Nobody has too much clout to scare Conor McGregor off a verbal beatdown.
Throughout the Irishman's stand-off with the UFC over media obligations last year, which saw 'The Notorious' pulled from the UFC 200 fight card, it became clear that McGregor is not afraid of clashing with higher-ups.
Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza learned just that on Wednesday night when he fell victim to a classic McGregor diatribe in Toronto.
24 hours earlier, the reigning UFC lightweight champion was furious when he discovered that his microphone had been cut, meaning he could not respond to Floyd Mayweather during his address to the Los Angeles crowd at the opening press conference of a four-city promotional tour.
McGregor believed Showtime, the network which will broadcast the August 26 super-fight, had made the decision to deny him the ability to respond to the 49-0 boxing great.
So when he was handed a live microphone in Canada the next day, he let rip.
https://twitter.com/boxingcorner247/status/885424593577680896
"Fuck Showtime!" McGregor roared as he got in Espinoza's face.
Even Mayweather and his lackeys broke into fits of laughter at the sight of Espinoza being taken down a peg.
In the wake of the press conference, one of the most dramatic ever seen in combat sports, Espinoza responded to the tirade which came courtesy of the pissed off Dubliner.
"I’m not sure whether it’s part of the show," Espinoza told MMA Fighting. "I’m not sure how much is a put on. It seemed more than that. It certainly wasn’t a wink and a nod. And it wasn’t backstage saying, ‘Hey, I’m doing it for the good of the show.’
"The reality is you see what some athletes — whether combat sports or otherwise — the need to invent enemies and invent opponents to motivate. He’s obviously got that in Floyd. If this is part of his process of imagining the world against him and motivating himself, then that’s his process.
"I’m a big boy. It’s certainly not somebody that has come after me as a network. It did take me a little bit by surprise, but it’s part of the entertainment value of the McGregor business."
Two stops remain on the world tour and Espinoza has hinted that he may yet seize the opportunity to retort although, given McGregor's way with words, that may not be the best idea.
"I’d like to sleep on it, but it took me by surprise,” Espinoza added. “At the end of the day, I’m a big boy and I still got two more opportunities to respond if I need to."
