Mayweather-McGregor: Celebrities, athletes make their fight predictions

Everybody seems to have an opinion on who will win the cross-sport superfight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, so it should be no surprise that other athletes and celebrities have their own takes on what will go down on Saturday night. Here is a full (and random) breakdown of picks from the fight world and beyond.

Rachel Lindsay (The Bachelorette):
“Mayweather by decision. Both myself and my fiancée, Bryan Abasolo, think Floyd will win and it will go to decision. Floyd is a better boxer and will play defense the entire match. McGregor will tire and punch himself out.”

Ice Cube:
“Mayweather, TKO 6. I just don’t see how a guy boxing for the first time can compete with a boxer who is the best of his era.”

Manny Pacquiao, former world champion:
“Floyd Mayweather will win by points. Conor doesn’t have experience in boxing. He thinks boxing is easy, but it’s a lot different than MMA. Floyd will outbox McGregor. It’s boxing, though. Anything can happen in the ring. It’s never a guaranteed win no matter how good you are. That’s the great thing about boxing. No one is invincible.”

NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis:
“It’s one of those fights where it sounds like it’s an interesting fight. … I believe, as a fan of boxing, that it’s not going to be much of a fight at all. I don’t see Conor McGregor having a chance to beat Floyd Mayweather because I just don’t believe that he’ll be able to hit him the way that he believes he can hit him. But he’s going to be taking a lot of shots in return, I can promise you that.”

Former NFL star Eddie George:
“Mayweather, TKO 8. It’s not even a fair fight. It would be more entertaining if Floyd fought Conor in the Octagon.”

NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
“I wouldn’t want to bet on that. I wouldn’t want to bet on that at all.”

NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson:
“Oh, that’s easy. Floyd gonna beat him with ease. You know, you can’t beat a man at his own sport. Floyd is undefeated for a reason.”

Comedian/actor Rob Riggle:
“I think a lot of people are going to get the pay-per-view, and then they’re going to be really sad that they did. Floyd Mayweather is undefeated, his defense is amazing and he’s a professional boxer. … McGregor is a fighter, he’s an Octagon fighter. I don’t know how they match up just [trading punches].”

Frankie Edgar, former UFC lightweight champion:
“Mayweather will box him up, but Conor will keep it close for a few rounds. Conor never boxed in his life and Mayweather is one of the best of his generation, that’s why. I expect a decision or a late stoppage for Mayweather in Rounds 11 or 12.”

Jeff Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle and boxing trainer:
“Floyd will take care of business and I don’t think Conor’s really going to be able to land much. You have to remember, there are Hall of Famers who Floyd has fought who couldn’t hit him. This is a guy who has what, three, four months of boxing? There’s no way he can catch up to what Floyd is doing. Floyd changes like a chameleon and he’ll show him something different every round. That’s a guy who, like I said, has no boxing experience and I just don’t see how he can keep up. Once Floyd starts hitting him, his hands are going to go up, like in MMA, because those MMA fighters are used to being hit in the head. There aren’t a lot of body shots in MMA, so they learn to protect their heads. Once his hands go up, Floyd’s going to go hard after that body.”

Daymond John (Shark Tank):
“Mayweather, decision 12. I think the fight goes the distance with Mayweather winning by decision. I wish Mayweather’s hands weren’t so brittle. If that were the case, he would knock him out in the ninth.”

Cousin Sal (Jimmy Kimmel Live):
“Mayweather, TKO 2. Floyd will spend the first round taunting Conor with his defensive superiority. Then in the 2nd, he’ll deliver a flurry of 8 ounces that will spell the end of America’s favorite MMA-hole.”

Corinne Olympios (Bachelor in Paradise):
“Mayweather, KO 1. Mayweather never loses. He will knock McGregor out in the first round.”

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe:
“McGregor, KO 2. The same creepy boxing (a sport which I’ve loved since a child) people that said, “the fight will never happen” are the same ones saying, “McGregor doesn’t have a chance.” I’ve seen the insane feats Conor is capable of, I know Floyd loves money, so Conor wins and Floyd gets a rematch, makes double the cash and everyone is happy.”

Badou Jack, former world super middleweight champion:
“I think Floyd is going to stop him with a body shot. I’d say he’ll do it inside of five rounds. It’s going to take a round or two to adjust, I think. I think after that he’ll start breaking him down to the body and stop him with a body shot.”

Angelo Reyes, boxing and MMA trainer:
“Floyd by eighth-round TKO. My reasoning is what Paulie Malignaggi was talking about in his sparring with Conor leads me to believe body punches will be the key to breaking McGregor down and will lead to a Floyd stoppage. Also, the pace of a boxing match is extremely different than the pace of an MMA fight. Though Conor was able to do five rounds with Nate Diaz, we have only seen this once, mainly because Conor gets the KO in MMA. He will not be able to do that with Floyd. Mayweather is a master of putting himself in the safest possible positions while maximizing the damage both physically and mentally to his opponents. Conor will be in the best condition of his fighting career, but that in and of itself won’t be enough.”

Former NBA player Tom Tolbert:
“This is a classic Talking Heads fight. … Same as it ever was , same as it ever was. … Mayweather by decision.”

UFC star Justin Gaethje:
“They both win by taking all of our money.”

UFC star Kelvin Gastelum:
“Well, it can go one of two ways: Either McGregor shocks the world and knocks Mayweather out or Mayweather completely clowns McGregor.”

WWE star Big Cass:
“It’s a boxing match. You know, Conor McGregor is great at combat sports, MMA. … he’s amazing at it, but there’s things you can use in there that he’s not used to using. Mayweather is arguably the greatest boxer of all time and he’s undefeated. I just can’t see … I can’t see anybody on planet Earth beating Mayweather.”

Former NFL player Kirk Morrison:
“I do know they’re two of the game’s best and to see them come together for a fight? It’s more about the spectacle. It’s the spectacle. What are they gonna do? Who are they gonna bring out? How do they turn this into entertainment? My pick has to be Floyd Mayweather. He’s a boxer and he’s very technical with what he does. I think he wins it and I don’t think it goes past five rounds.”

More athletes/celebs who have made predictions for the fight
UFC women’s featherweight champ Cris “Cyborg” Justino:
“I don’t believe he will win the fight. Mayweather will win this fight, for sure. He’s at another level. But [McGregor] is brave, and he opened doors for MMA [fighters] in boxing and for boxing fans to come to MMA, and vice versa. It will help our sport grow.”

Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn:
“Like everybody, I’m excited for it. And I’m going, for me, with Mayweather. I just feel like a guy who has had that kind of success and I’ve seen him fight before, in his sport [he would] be hard to compare with. So that’s my reason behind it, like everybody else. I probably won’t get to see it, but I’ll watch the highlights for sure.”

NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant:
“Mayweather’s going to win. I’ll probably watch it. I don’t really care much about it.”

Actor Sylvester Stallone:
“I only got the underdog. [McGregor]’s a real life Rocky. But then again I live in fantasy. Mayweather’s gonna get hurt.”

Actor Mark Wahlberg:
“Conor, I think is a very different kind of fighter. I don’t think [Mayweather] has the power to knock out McGregor.”

Singer Demi Lovato:
“Floyd is obviously a boxer and he’s very, very good at it. But Conor’s crazy. And I want Conor to win because it would be so good for MMA.”

Singer Justin Bieber:
“I don’t think [Floyd will knock McGregor out]. I think it’ll be a good fight.”

WWE star Seth Rollins:
“I guess Conor’s always got a puncher’s chance but that’s about all he’s got in a boxing match against Floyd. I think Floyd’s going to dance around him. I’ll be surprised if Conor lands one punch on Floyd.”

Actor Idris Elba:
“Mcgregor. He’s gonna throw some things around that Floyd’s not going to be used to. If Floyd does what he does normally, which is just hold a tight fight, I think McGregor’s going to topple that, strike him. If he gets one on his chin, it could be over.”

Boxing legend Mike Tyson:
“McGregor is going to get killed in boxing.”

Comedian George Lopez:
“He won’t touch him. McGregor won’t lay a hand on him. Hey, listen, Floyd — he’s been elusive. I’ve seen Floyd fight a lot. He might not want to mix it up, but if you make him mix it up, he’ll hurt you.”

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez:
“Conor has about three or four rounds to get this done. … Within those four rounds, if you don’t think Conor can knock this guy out, you’re an idiot or you just don’t know fighting because it can very well happen. If he doesn’t get it done by then, then it could look very one-sided. The technical boxing of Floyd Mayweather is enough to make it look really one-sided for him. But Conor, there is a very real chance that he can put him away.”

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo:
“There is no comparison. It is not similar. Totally different. There is no way McGregor can defeat Mayweather. Mayweather has done this his entire life, and it’s a different sport.”

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture:
“I think [McGregor] has a 1-in-10 chance to win. I think we’re dealing with arguably the best defensive boxer in 20 years that top boxers on the planet haven’t been able to touch him. What makes anybody think that Conor McGregor, who’s 0-0 in professional boxing, is going to go out there and touch Mayweather, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think Conor’s going to try to be aggressive and bring the fight. He’s the longer, younger fighter, and I think the more he comes at Mayweather, the more he’s going to get hit.”

UFC star Nate Diaz:
“I think it’s a big publicity stunt, but my take on a boxing match between the two — I think McGregor’s got a good chance to make something happen in [the first] two or three rounds. But I think he’s got an amateur style where he’s only got good movement, good punches for six, eight minutes, and I think that’s too amateur for Mayweather. I’m just saying he’s got a puncher’s chance — if anything.”

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway:
“The big winner of that fight is Dana White and UFC. It’s a show. Everybody keeps saying it’s not good, it’s not bad. This guy’s coming out of retirement to fight Conor. It’s not like he’s this champion defending these belts and then Conor’s jumping in to fight Floyd for a championship. Floyd was just chilling and doing his own. He wanted to come back for an intriguing fight, and he got an intriguing fight.”

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson:
“I’m riding with Conor. I think Conor, he can probably get it done sooner if he goes out there being ferocious, but I’m going with Conor. I think Conor’s gonna get the job done. It’s hard to say. I’ll tell you what: He ain’t gonna make a big check like that in the UFC. Hopefully Conor goes out there and knocks Floyd out, and then he can go ahead and fight the winner of GGG and ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. I’d love to see that.”

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones:
“When you live the way Floyd does, he has all the resources to stay healthy and on top of his game. I think what makes this fight interesting is Conor McGregor’s punching power, but at the same time, guys like Miguel Cotto, [Oscar] De La Hoya, all these guys have tremendous punching power. But what they have that McGregor doesn’t is years of experience and tightness to back up that punching power. There are so many guys in UFC who have that punching power but can never land that shot on me. If I were a betting man, I’d say you have to side on the side of greatness.”

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva:
“This is a different sport. Conor is the best now. Conor has good condition for talking about this fight. I think Conor broke everything. It’s a new challenge for Conor. It’s a different sport. Mayweather is no simple guy, no MMA guy. This is different sport. I train in boxing for a long time in my life, when I go to sparring with professional guys, it’s so different. Timing is different, movement is different. People need to respect both sports, but boxing is different.”

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley:
“I’ll be honest, me and Conor ain’t really see eye to eye on a lot of things. At the end of the day, I still want to scrap him, but I’m betting on Conor. You know why? I bet a grand, I win 6,500 bucks. I bet two grand, 13 grand. It’s freaking combat sports. Anybody got a chance at all times, so I’m willing to lose for the chance to win because that’s crazy that somebody that is that big of a underdog.”

James Toney:
“Conor McGregor will make more money than he’s ever made, but he’s not a fighter in this game. He has no chance. McGregor’s a UFC fighter. He doesn’t know how to punch. He’s going to swing for the fences, get counter-punched and Floyd’s knocking him out in two to three rounds.”

WBC heavyweight boxing champion Deontay Wilder:
“It’s like Floyd always say, ‘It’s like robbing a bank because it’s easy money.’ It’s an easy fight for him. I think he knows it. I think it’s more of a money stunt on McGregor’s behalf. Everybody that fight Floyd, they think about the money, some of them really think they can beat him and they can go in there and really test him like [Marcos] Maidana did, you know Maidana was really hungry to beat him. But with McGregor, everybody’s got a chance, this is fighting and whoever got the better strategy will win, but this is easy money for Floyd.”

Unified world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua:
“It’s probably [going to be] a landslide. Look at the great fighters Mayweather’s fought, and he’s made them look average. Some of the fighters Mayweather’s fought would probably beat Conor McGregor as well. Conor can’t really compete. He’s coming out of his field and going into Mayweather’s domain. Even though he’s an excellent fighter in UFC, he’s not an excellent boxer. Him crossing over is going to be a real big challenge.”

Boxing Hall of Famer Shane Mosley:
“MMA and boxing is like a sprinter running against a long-distance runner in their fields, it just doesn’t work. Strategically, I see Mayweather having a great time in there, smiling and laughing while McGregor is trying to hit him and find him. I see McGregor noticing how hard Mayweather hits, thinking that he doesn’t hit that hard. When he gets hit by Mayweather, he’s going to be like, ‘Oh wow, this is different from UFC punches.’ I think Floyd, if he wants to, can knock him out by the fourth or fifth round. I think that he’ll give the fans a show.”

Former boxing champion Ricky Hatton:
“I’m a big Conor McGregor fan, and if he ever watches this interview, I hope he doesn’t take this to heart, because he’s like me. He’s a real guy, he’s a comedian, he’s a character, he’s a colorful person, and when you watch his style of fighting, I absolutely love the bloke. But it’s two different sports, and I couldn’t hit [Mayweather], Oscar [De La Hoya] couldn’t hit him, Canelo [Alvarez] couldn’t hit him, Conor’s not going to hit him.”

Light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward:
“I think McGregor will be wild for the first three rounds, but when he starts to tire, Floyd will take over and we could see a big knockout. Floyd Mayweather has put on shows for the best part of two decades, so he deserves to do whatever he wants and this isn’t a sideshow, it’s a massive event.”

Welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence Jr.:
“I’ve seen [Mayweather] stop guys in the gym with 16-ounce gloves. Bigger guys. He just beats them up. In his young career, you saw how he was knocking guys out. But now he’s got hand problems, so he’s not turning with it all the way, not putting 100-percent power into his punches. But he can punch hard. That’s why a lot of guys, when he hits them, they start backing up or go on defense. They’re not just walking through his punches. You haven’t seen anybody who’s walking through his punches. Even Marcos Maidana started backing up when Floyd started coming forward.

Former welterweight boxing champion Andre Berto:
“If this were to be an upset, it would definitely be a big blow to the boxing game, for sure. Definitely, definitely. It’s gonna be a big blow to Floyd’s legacy as well. Just being undefeated and able to let some guy upset you and he’s an MMA fighter and he probably talks a little more [expletive] than you talk. It’s gonna be tough for him to swallow if that happens. I see Conor coming in there really showing that bravado, showing that cockiness and showing that he’s really there to fight, and somewhat trying to steal the stage from Floyd just with his antics and he kind of gets Floyd into a mind-game situation, has him pulling some type of mistakes and [Mayweather] gets caught with a big shot and gets hurt. And [McGregor] could stop him.”

Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield:
“He would have to rough him up. He’d have to do something that get [Mayweather] frustrated and get into a battle. I think his only chance is getting into a battle.”

Irish boxer Michael Conlan:
“The only chance I give Conor is his self-belief. He has self-belief I’ve never seen before, but he’s taking on an almost impossible task.”

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• Las Vegas facing disaster if McGregor actually wins