Conor McGregor to Attend Fury-Ngannou; Weighs in on Matchup

The Notorious heads to The Kingdom 🇸🇦👑 #furyngannou pic.twitter.com/dZOCQMXvkI

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 26, 2023

Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor will be making an appearance at the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match on Saturday.

The Irishman will join several renowned athletes and celebrities, including a swath of former boxing and MMA champions, as well as soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo. McGregor claimed he received a formal invitation from the House of Saud, the royal ruling family of Saudi Arabia. McGregor posted on social media on Thursday night to confirm he would be in attendance in Riyadh on Saturday, while also weighing in on the matchup itself.

“What’s up guys, the notorious Conor McGregor here,” the Irishman declared. “Just getting on to happily announce I will be heading to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia early AM tomorrow for the big blockbuster fight between boxer Tyson Fury and mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou.”

McGregor went on to give his take on the highly anticipated pairing between decorated heavyweights from two different combat sports.

“Francis Ngannou for me is more of a kickboxer-slash-boxer than he is a mixed martial artist in my opinion…he’s more of a standup fighter than he is a mixed martial artist,” the former champion noted. “You start throwing in grappling with Francis, you know, it’s never good for him. He has a striker’s mentality. This will stand to him in this bout. He has a tall ask with Tyson Fury, but any man can land a shot. Tyson looks great in the buildup. Is fast, light, elusive. Could be a seriously stellar performance from Tyson Fury here.”

McGregor couldn't help but note the presence of one of Ngannou’s cornermen: heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson.

“The Mike Tyson influx into this, in Francis Ngannou's corner, is very interesting. Francis has power, Francis has big power, with a striker’s mentality if it gets a bit tougher for him in the later rounds. That will stand to him. So, with power, with that, anything can happen. Mike Tyson in the corner, that type of style could be a kryptonite of a long rangy distance type of fighter in Tyson Fury. Has Mike Tyson given some tips to get inside to change an angle to bang a shot that clips the top of the temple to make it into an interesting bout, you wouldn't know,” McGregor concluded.

Fury and Ngannou will collide in a 10-round non-title exhibition match in the main event of Top Rank: Fury vs. Ngannou. The two will battle it out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, on a lineup with an entire main card slate of heavyweights.