Conor McGregor has told KSI that he’ll fight him solely because of his viral new song Thick Of It. A fight between the two men has been teased in the past, with the duo almost coming to blows at the O2 Arena last year after Anthony Joshua’s victory over Robert Helenius.
McGregor last featured in the MMA cage in 2021, but suffered back-to-back UFC defeats to Dustin Poirier.
The 36-year-old has only ever had one boxing showdown in his professional career, losing to Floyd Mayweather via a TKO in 2017.
KSI, meanwhile, defeated fellow YouTuber Logan Paul in his maiden boxing match in 2019 and won four other bouts before losing to Tommy Fury in his latest fight a year ago.
The 31-year-old has his interests spread across an array of industries and is also a musician. He has released eight UK top 10 singles and has collaborated with the likes of Craig David and Anne-Marie in the past.
McGregor was quizzed about a potential fight with KSI during an appearance earlier this week. And the Irishman exclaimed: “Let’s go man. I’ll fight him for that b***s*** song he released alone. I’ll fight him for that f***ing song.”
McGregor spotted KSI in the crowd as he spoke to Joshua in the aftermath of his win against Helenius in August 2023.
And the MMA star shouted: “I know your man KSI is in the crowd and he couldn’t box eggs if he worked in an egg boxing factory. So if he wants to get in here I’ll give him a final yoke, bare-knuckle if you want.”
KSI later reacted to the incident as he explained: “It was pretty weird if I’m being honest. I think I had heard Conor saying that I can’t box and this and that. It was pretty embarrassing for him because AJ was like ‘Nah nah, that’s my guy’, so he looked a little bit stupid there.
“But with Conor, clearly I think he wants a bite at the cherry, he wants a piece of the king and he understands that this right here is where the money is at.
“Everyone is a normal person at the end of the day, same as me just a normal guy and I treat everyone the same. Just because he’s Conor McGregor doesn’t mean anything to me.”
McGregor is one of the most recognisable stars in combat sport and has never been one to shy away from the limelight.
But his behaviour caused Arsenal to launch an internal inquiry earlier this month after he entered the Emirates pitch in the aftermath of the Gunners’ Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain and engaged in an overzealous play-fight with Bukayo Saka.
