UPDATE 4 P.M. JUNE 14: UFC President Dana White confirms that the fight will take place at T-Mobile Arena, despite Ice Cube's Big3 basketball league holding the date, on Aug. 26.
Mayweather and McGregor have both agreed to a 12-round fight at 154 pound weight limit. They also decided on using using 10-ounce boxing gloves for the bout.
UPDATE 2:23 P.M. jUNE 14: In true McGregor fashion, he confirms reports of him finalizing deal with Mayweather.
It didn't take Floyd Mayweather long to respond.
IT'S OFFICIAL!!! https://t.co/ND07Ixugs2 pic.twitter.com/JpqFW5WbcB
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) June 14, 2017
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
The ongoing soap opera that is Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor looks close to its end. The Nevada Athletic Commission has approved the reservation of the MGM Grand Garden Arena by Mayweather Promotions.
BREAKING: Nevada commission has approved Mayweather Promotions request to promote boxing event on Aug. 26, per chairman Anthony Marnell.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 14, 2017
There's been widespread speculation that the Aug 26 date was requested for the long-discussed Mayweather-McGregor boxing match, but detractors laughed at the possibility. Doubters of the bout have said that a fight between the two fighters would surely happen at T-Mobile Arena, but a simple check of the records shows why the MGM Grand Garden Arena was the only option left for Mayweather.
T-Mobile Arena is booked pretty solid through October 15. In fact, a look at their Fall schedule shows that there's nowhere for Mayweather and McGregor to slide in their match.
- August 26 - Ice Cube's Big3 Basketball League Championship
- September 2 - George Straight
- September 16 - Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady "GGG" Golvokin
- September 23 - iHeart Radio Music Festival
- September 30 - Depeche Mode
- October 8 (Sunday) - NBA Preseason: Kings vs. Lakers
- October 15 - The Weeknd
According to T-Mobile Arena's schedule, the next two available dates are September 8, which would make boxing fans choose between purchasing the spectacle that is Mayweather-McGregor or holding out and spending money on a competitive middleweight matchup for the ages in Canelo-GGG, and October 23.
Waiting until late-October means McGregor would likely have to wait until 2018 to return to the UFC, which there's no true guarantee that he returns after cashing in against Mayweather anyway. The proposition of losing their biggest star for over a calendar year may prove too costly for new UFC owners WME-IMG.
There's also the prospect of asking people to flock to Las Vegas during a chillier month and without the prospects of major day clubs and other hotel attractions – those summertime extracurriculars do come into account during planning.
If someone was to look at it objectively, August 26 is the best landing spot for the fight. The weather is enticing for those looking to bask in the atmosphere of the event, the fight is far enough away from Canelo-GGG to allow fans to purchase both if they so desire, and for McGregor and Mayweather to have 10-week training camps for what will surely be a 10-round or less boxing match.
Maybe people should listen when McGregor tweets that big news is coming?
