Boxing great Teddy Atlas likens Conor McGregor to Muhammad Ali, talks comeback against Michael Chandler - "I expect the return of the king"
Conor McGregor is set to make his return to the UFC and boxing legend Teddy Atlas believes his impact is close to that of Muhammad Ali's.
Atlas, a legendary boxing coach, is now one of the foremost voices in the combat sports world and is an avid UFC fan. Following last weekend's UFC 285 fight, The Mac Life interviewed him and asked about his thoughts on McGregor returning to the ring. The former coach replied by saying:
"I expect the return of the king. When I say that, I mean the guy is a pioneer. I talked about (Muhammad) Ali earlier, I think it's fair, as great as he is, to talk, to compare them a little bit. Because Conor brought the sport and everything with the sport as far as the purses for the fighters, to another level, and Ali did that too."
The 66-year-old went on to say that no one promoted themselves like Muhammad Ali and Conor McGregor have. He also compared McGregor to a Lion in a zoo, someone no one gets tired of looking at no matter how many times they see it. Atlas is excited to see 'The Notorious' back in the ring and expects great things from him against Michael Chandler.
Conor McGregor in top form! 🤣
https://t.co/VlgZNFz52J
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Jon Jones showed his support for Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 285
Fans loved the camaraderie between Jon Jones and Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 285. The pair ran into each other multiple times and created a number of viral clips of them embracing and talking to each other.
During the pre-fight press conference, Jones showed his respect for 'The Notorious' by talking about his influence on the sport:
"I love Conor, I love what he represents man, he's big, he has a gigantic brand. In some sense, it's just as big as our sport and it's gonna be great when he comes back. He's gonna bring a whole new energy, even more fans. It's great for all of us...I never thought, in my time, I would see an MMA fighter with a Ferrari yacht."
Jon Jones gave Conor McGregor his respect at the UFC 285 media day. https://t.co/vLvwuq72UF
Conor McGregor is set to make his return to the UFC against Michael Chandler in the latter part of the year. The pair will first face off as rival coaches for season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.
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