 split purse in my favour seen as your last fight bombed at every area of revenue.
At 27 years of age I now hold the key to this game.
The game answers to me now.
About his next fight against UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 197:
What can I say, it’s just another night of easy work for me.
I don’t just own the game. I run it too.
