Inside The Decision-Making Process

Terence Crawford Opens Up on Turning Down McGregor: Money Isn’t a Factor

Crawford rejects McGregor deal, says no to MMA / Facebook.

By Kemboi Robert

Conor McGregor was on the brink of another major crossover combat sports event, as boxing champion Terence Crawford recently disclosed that he declined an official two-fight offer to face the Irishman in both MMA and boxing.

During a recent live stream, McGregor let slip that the boxing sensation gave a hard pass to the idea of squaring off with him in two distinct bouts. The negotiations hit a wall because the boxer wasn't keen on stepping into the MMA arena.

“[I told Crawford] They are asking for a fight,” McGregor said. “It’s going to be hundreds of millions on the line. What’s up? He said, ‘I don’t want to take a kick.’ You got to respect that.

“Crawford is very slick, he also has a wrestling background pedigree. We were talking back and forth about a two-fight deal.”

He has finally opened up about why he declined a high-paying offer to fight the Irish MMA star. In a candid chat with Bernie the Boxer, the American revealed.

“I told Conor, ‘Hell no’,” Crawford said in an interview on YouTube. “They called me, they offered me the fight, and me and Conor got on the phone and we started politicking, you know, trying to figure something out.”

“And I just told him, ‘Man I’m not getting in to the Octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbowing me, he starts laughing   and he’s like, ‘Man, I respect that because you respect my sport like I respect your sport, if you get in the Octagon with me, you’re going to be at a disadvantage, just like if I get in the boxing ring with you, I’m at a disadvantage’.

“But he was like, ‘We’ll make a tonne of money’, I said ‘Yeah, sometimes it ain’t about the money’. I can make money but you ain’t about to start kicking me dude, them kicks and elbows ain’t no joke,” Crawford admitted.

Although Crawford knows that a potential two-fight deal against McGregor would make him a substantial amount of money, he has explained why he turned down the official offer.

McGregor was due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 back in June against Michael Chandler but a toe injury for the Irishman caused the bout to be cancelled and Chandler has since moved on to a fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

‘Notorious’ will now allegedly end his four-year UFC hiatus next year instead and although it has not been confirmed who he will face, the 36-year-old recently claimed he would like to fight UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.