Getty UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor reacts as he walks on stage for UFC 205 Weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City.
The time has finally come for MMA superstar Conor McGregor to head into uncharted territory when he takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match.
The match, which was once considered a far-fetched fantasy booking, is expected to be one of the highest-grossing pay-per-views of all time. The main card will start at 9 p.m. Eastern on Saturday from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor has never been in a boxing match before and is squaring off against quite the storied boxer in Mayweather. He’s never lost a match in his career, cruising to a 49-0 record. Mayweather said after his last fight that he had retired, but he ultimately decided to come out of the short-lived break to try and earn his 50th win in the ring against the UFC champion.
The uniqueness of the fight, paired with closely calculated media appearances has brought hype that’s not been seen much before…at least not since Mayweather stepped into the ring and defeated Manny Pacquiao in 2012.
McGregor, who’s originally from Dublin, Ireland, has made a living in the octagon with his quick jabs and knockouts. His MMA career record is 21-3 overall with his last defeat coming at the hands of Nate Diaz at UFC 196. McGregor was fighting up a weight class in that fight and lost via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Since then, McGregor’s avenged his loss to Diaz with a victory at the rematch at UFC 202 and followed it up with a knockout victory in November 2016 against Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.
During his UFC run, McGregor’s become known for walking out to massive cheers from raucous crowds draped in Ireland’s flag. His entrance into the arena has become a spectacle in itself and he typically always walks toward the octagon to the tune of the same Irish song.
That song is an Irish ballad titled “The Foggy Dew,” and it was used to chronicle the Easter Uprising of 1916, encouraging Irishmen to fight for the cause of Ireland. The version used for McGregor’s theme song is sung by Sinead O’Connor and The Chieftains.
When McGregor walks toward the octagon, the first verse of the song is sung before it transitions to a hip-hop song. Those songs have included the Notrious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and most recently 50 Cent’s “I Get Money.”
Watch McGregor’s most recent UFC entrance at Madison Square Garden.
Mcgregor’s walkout song for the Mayweather fight hasn’t yet been disclosed, but it’s speculated “Foggy Dew” will play a big part of it, especially because that’s the song he walked out to during a media tour last month followed by the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.”
