Conor McGregor has once again changed his tune over a potential fight against KSI, after having previously claimed he was no longer interested in fighting the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
In August 2023, the Irishman called out the London-born internet star for a bare-knuckle boxing bout after Anthony Joshua’s victory against Robert Helenius at the O2 Arena in London.
KSI and McGregor were both in attendance with the former UFC champion storming into the ring, saying: ‘I know your man KSI is in the crowd and he couldn’t box eggs if he worked in an egg boxing factory.’
‘So, if he wants to get in here, I’ll give him a final yoke, bare-knuckle if you want.’
Since then, the 35-year-old has dialed back his offer to the content creator, telling The Mirror he was ‘not interested’ and that his initial call out had been a joke.
‘It was just a bit of craic,’ he said, when questioned why he made the comments.
More recently, Tommy Fury staked a claim to fight McGregor after Joshua’s sensational second round knock out victory against Francis Ngannou last week.
Fury bested KSI via a controversial majority decision win in October 2023 and appears to be eyeing up a sensational return to the ring against the former UFC champion, who once swapped the Octagon for the boxing ring to face Manny Pacquiao.
He told DAZN: ‘I’ve seen that Jake Paul is fighting Mike Tyson, I mean why not me and McGregor next? I’ve got a comeback fight and I’d like him for my return so McGregor, get in touch.’
McGregor could be hamstrung by his commitments to the UFC, with the former champion set to make a comeback after he suffered a devastating fractured leg during his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.
Despite his lucrative deal with the UFC, which could inhibit him from stepping back into the ring, the Irish MMA star claimed that he would now be open to fighting KSI.
‘Yeah you know, the YouTube nerds could be like, I would consider that a nixer (a side job),’ McGregor said to SneekPeakTV.
‘Your Uncle’s friend needs a f****** radiator fitted in his house, so you’ll do a side job, and get side pay.
‘I would consider them guys to be nixers. If I was to pick one out of them, I would say KSI, he has a big name in the UK.’
Fury also delivered his reaction to former Love Island star Fury’s desire to fight him.
‘[Tommy] Fury called me out yesterday, and he beat Jake and he fought KSI so it’s just like another little world isn’t it?’
“I’m open to it.” McGregor concluded. “I’ll never say no, I’ll never say no.”
There were rumours that McGregor could return to fight at UFC 300, but those claims were dismissed after Dana White revealed UFC 300’s main event will see Alex Pereira defend his light-heavyweight crown against Jamahal Hill.
But it looks like he could make his comeback in 2024 and has admitted he wants to fight Nate Diaz and Michael Chandler following his three-year hiaturs.
Meanwhile, Jake Paul, 27, has sent shockwaves through the world of boxing after it was announced that he would be taking on former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 57.
Their meeting has gathered much attention online, with some fans left baffled by the fight, while others have warned Paul, another YouTube-boxing sensation, that he could get hurt.
And McGregor admitted he was perplexed by the bout, claiming: ‘The Pauls… That [Mike] Tyson fight is just a strange one to me, I hope Tyson takes his nose off.
‘I’m sure at some stage [I’ll end up fighting one of them], I’m sure at some stage. You know, we’ll go through all of these guys.
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