Conor McGregor on Floyd Mayweather barbs: 'There's people buried in the desert for less than that'
LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. surely hit a nerve with Conor McGregor. Or, at the very least, gave him a good reason to advance a pseudo-feud.
Earlier this month, Mayweather told Fight Hype that he believes racism "still exists" in combat sports because the different treatment he gets compared to Conor McGregor.
"They say he talks a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I'm cocky and arrogant," Mayweather said. "So biased. Like I said before, all I'm saying is this: I ain't racist at all, but I'm telling you racism still exists."
McGregor responded a few days later on Facebook, but had even more words for the undefeated boxing legend Wednesday at a UFC 197 press conference.
"I am a multi-cultural individual," McGregor said at the on-sale presser promoting his lightweight title fight with Rafael dos Anjos. "I take from all cultures. Look at me. I am a product of many cultures as a young, Irish man. I know he wasn't saying that I am that person, but it put me in that bracket. I did not appreciate that one bit. There's people buried in the desert for less than that."
McGregor (19-2) mentioned in the previous Facebook post that the Irish people have been oppressed for generations. He doubled down on that sentiment Wednesday.
"I think Floyd needs to learn before he opens his mouth," McGregor said. "You don't put a man like me in a situation like that. You don't put me in a name that's got to do with prejudice. You don't know nothing about me."
Mayweather also mentioned that Rousey has gotten more credit than female boxing great Laila Ali, presumably because she's white.
"Ronda Rousey, she's a good-looking woman when she put it on," Mayweather said. "Laila Ali is a drop-dead gorgeous woman; I mean a naturally beautiful woman and can kick ass, but you never heard [the media] saying when she had I think somewhere around 10, 11, 12 fights that she was the baddest woman to ever fight on the planet."
Mayweather and Rousey have sniped back and forth for the last couple of years. McGregor is now a top UFC draw himself and Mayweather's name keeps coming up. Despite the pay-per-view king's words, mentioning his name has never been a bad thing with regards to promotion for a UFC fighter.
"Floyd needs to understand before he speaks who he is speaking about," McGregor said. "And that is as simple as that."