Conor McGregor is set for an awkward encounter with Manny Pacquiao.
On Thursday, ‘Notorious’ announced that he will be in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to watch his former UFC colleague Francis Ngannou debut in boxing against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Fury vs Ngannou is one of the biggest fights of 2023Credit: 2023 Anadolu Agency
McGregor will fly to Saudi Arabia on FridayCredit: Matthew Pover/Matchroom
On the same day, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao also confirmed he is jetting off to the Middle East for what is one of the most anticipated crossover bouts of all time.
McGregor soon realised that he would be in the same vicinity as Pacquiao and reignited his rivalry with the eight-weight world champion he was supposed to box in 2021.
He said in a since-deleted X – formerly known as Twitter – voice note: “Where’s my $8 million from that court case, Manny Pacquiao? You owe me $8 million, Manny.
“You can appeal all you want, hurry up with your appeal, you owe me that dough, lad. You can’t sign a contract with an agency to represent you and then go and start to do other things like imminently, straight away.
“You only just signed the contract, are you crazy? Are you stupid, Manny? Are you guys stupid? I’ll kick you in the head, in the neck, the inside leg and take you off your feet and drag you by your ankle across the stage. And what then?
“I had Floyd [Mayweather] bent over, I could’ve done anything to him, I should’ve done anything to him. I should’ve shown the world because it’s doing my head in a bit the way the process is.”
In May, McGregor’s management team successfully sued Pacquiao.
Paradigm Sports claimed they had already paid £2.63million ($3.3m) to Pacquiao before he walked away from the exclusive two-fight deal he signed with them.
Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sports in 2020
McGregor didn’t like his team being disrespected by the boxing iconCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Paradigm also asserted the Filipino boxing icon failed to disclose a pre-existing management deal before linking up with them in February 2020 – the company headed by Audie Attar wanted £16million [$20m] in damages.
A jury in California returned a 9-3 verdict in Paradigm’s favour, awarding them £1.43m [$1.8m] in addition to the £2.63m [$3.3m] they had initially paid to Pacquiao, totalling just over £4m [$5.1m].
However, that fee could increase to £6.4m [$8m] when legal fees are factored in, and the former dual-weight UFC champion was quick to celebrate the legal victory on social media.
Several months later, it appears Pacquiao is still trying to get out of paying the settlement and McGregor is intent on collecting for his representatives.
Security may need to keep the pair apart this weekend or risk their beef overshadowing ‘The Battle of the Baddest’ between Fury and Ngannou.
