(Reuters) – Mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor is happy about the switch to lighter gloves for his Aug. 26 fight against undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and says his opponent will now struggle to make it past the second round.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday, just 10 days before the hotly anticipated Las Vegas fight, approved requests from Mayweather and McGregor to wear eight-ounce gloves rather than 10-ounce ones.
Mayweather had nearly all of his 49 professional wins using eight-ounce gloves, which may accentuate one of his advantages – his hand speed.
McGregor preferred the lighter gloves since he is used to the fingerless, four-ounce gloves typically worn in MMA.
“I believe now that the gloves are eight ounces, I don’t believe he makes it out of the second round,” McGregor added.
“Part of me … kind of wants to show some skills and dismantle him that way. (But) I do not foresee him absorbing the blows in the first two rounds.”
The Irishman said his gruelling preparations for the fight would enable him to triumph no matter how the fight develops.
“The training sessions and the practice that we’ve been putting in has been through hell and back. We are ready for absolutely every scenario.
“I’m ready to go to war for the full 12 rounds and I am ready to put him away in the first 10 seconds. That’s where my head’s at.”
Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), followed McGregor on the conference call and predicted the fight could even threaten the reported $600 million haul from the Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao 2015 showdown.
