Conor McGregor says he plans on returning to the ring for more boxing-rules contests.
The Irish striker, the biggest name in mixed martial arts, took a break from UFC to challenge the unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather in a landmark crossover bout last August but was stopped on his feet in the 10th round.
McGregor has since returned to UFC, but his comeback at UFC 229 on October 6 was unsuccessful, as he was dominated by the lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, dropping in the second round by a thudding right hand and submitting in the fourth.
The Nurmagomedov fight was McGregor's first in a new six-fight deal with UFC. But even though he is committed to the premier cage-fighting firm, he seems to have unfinished business in boxing.
McGregor, 30, was at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday to support his compatriot Katie Taylor, who defended her International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association world female lightweight belts by beating Cindy Serrano on points. While backstage, McGregor was asked by the YouTube boxing channel Fight Hype whether he would rematch Mayweather or box his former sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi.
McGregor said he wanted "both of them."
Malignaggi has been trolling McGregor
Speaking to iFL TV recently, Malignaggi said McGregor was a "quitter" and a "p---y" for begging Nurmagomedov "to take it easy" on him in the middle of the fight.
His comments have progressed.
Last year, ahead of the Mayweather fight, Malignaggi gave insight into what life was like in McGregor's camp — and said the Irishman's greatest weakness was that he would "whimper" when hit hard.
There's an unspoken code in boxing that whatever happens in training camp stays in training camp; if tactics or weaknesses are revealed, an opponent could benefit from that knowledge. Malignaggi broke that by exposing a clear weakness and potential strategy.
Things weren't always so sour between the two athletes. In fact, their relationship was initially good — McGregor recruited the American as a sparring partner to help him get ready to box Mayweather in Las Vegas.
But Malignaggi stayed in camp for only a couple of days, as McGregor's team released footage of their sparring sessions that included an image of Malignaggi on the floor with McGregor towering over him.
Malignaggi has spoken ill of McGregor since the clip was released. Last year, he told "The MMA Hour," a show produced by MMAFighting.com, that he would fight McGregor if there were demand from fans.
It looks as if McGregor may grant him his wish.
