It’s finally here. Thank god. As much as I’ve enjoyed following and chronicling the “spectacle” that is Mayweather vs. McGregor, I’m also about fed up with it. But the weigh-ins are today, and here we sit, just over 24 hours away from the biggest fight in combat sports history. After two months of pre-fight debating, it’s finally time to see if Mystic Mac can shock the world once again. Or if Floyd continues to do what Floyd does, win.

How does this fight play out?

Listen, I’m an MMA fan, who occasionally catches the odd boxing match when there’s something worth watching. So I’m not pretending to be a boxing expert here, but I do understand the very basics of “the sweet science”. And There’s essentially four possible scenarios in which this fight can play out.

Conor by decision

This is the most unlikely of scenarios. Even fans of McGregor’s and his biggest supporters believe he has to knock Floyd out in order to win this fight. If this fight goes the distance, it will be most certainly Floyd’s hand being raised in the ring. If McGregor wins it will be because of his unorthodox style that catches Mayweather off guard, allowing him to land that left hand, putting Floyd to sleep.

Floyd KO’s Conor

Another unlikely scenario, but still VERY possible. If this does happen, it won’t be as you might think with Mayweather landing a right hand on McGregor’s chin. If McGregor goes out looking to push the pace and barrage Floyd with flurries of punches, he’ll leave himself open to a lot of body work from Mayweather, and will fatigue much quicker. That fatigue will leave McGregor susceptible to being dropped by a body shot, and ultimately Conor’s demise.

Floyd by decision

This is the most likely and most thought to be true of situations. Despite Floyd’s nonsense with regards to him promising to finish this fight, it’s just simply not going to happen. If Mayweather does as he says he is going to, it will be in McGregor’s favour. Conor is a counter puncher by nature. If Floyd looks to play the aggressor, he will open himself up to McGregor’s deadly left hand.

Conor has serious knock-out power, but this isn’t MMA. The difference is that in MMA, after your opponent is dropped, the fighter can then bounce their opponents head upon the canvas (as McGregor so eloquently puts it). Where as in boxing, you have the standing ten count. As much as people believe in Conor’s mystic left hand, he likely won’t be able to put Floyd to sleep for a full, and most likely prolonged ten count.

In this scenario Conor will win the early rounds with his unorthodox style, catching Mayweather off guard, even dropping him once or twice. But will ultimately get figured out by Floyd in the later rounds. Leaving us with yet another Floyd Mayweather win by decision. With a defeat in this manner, McGregor still walks away winning the spectacle. The only thing people will talk about is how an 0-0 mixed martial artist went 12 rounds with “TBE – the best ever”, showing highlights of McGregor’s knock downs.

The scenario that will CHANGE THE STATE OF COMBAT SPORTS

Every reasonable part of my being sees this fight ending in a decision for Floyd Mayweather. But something, just something inside of me believes in fairy tales, in the unforeseen, in the unpredictable, and the unimaginable.

I’ve seen Mystic Mac call his shots and doubted on so many occasions that I just can’t seem to find the ability to doubt him on the biggest stage, against arguably the greatest defensive boxer to have ever done it, at his own game.

Maybe I’m being bamboozled. Maybe I’m falling for the hype, and maybe I’m going to have to eat a giant pile of turd after this is all said and done. But I truly believe Conor McGregor is going to knock Floyd Mayweather out.

I get it. It doesn’t make any sense. I even just explained to you why it was so unlikely, but for some reason I’m drawn to this conclusion. Maybe it’s because I want to see something that we’ve never seen before. Or maybe it’s because I’m a Conor dick rider, as some are quick to point out.

The after-math

When, and I say when McGregor wins, he will become the biggest sports star the world has ever seen. Boxing will continue to fall off the face of the planet, and forever be questioned. And McGregor will take over Mayweather’s spot as the highest paid fighter in combat sports. The UFC has already publicly discussed the notion that if Conor wins, they will have to drastically change how much, and how they pay him. To steal a line from Mystic Mac himself, It’s going to be some Bruce Lee type shit.