UFC coach says ‘bigger’ McGregor KOs Mayweather early

UFC trainer Mark Henry believes Conor McGregor holds a weight advantage over Floyd Mayweather that could see the Irishman score an early knockout in their super-fight. McGregor, 27, is lining up a massive cross-codes battle against Mayweather in late 2017 or early 2018, a fight that could earn both a nine-figure sum should terms be agreed soon.

Henry, who is the striking coach for McGregor’s most recent opponent, Eddie Alvarez, says the power of ‘The Notorious’ could be underestimated by Mayweather, like Bob Ajisafe was in the Channel 5 tournament final, and lead to a stoppage in the first few rounds.

"The swing that McGregor has is unbelievable," Henry told. "I think he would have the possibility of knocking out Mayweather. He's way bigger than Mayweather too. Boxers only cut about ten pounds, whereas Conor probably walks around at 173lbs. So he's also a lot bigger than Mayweather too. I even think he has a chance of knocking out Mayweather if it was in the first three to four rounds. After that, I'd definitely give the edge to Mayweather.”

Negotiations are reported to have been ongoing for months as Mayweather and McGregor bid to make the most out of their Pay-Per-View reputations. Mayweather holds the record for most PPV buys for a single fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2015, whilst McGregor is by far and away the most popular fighter on the UFC paid format.