Conor McGregor "may have outgrown the traditional UFC template," according to George Willis of the N.Y. POST. Saturday's boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. may "only serve to motivate McGregor to seek his independence and expand McGregor Sports and Entertainment, his newly created promotional company." The fight "proved that McGregor carries with him a large international fan base that will pay to see him in the Octagon or a boxing ring" (N.Y. POST, 8/28). UFC President Dana White said that he would prefer McGregor not box again and instead fight more MMA contests. White said, "This isn't what he does. He's a mixed martial artist where he uses all of his weapons, and (on Saturday) he was only allowed to use his hands. ... I don't think there's anything else left to prove. I would rather he fight mixed martial arts.” White also downplayed the concern that the size of McGregor’s purse from this fight would cause problems in future UFC negotiations. He said, "If our fights do what the buys did here (Saturday) at the gate, we'll all be good. Trust me, nobody will be bitching about anything” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 8/27).
ILLEGAL STREAMS: The London TELEGRAPH reported an estimated 2.93 million people "managed to access an illegal online broadcast" of Mayweather's 10-round victory over McGregor in Las Vegas, online security experts claimed. Digital security company Irdeto said that the fight was "nevertheless made available for internet users through social media rather than the illegal streaming sites that have traditionally hosted the broadcasts." More than 200 such streams were identified by Irdeto, the "majority of which came via social media rather than the illegal streaming sites that have traditionally hosted the broadcasts." In fact, illegal streams of the event "were advertised on e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba." Periscope became a "trending topic on social media," as users "desperately tried to track down active streams of a fight" that cost £19.95 ($25.81) to watch on Sky Sports Box Office in the U.K. So-called "digital Robin Hoods" paid the subscription, only to make their stream available to anyone who had the link (TELEGRAPH, 8/28).
A GOOD BET: In London, Peter O'Dwyer reported Paddy Power’s "controversial" sponsorship of Mayweather in the build-up to the fight was worth almost $160,000 to the bookmaker, according to a leading consultancy firm. The Irish betting firm was "accused of racism" after it sponsored shorts featuring the slogan "always bet on black" worn by Mayweather before his bout with the Irish mixed martial artist (LONDON TIMES, 8/28).
