Brian Stann puts the ‘Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor’ rumors to rest

In recent weeks rumors of a potential boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor have been running rampant on the Internet. Both fighters have added fuel to that fire by addressing the fight in the media and trolling posting on social media. The media has ran wild with analysis and predictions. SiriusXM Rush host Brian Stann, for one, is fed up with the whole situation.

“It is not gonna happen,” Stann said on Tuesday’s broadcast of Toe-2-Toe. “It’s just a dumb topic. Floyd Mayweather will out-box Conor McGregor and Conor McGregor would kill him in a mixed martial arts fight. Let’s just leave it at that.”

McGregor is currently the UFC featherweight champion and one of the biggest draws in MMA. Mayweather is “retired” with a 49-0 record in boxing. McGregor’s contract with the UFC would not permit him to fight in a boxing match, and that alone should end all rumors. But yet still the media feels the need to cover this topic like no tomorrow.

MMA Vs Boxing. pic.twitter.com/qgl8tKvT5s

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 8, 2016

Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd claimed on his podcast on Monday that the fight will be happening in mid-September in Las Vegas and that he’s already booked rooms at a hotel. Cowherd cited “multiple sources,” which isn’t entirely unbelievable considering the UFC’s relationship with the Fox network. On Tuesday, ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose (a BASKETBALL analyst, for crying out loud) claimed the fight will be happening in May 2017. Without revealing his sources, Rose cited the fact that he was the first to break news of the date for the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight that happened on May 2, 2015.

“Before you read something and start buying tickets like [Cowherd] is to Las Vegas for some date in September, let me be the one to tell you, there is no truth to that whatsoever,” Stann said. “There’s nothing in the works.”

Finally, someone with some common sense. Thank you, Brian Stann, for dismissing the #hottakes.

Amazing words by the great @Brianstann on his Sirius show moments ago on the absurdity of the $ May-Conor “reports.” Preach, Stann. Preach.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 24, 2016

The whole situation is absurd for a myriad of reasons, yet we have mainstream media personalities who aren’t well-versed in MMA dissecting the prospect of the UFC’s biggest star facing a retired (!) boxer. And I can somewhat understand it, because it would be an intriguing spectacle. Both Mayweather and McGregor know how to sell a fight, the trash-talk would be off the charts, the pay-per-view would likely do big numbers. But at the end of the day, you’d have the best boxer of his generation in Mayweather facing basically an amateur in McGregor; just because you practice boxing as part of your MMA training doesn’t mean you have any business getting in the ring with a professional boxer.

Let’s get back to reality, shall we? McGregor is expected to have a rematch with Nate Diaz at some point this year after losing by second-round submission at UFC 196 in March. Oh, and the funny thing is, McGregor lost his fight with Diaz because he got caught with a clean 1-2 combo and decided to shoot for a takedown that led to him getting submitted. Diaz is known for having a boxing-centric attack and he boxed McGregor up real good, so how would McGregor fare against Mayweather? Diaz voiced his opinion on the whole thing on Wednesday calling it a “publicity stunt to hide the fact that [McGregor] got his ass whooped.” Preach, Nate.

The rematch was originally booked for UFC 200 in July, but was scrapped when McGregor refused to fulfill his promotional duties. The UFC is working hard to get the fight rescheduled, and eventually the situation will be resolved. The sooner, the better for all of us so it can put an end to this “McGregor vs. Mayweather” nonsense.

“Toe-2-Toe with Brian Stann” airs Tuesdays from 6-8 pm ET on SiriusXM Rush (Ch. 93).